Annual Conference

Thirty-Second Annual
Appalachian Studies Conference

March 27-29, 2009

Connecting Appalachia and the World Through Traditional and Contemporary Arts, Crafts, and Music

Conference registration is $150,
and $100 for Students.

Shawnee State University, Portsmouth, Ohio

DESCRIPTION

The 2009 ASA Conference highlights the wealth of traditional and contemporary arts, crafts, and music of Appalachia and how they connect the region with the world. It examines their relationships with the environment and the economy; identity, image, and community; heritage and culture; art and the artist; tradition and change; and theory and action. You are invited to explore and share these memory, landscape, and community relationships that contribute to Appalachia’s connection with the world through arts, crafts, and music by organizing a panel, submitting a research paper, assembling a roundtable discussion, developing a workshop, creating a poster, or producing a display table.

Make plans now to experience this conference being held for the very first time in Ohio Appalachia! You are invited to help “make the connection” by joining more than 600 colleagues in participating in the conference through:

  • Participatory/active discussions
  • Panel discussions/round-tables
  • Presentations of community-based research and projects
  • Research papers Poster sessions/display tables
  • Presentations of films, photography, painting, poetry, music, dance, etc.
  • Workshops (educational, artistic, etc.)
  • Sponsorship of a reception or break
  • Field trips/walking tours

ACCOMMODATIONS

For those needing to fly to the Conference, the closest airport is the Tri-State Airport near Huntington, WV, which is about 1 ½ hours from Portsmouth. Other airports 2 ½ hours away are in Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. The Local Arrangements Committee has selected several accommodations, all fairly close to Shawnee State University. Blocks of rooms are being held at several hotels/motels on a first-come, first-serve basis. Ask for the Appalachian Studies Association Conference rates.

Ramada Inn, (about 2 blocks from SSU campus), 711 Second Street, Portsmouth; $72 plus tax includes breakfast; 740-354-7711; www.ramadainnportsmouth.com.

Shawnee Lodge & Resort (Shawnee State Park, about 15 miles from downtown Portsmouth, about 20 - 30 minutes drive time), U.S. Rt. 52 to SR 125, Friendship; $80 plus tax in the Lodge; $129 plus tax for cabins (very nice cabins for 6 - 8 people); 740-858-6621; www.shawneelodgeresort.com. Rooms released Nov. 20, so reserve early!

 
• Call for Participation Submission
Online form. October 20 is the deadline.
• Exhibitor Info & Registration Form
Deadline: November 15, 600k .pdf document
• Scholarship Application
Online form.
• Award Nominations
600k .pdf document
• Registration
100k .pdf document

ENVIRONS

Scioto County is located at the confluence of the Scioto and Ohio Rivers in south central Ohio. The county seat of Portsmouth—where southern hospitality begins—also serves as a gateway into Ohio’s 29-county Appalachian region. Scioto County-Portsmouth figures significantly in “The Art of the Ancients: the Ohio Valley,” a monumental exhibition of prehistoric Native American artifacts and mounds. The 63,000-acre Shawnee State Forest (once the hunting ground of the Shawnee Indians) is located in the Appalachian foothills near the banks of the Ohio. The forest area has earned the nickname of “the Little Smokies” because of its rugged beauty and terrain.

The recently completed U. S. Grant Bridge carries U.S. Route 23 traffic across the Ohio River. At the floodwall is the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals project that has become the largest known work of art by a single artist. Internationally-known muralist Robert Dafford has completed more than 50 historical murals—an open-air gallery 2,200 feet long and 20 feet high! Be sure to visit the murals and learn of the area’s and its people’s connections to the world.

The site for the ASA 2009 Conference is Shawnee State University (SSU) whose 50-acre campus is situated between the Ohio River and downtown Portsmouth, right next to the U. S. Grant Bridge. Previously a community college, SSU became Ohio’s 13th university in 1986. Most students come from Ohio and contiguous states. Campus buildings in which Conference activities will take place are on level ground and in close proximity to each other. SSU will be on spring break during our visit and there will be plenty of convenient parking for us on the campus.

Check these websites to learn more about the campus and the area:

Shawnee State University
http://www.shawnee.edu
Portsmouth Convention and Visitor’s Bureau
http://ohiorivertourism.org
Portsmouth Mural Wall
http://www.portsmouthmuralproducts.com

Holiday Inn Express (about 3 miles north of downtown Portsmouth off U.S. Route 23), 5100 Old Scioto Trail; $85 plus tax; breakfast; 740-353-3232; www.hiexpress.com/portsmouthoh.

Super 8 Motel (about 3 miles north of downtown Portsmouth), 4266 U.S. Hwy. 23; $55 plus tax (subject to change in 2009); breakfast; 740-353-8880.

AmeriStay (formerly a Days Inn, recently renovated; about 3 miles north of downtown Portsmouth), 3762 U.S. Hwy. 23; $55 plus tax; breakfast; 740-354-2851.

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Appalachian Studies Association
Mary K. Thomas, Office Manager
Marshall University
One John Marshall Drive
Huntington, WV 25755

Phone: 304-696-2904
Contact

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