May Day: A Redneck Reclamation

Name: May Day: A Redneck Reclamation
Start: 2026-05-01T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-05-01T21:00:00-04:00
Location: 1040 Vernon St, Huntington, WV, United States, West Virginia 25704

Schedule

Fri May 01 2026 at 06:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

1040 Vernon St, Huntington, WV, United States, West Virginia 25704 | Huntington, WV

Join us at West Edge Factory on Friday, May 1st for May Day: A Redneck Reclamation!
This May Day gathering will feature a series of portraits of key figures from the West Virginia Mine Wars by artist Sassa Wilkes. Some of these works are already being brought to life through community collaboration, with several portraits completed by local participants. Others will be presented as digital references that will guide the creation of a large-scale community mural called SOLIDARITY, which will continue to be built together throughout 2026.
Throughout the evening, guests are invited to spend time with the artwork, help paint sections of the mural on polytab mural fabric, and take part in a night of shared storytelling, art, poetry and music.
The event will include a reading by featured poet Kandi Workman, an artist talk by Sassa Wilkes about the mural project, and a talk on the history and meaning of May Day by Kenzie New Walker, Executive Director of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum.
We’ll also have live music from Thomas Jude and Matt Mullins, plus a special performance by Huntington’s own community marching band, Hoot & Holler!
This event is free and open to folks of all ages. Refreshments will be served. Bring your friends, bring your family, and come celebrate community, creativity, and solidarity with us.

More about SOLIDARITY:
SOLIDARITY is a large-scale, year-long community mural project in Huntington, West Virginia that centers the history and legacy of the West Virginia Mine Wars. Through portraiture, historical imagery, and community storytelling, the project educates West Virginians about this pivotal labor movement while inviting participants to re-envision Appalachian identity through solidarity, resistance, and collective power.
The mural will be painted on polytab mural fabric and permanently installed on a 120-foot wall at the West Edge Factory. Polytab allows sections of the mural to be painted off-site and later adhered to the wall, making it possible for community members of all ages and skill levels to contribute directly. The project’s goal is to engage 1,000 community members, ensuring the mural is a truly collective work rather than a single-artist narrative.
The visual content of SOLIDARITY draws from the West Virginia Mine Wars as both historical event and living legacy. Portraits of key figures from the Mine Wars will be woven together with symbolic imagery and contemporary community contributions. The mural reclaims the term “redneck” in its original labor context—miners wearing red bandanas as a sign of unity—and challenges harmful stereotypes about Appalachia by centering dignity, courage, and collective action.
Community participation is central to the project. Contributors will be invited not only to paint sections of the mural, but also to share personal and family stories connected to labor, mining, or Appalachian identity. These stories will inform the imagery and themes of the mural, reinforcing the idea that the Mine Wars are not distant history, but part of an ongoing Appalachian story.
A major public activation of the project will take place on May 1, 2026, with a special exhibition titled MAY DAY in the Turret Gallery at the West Edge Factory. The event will include an educational talk by Kenzie New-Walker, Executive Director of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum, an exhibition of mural sections in progress, and an open community paint-in where attendees can contribute directly to the mural. Appalachian music will accompany the event, and May Day will be celebrated as the original Labor Day.
Once installed, SOLIDARITY will stand as a permanent public artwork and educational landmark in Huntington—honoring the West Virginia Mine Wars, amplifying community voices, and affirming Appalachian identity as one rooted in solidarity, resistance, and care for one another.