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West Virginia, once a principal source of the nation's coal, is now wracked by poverty and despair. Documentary photographer Ken Light's stark black-and-white images portray the culture of the state's small towns, after the mines have closed, where the people are devastated by unemployment, drug use, and mine-related diseases. The dire economic conditions of this largely neglected area of Appalachia are compounded by the revival of the Ku Klux Klan and the polluted environment left by the collapsed mining industry.
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Ken Light
After the storm, Devils Fork Hollow, 2000
© Ken Light
After the storm, Devils Fork Hollow, 2000
© Ken Light
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Ken Light
Johnnie, fifty-two years old. Crane Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 2001
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
Johnnie, fifty-two years old. Crane Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 2001
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
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Ken Light
Cody and Ocie, his girlfriend of twenty-two years. Ozzley Branch Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
Cody and Ocie, his girlfriend of twenty-two years. Ozzley Branch Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
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Ken Light
James and his brother J.R., three and five years old. Thacker Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
James and his brother J.R., three and five years old. Thacker Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
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Ken Light
Bryan at the swimming hole. Laurel Creek Fork Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
Bryan at the swimming hole. Laurel Creek Fork Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
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Ken Light
Ku Klux Klan speech at the county courthouse. Ohio-West Virginia border, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
Ku Klux Klan speech at the county courthouse. Ohio-West Virginia border, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
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Ken Light
After the storm, Devils Fork Hollow, 2000
© Ken Light
After the storm, Devils Fork Hollow, 2000
© Ken Light
Image
Ken Light
Johnnie, fifty-two years old. Crane Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 2001
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
Johnnie, fifty-two years old. Crane Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 2001
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
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Ken Light
Cody and Ocie, his girlfriend of twenty-two years. Ozzley Branch Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
Cody and Ocie, his girlfriend of twenty-two years. Ozzley Branch Hollow, West Virginia, 2002
© Ken Light
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Ken Light
James and his brother J.R., three and five years old. Thacker Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
James and his brother J.R., three and five years old. Thacker Creek Hollow, West Virginia, 1999
© Ken Light
Collection of the International Center of Photography
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Special Thanks
The exhibition was curated by ICP Chief Curator Brian Wallis. It was made possible with support from Sanford Luger and Ellen Samuel.