After the Mine

16" x 12" 16 color screenprint edition of 25 on 250gsm warm white Stonehenge paper, handfinished with coal dust and published by the artist, printed by Du-Good Press, 2018

Created in 2018 from a painting entitled "After the Mine" by Ali Printz for the "Appalachian Spring" traveling solo show from an original photograph from 1938 for National Geographic taken by B. Anthony Stewart in Holden, West Virginia.

“Appalachian Spring” seeks to give agency to the women of Appalachia and highlight the rich heritage that the region has contributed to American culture, as well as the stereotypes it has perpetuated. Despite its poverty, religious misconceptions, perceived political leanings and propensity to be taken advantage of for its natural resources, Appalachia is filled with a distinction and beauty that is often overlooked. Vintage photographs and sculptural fabric are used to reconstruct the lives of the forgotten women of Appalachia, while combining elements of contemporary issues facing the region that have been constants in her West Virginia upbringing. Miners, snake charmers, weavers, debutants, and shamans; all have a place for women as cornerstones in the whole of the culture. Through the traditions of folk art and craft combined with traditional portraiture and figuration, I hope to reconstruct the importance of women’s roles as caretakers, heroines, and constants that permeates the culture and history of Appalachia.