Project Description
COAL was a two-year project (1992-94) conceived by former faculty member Mary Kathleen Ernst that included a commissioned musical piece and residency by the composer, Judith Shatin, at West Virginia's Shepherd College. The purpose of COAL was to deepen the community's knowledge of and relationship to the arts and 20th century music through a project that had resonance in the region. Shatin's statewide research and interviews with citizens of West Virginia focused her residency on mining history and related contemporary issues. Each of four residency periods featured at least one composition by Shatin as well as other activities to provide a "means of access" to unfamiliar contemporary music. Related activities included a showing of the film We Dig Coal and a gallery show, Images of Appalachian Coal Fields, by photographer Builder Levy. A lunch session featured the Old-Time Appalachian musicians who were to perform the premiere of the culminating multimedia oratorio called COAL composed by Judith Shatin during the residency. In addition, a community chorale, which included several members with roots in coal country, performed the final piece. The final composition included twenty-six songs, written by Shatin, that told the complex history of coal mining from diverse points of view. The chorus sings "solidarity forever," but they also sing "the union went 'n sold us out." Several songs were delivered from the perspective of coal camp women. This project was funded by a grant from the Lila Wallace-Readers Digest Arts Partners Program and by the West Virginia Council on the Arts and Humanities.

Civic Engagement/Dialogue Activities
An important aspect of this project was the development of partnerships between the college, the composer, and community groups (including the Woodson Historical Society, Millbrook Orchestra, and the Masterworks Chorale) to plan and produce residency events. It was the belief that broad community involvement in the project would result in greater support for the music featured. The artist traveled across the state during her research stage and talked with miners about their lives and work. A panel discussion on the topic of coal history and mine safety included Shatin, the then-president of the United Mine Workers, and the assistant secretary of the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. According to music writer David Schulman, "the project succeeded in establishing a creative dialogue between twentieth-century art music, the United Mine Workers, computer sound engineering, old-time Appalachian music, and the people of Shepherdstown." Much of Shatin's research was documented in a film titled "COAL,"produced by West Virginia Public Television.

Information Sources
Schulman, David. "A Rich Vein: In West Virginia Mine Country, a Composer Creates a Work That Delineates a Community's Life," Inside Arts. Washington, D.C.: Association of Performing Arts Presenters. February/March 1995.