May Day: A Redneck Reclamation at WestEdge

May Day will feature twelve digital paintings of key figures of the WV Mine Wars by Sassa Wilkes. These works will serve as references for a large-scale community-created mural called SOLIDARITY to be completed throughout 2026.

Community members are welcome to view the works, participate in painting mural sections on polytab mural fabric, and enjoy a poetry reading, an artist talk by Sassa, and a talk about the history of May Day by Kenzie New Walker, Executive Director of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. The night will include live music by Thomas Jude and Matt Mullins, as well as a special performance by Huntington’s own community marching band, Hoot & Holler!

This event is free and open to people of all ages. Refreshments will be served. Bring your friends and family out for a beautiful community celebration!

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.