Published: November 16, 2009 10:13 am      

Brunner photographs capture 45 years of coal mining

BEREA — An exhibit of 29 photos taken by Berea photographer Warren Brunner that documents 45 years of Appalachian coal mining opens Monday evening at Berea College.

"Miners and Mining: Forty-five Years of Photographs by Warren Brunner" will be on display at the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Gallery of Berea College through Jan. 29.

The photos taken between 1964 and 2009 include images of deep mining, strip mining, mountaintop removal mining and mining reclamation. The exhibit was organized by Berea College curator Christopher Miller and students in the course "Appalachian Cultures."

A reception to celebrate the exhibit and hono Brunner will take place in the Gallery from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday. Admission is free.

Warren Brunner grew up in Wisconsin. He began taking pictures after his father gave him a camera at age 14. As he grew, he took pictures for his high school yearbook, for the town newspaper, and for the U.S. Navy.

In 1954, he answered an advertisement, moved to Berea, and became manager of Mattson Portrait Studio. In 1960, he bought the studio. For most of his career, he mainly did portraits, weddings, proms, and special events, but occasionally slipped off to photograph in the mountains.

When the "War on Poverty" was declared, photographers were called upon to document the lives of the Appalachian people. Brunner's work was acclaimed for the way he portrayed people with dignity. As Brunner says, "some did it with more sensitivity than others." Many scholars and researchers sought out Brunner to support their work with photography.

Brunner has taken tens of thousands of pictures in Appalachia. His work has illustrated many significant books about the region including, “Appalachia: A Meditation” (1986), “Appalachian Values” (1994), “Appalachian Mountain Religion: A History” (1995), and “Mountain Holiness” (2003).

Admission to the Loyal Jones Appalachian Center Gallery is free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. It is closed weekends and college holidays. The gallery is located on the first floor of the Bruce Building, just north of the College Square.

For more details, call the Appalachian Center at 985-3140.