Appalachia is a truly captivating place, shaped by contradictions both above and below ground. Each year, LAR 553 Regional Studio — or the "Appalachia Studio" — takes students on a week-long journey across the region to encounter firsthand the geologies, ecologies, infrastructures, communities, and cultures that shape its diverse landscapes. After returning, students translate these field encounters into maps, system diagnoses, and design proposals.
DAY 1: Exhibition Coal Mine, Beckley, WV
DAY 2: Appalachian Beekeeping Collective
DAY 2: New River Gorge National Park
DAY 2: Choose Your Adventure in the Park
DAY 3: Memorial Tunnel
DAY 3: Hernshaw Farms inside Memorial Tunnel
DAY 3: Highwall Farm, Coalfield Development
DAY 3: Highwall Farm, Coalfield Development
DAY 4: Wood Thrush Park, Appalachian Headwaters
DAY 4: Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
DAY 5: Coopers Rock State Park
DAY 5: Dream Mountain, Acid Mine Drainage
DAY 5: Friends of the Cheat, AMD Treatment
DAY 5: AMD Treatment Pools
DAY 5: ADM pH Reading
DAY 6: West Virginia Sierra Club
