Y'all come to the Mountains of Appalachia Music, Arts, and Wellness Festival (MAMAW Fest) taking place 10am-6pm on July 27th, on the streets of downtown Harlan. A celebration of community care, the day will feature local artists, vendors, musicians, and healthcare providers MAMAW Fest is coordinated by Devyn Creech.
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Higher Ground, a part of the Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College Appalachian Program, is thrilled to announce its 10th community performance in twenty years, Angels Unaware. The original musical drama was created in 2022-2024 by people in Harlan County in collaboration with guest artists and is based on interviews collected by SKCTC students and community members. Angels Unaware uses story and song to process the questions, "How do we take care of ourselves?" and "How do we take care of each other?" This original production is directed by Kate Handzlik, SKCTC Assistant Professor and Higher Ground Creative Director. Nicole Garneau of Disputanta, KY is the artist-in-residence. John Adams is the Music director. Robert Gipe spearheaded the writing of this piece. Chicago-based Kevin Iega Jeff choreographed the play with support from Kaitlyn Skidmore Patel. Maranda Marie DeBusk of Atlanta is the Lighting Designer, Pamela Adolphi of Johnson City, TN is the scenic designer, and Jeff Becker of New Orleans, LA is the creative consultant. Over eighty-five community members are involved in the production of Angels Unaware.
Angels Unaware premieres on July 19, 2024, with subsequent performances on July 20, 21, 26, and 28, as well as July 27 as a part of the Mountains of Appalachian Music Arts and Wellness Festival (MAMAW Fest). Angels Unaware and MAMAW Fest are part of a campaign from One Nation/One Project titled Arts for EveryBody, where 18 cities and counties across the United States are producing large-scale participatory art projects on the same day to celebrate how the arts positively impact mental and physical wellbeing. |
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"Generosity comes in all forms. It may be as simple as a smile, a ‘hello’ ‘good morning’ or ‘how are you doing’ A lot of people have lost that touch of generosity. I know this old man and woman always grew rhubarb. They aren’t able to do that anymore, the ground moles got what they had, so every year I make sure that when I pull the first pullings of rhubarb off, I take it to them. Good will toward your fellow man and woman both, is very important because it shows your character. And your heritage. " -Perky in "Needlework: HG 7"
Love this story or have a similar story with this theme? Help us gather more through our listening project for the new play by being interviewed/interviewing others! Contact us to find out more! |
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who we are...
Higher Ground is a community arts organization based in Harlan County, Kentucky. Higher Ground has worked with community members and visiting artists to create photography exhibits, tile mosaics, and plays. Each of these projects rely heavily on oral histories collected by Harlan Countians and about Harlan Countians. Higher Ground is a project of the Appalachian Program at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College.
In addition to Higher Ground, our office is also home to several other cultural and revitalization projects. For more information on these projects,
please visit our PROJECTS page.
In addition to Higher Ground, our office is also home to several other cultural and revitalization projects. For more information on these projects,
please visit our PROJECTS page.
Get Social With Higher Ground !
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Project staff...Kate Handzlik
Higher Ground- Creative Director, Theatre Robert Gipe Higher Ground- Founding Producer Alexia Ault Mountain Training Network- Project Director |
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Black and white photographs courtesy of Maranda DeBusk, lighting designer for Find a Way.