MAMAW FEST: Mountains of Appalachia Music, Art, and Wellness Festival
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On July 27th, 2024, Harlan County proudly hosted the first ever MAMAW Festival. "MAMAW" short for Mountains of Appalachia Music, Art, and Wellness. In partnership with One Nation, One Project and the Arts for EveryBody campaign, this special day was part of a national effort to explore how creativity can transform our physical and mental health. The MAMAW Festival was a celebration of how making art and building community help us not just survive, but truly thrive. Through months of preparation, we saw firsthand the healing, joy, and connection that come from creating together. We're incredibly proud of every single person who showed up, pitched in, and believed in this vision. Arts for EveryBody's goal was that on July 27th, artists, civic leaders, and healthcare providers in eighteen communities across the country would simultaneously launch large-scale, participatory art projects rooted in their local cultures. The theme was "No Place Like Home." In Harlan County, Higher Ground answered that call by spotlighting the stories and talents of our own neighbors. With the support of County Judge Executive Dan Mosley and the Clover Fork Clinic in both Everett and Harlan, we created something truly powerful. MAMAW Fest became a living portrait of Appalachian spirit, wellness, and artistry. Across the country, in places big and small, people came together—farmers and muralists, dancers and nurses, puppeteers and bamboo weavers—to show the world what home means to them. The result is a beautiful, vibrant celebration of American diversity and the power of art to unite us.
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