Events and Exhibits
The Appalachian Heritage Project complements the wide range of humanities-based education and activities at Pellissippi State through quarterly programming and scheduled exhibits that explore the Appalachian region and its rich history, diverse population and geography, and vibrant culture.
Appalachian Showcase Winter Exhibit
This yearly exhibit features items such as art, textiles, fossils, furniture, clothing, photographs, artifacts, and music.
Fundamental blacksmithing methods and tools are represented in this exhibition along with examples of artistic and decorative ironwork from retired Pellissippi State Professor and former Master Smith at Dollywood, Mike Rose, who has been smithing for over 40 years
This traveling exhibit from the East Tennessee Historical Society's traveling exhibit traces the beverage from its beginnings in Knoxville to its peak of popularity, touching on many aspects of local, Appalachian, and US history including the rise and popularity of Appalachian stereotypes, moonshining, prohibition, and the explosive growth of advertising in the mid twentieth century. For more information, see our accompanying research guide and Youtube video of curator Adam Alfrey's guided tour of the exhibit.
Curated by Art faculty Jeffrey Lockett, this exhibit was on display from August 2023 to April 2024 in the Strawberry Plains Campus Library. In addition to Cherokee baskets from the mid 20th century, Appalachian baskets from Clinton, Tennessee artist and engineer Jimmy Lawrence were prominently featured. All works in the exhibit are from the collections of Lawrence or Lockett.
As part of the Appalachian Heritage Project’s Arts Program, the AHP and the Strawberry Plains Campus sponsored two hikes to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for faculty, staff, and students to spend time in nature, learn about regional history, and engage in photography.
Short interviews with students, faculty, and staff sharing stories, recollections, and thoughts about their experiences of Appalachia.
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This event explores regional culture and features keynote speakers who present and discuss Appalachia's rich history including music, religion, social customs, medicine, archaeology, law, and food presentation.
The Appalachian Heritage Project again sponsored the annual College Bluegrass Showcase which features the partnership between the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association and Pellissippi State Community College. In 2025, student bands played from Pellissippi, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and East Tennessee State University. or the third annual College Bluegrass Showcase at its Strawberry Plains campus.
In April, 2024, the East Tennessee Bluegrass Association and Pellissippi State Community College teamed up to host an afternoon of free bluegrass. Hosted for the first time at the Strawberry Plains Campus, student bands played from both Pellissippi and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
For this event, the Appalachian Heritage Project partnered with the Blount County Public Library to host an evening of Appalachian music and storytelling with legendary musicians and activists Sparky and Rhonda Rucker.
Musicians and educators Sean McCollough, Kelle Jolly, and Chris Durman discuss the life and impact of internationally acclaimed musician, painter, storyteller, and Campbell County, Tennessee native Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong (1909-2003).
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Appalachian Arts Summer Program
This event includes hands-on activities relating to Appalachia such as quilting, basket-weaving, nature photography, and cooking.
Students, faculty, and staff walked along the Little Rive in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with adjunct history professor Dr. Steve Dunkin as our guide.
This hike to Clingman's Dome, which is the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, included students, faculty, and staff and took place in September 2024, just before the peak's name was restored to its original Cherokee name, Kuwohi. The group learned about the history of the naming of the peak as well as had the opportunity to take photographs of nature.
Students, faculty and staff partnered with the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club to perform maintenance on the Appalachian Trail which runs by Newfound Gap.
Led by a GSMNP ranger, this hike allowed students, faculty, and staff to learn about the geography and history of the bald and to take photographs of nature.
This hike to the historic Walkers Sisters Cabin and Little Greenbrier Schoolhouse provided opportunities for students to take photographs and learn about native plants and early 19th century life and education in the mountains.
This hike to historic Elkmont Campground and Daisytown was led by a GSMNP ranger and adjunct history professor Dr. Steve Dunkin. Students, faculty, and staff learned about the history of logging in the area as well as the origins of the Daisytown cabins and the Wonderland Hotel.
This hike to the historic John Oliver cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park allowed students to spend a day in the Smoky Mountains to take photographs and learn about Cades Cove history from Dr. Steve Dunkin, adjunct history professor and vice president of the Smoky Mountains Hiking Club.
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Appalachia Speaks Fall Symposium
This event focuses on regional literature and languages and includes presentations as well as workshops that explore topics such as writing, storytelling, folklore, poetry, and Appalachian oral traditions.
This year’s theme, “Frames and Phrases,” focused on the fusion of words and art/photography in graphic novels and other types of creative writing. Weatherford Award-winning Appalachian graphic novelist Robert Gipe gave the keynote address and lead the featured workshop with a unique blend of humor and writing wisdom. His trilogy, Trampoline, Weedeater, and Pop also won the Judy Gaines Young Book Award.
Other workshops included songwriting with former Knoxville Poet Laureate Black Atticus, fiction with award-winning novelist Julia Watts, publication with Howling Hills publisher Terry Shaw and poetry with Pellissippi English faculty and writer Anna Childs.
Additional activities included a Quilting Bee, a Quilted Story Square activity, a zine-making station, a responding-to-Appalachian images activity, the “Writer’s Room” and the Showcase event at the end of the day where attendees read from their original works.
Pellissippi State Community College’s Young Creative Writer’s Workshop returned on Saturday, November 2, for its 10th consecutive year, with the theme “Celebrating Afrilachia," featuring workshops and activities celebrating the experiences and artistic expressions of African Americans living in Appalachia.
Award-winning author Angela Jackson Brown gave the keynote address. She is the author of “Drinking From a Bitter Cup,” “House Repairs,” “When Stars Rain Down” and “The Light Always Breaks.” Angela’s newest novel, “Homeward,” a follow-up to “When Stars Rain Down,” was published by Harper Muse. Her latest novel, “Untethered,” was released in December, 2024.
Other workshops included Songwriting/Spoken Word Poetry with Black Atticus, Knoxville’s Poet Laureate; Fiction with Vic Sizemore; Publication workshop with Erin Elizabeth Smith (Sundress Publications); Musical performance by Kelle Jolly provided during lunch; Playwriting with Drew Drake; and a special generative workshop with archivist Ashby Combahee from the Highlander Center: “How Historical Investigation Shapes Historical Fiction Narratives”
Additional activities include a Quilting Bee, an “Afrilachian Journeys” station, the Black Church and Civil Rights Movement History station, Music and History Trivia Games, the “Writer’s Room” and the Showcase event at the end of the day.
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On October 28, 2023, the Appalachian Heritage Project sponsored the 9th Annual Young Creative Writers Workshop event. This year’s theme was Pride in Appalachia and our keynote speaker and workshop leader was Neema Avashia, the award-winning writer of the memoir Another Appalachia: Coming up Queer and Indian in a Mountain Place. There was also a songwriting workshop with Knoxville’s Poet Laureate Joseph Woods aka Black Atticus; fiction with Pellissippi English professor Charles Dodd White; poetry with Pellissippi English professor Kierstyn Lamour; horror fiction with Pellissippi biology professor Grant Mincy, publishing with Terry Shaw of Howling Hills Publishing, and folk medicine with East Tennessee State University professor Dr. Jody Bryant. The free, day-long series of humanities-focused activities also included a free lunch with music with audio-production professor Jonathan Maness and his band Westwind, as well as a Writer’s Room where attendees could talk with workshop leaders and get books signed, a Quilting Bee, a “Granny Witch”/ Folk Medicine station, an Appalachian Costume Contest and an opportunity for participants to share their Appalachian experience on film with roaming student videographers with the prompt of What Makes You Appalachian Proud? The day ended with our annual Writer’s Showcase where attendees could read their work to an attentive audience of fellow writers.
The Young Creative Writer’s Workshop is a free, daylong creative writing workshop designed for area high school students and all Pellissippi students, but open to the community, with workshops in fiction, poetry, songwriting, publication and craft-focused/genre specific topics. The 8th Annual workshop in 2022 was sponsored by the Appalachian Heritage Project in collaboration with associate professor of English Patty Ireland and her Young Creative Writers Student Club.
This panel discussion between Dr. Chris Green, Director of the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center at Berea College, and Pellissippi State Community College Associate Professors of English, Candice Dendy and Patty Ireland, explores the power and influence of telling stories in Appalachia, particularly as they relate to the history and diversity of the region, as well as what it means to be Appalachian and how those identities have influenced the panelists' work with students.
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