Welcome to episode 10 of The Ruins Podcast. A small but meaningful milestone for me, Rachel Sager, owner and creator of The Ruins Project, a long- term mosaic installation in the woods of Appalachia. The Ruins is a former coal mine operation that has come back to life in stone and glass and ceramic in order to tell the story of the people who come from coal. To date, more than 250 contemporary mosaic artists from around the world, from the summit of Jumonville to the lowlands of Hopwood, Ruins lovers bring their skills and stories to the tiny patch town of Whitsett in Fayette County Pennsylvania.
These special people who sit down with me are making their marks on the no longer abandoned walls, of a no longer forgotten coal mine.
This week I sit down and slow down with Sarah Collier, the executive director of The National Road Heritage Corridor. Sarah has a unique perspective on pathways, and if you know me at all, you know I love a good path. I was raised on The National Road. When my parents would load us into the station wagon and say, lets go take a drive to the mountains, they meant the curving, two lane path that General George Washington and General Braddock carved up and over the woods of The Allegheny Mountains to make way for a very new America.
Sarah and I talk about things that aren’t here anymore but still matter in memory, we talk about the tension created between tourism and the people who live in a place, we share exciting new information about The Between Two Rivers Artist Trail event that was created to celebrate Fayette County art. Sarah understands the story of Southwestern Pennsylvania and sees clearly how history and tourism translate to a new kind of success for its people. As with each Ruins Podcast, my guests bring their unique perspectives very big story that The Ruins is telling.
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