I Landed a U.F.O. on Main Street: An Autoethnography of the Founding of an Arts Education Organization in Appalachian Kentucky

Authors

Elise L. Kieffer PhD, Murray State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-8-2019

Publication Title

The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts

Department

Organizational Communication

College/School

Arthur J. Bauernfeind College of Business

Abstract

Abstract: The Appalachian region in the southern mid-west has long been the source of stereotyping for dramatic and political affect. Through the course of nine years as a resident in an Appalachian community in south-central Kentucky, the author experienced life as it is lived by the local people. Through the establishment of an art education organization, the author became entwined with local families and became familiar with the origins of many of those stereotypes. Using autoethnography to interpret her experiences, through the lens of academic research, the author will confront the primary issues that surfaced: the acute designation of outsider status, and the perception of the arts in underexposed communities. The goal of this analysis is to facilitate greater impact by arts organizations into rural populations.

Comments

This is the submitted manuscript of an article published by Common Ground Research Networks in The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts, available at https://doi.org/10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v14i01/1-12

Recommended Citation

Kieffer, Elise. 2019. "I Landed a U.F.O. on Main Street: An Autoethnography of the Founding of an Arts Education Organization in Appalachian Kentucky." The International Journal of Social, Political and Community Agendas in the Arts 14 (1): 1-12. doi:10.18848/2326-9960/CGP/v14i01/1-12.