DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: STARTING THE CONVERSATION

Immediately after the film, you may want to give people a few quiet moments to reflect on what they have seen or pose a general question (examples below) and give people some time to jot down or think about their answers before opening the discussion:

• If you were going to tell a friend about this film, what would you say?
• Describe a moment or scene in the film that you found particularly striking or moving. What was it about that scene that was especially compelling for you?
• If you could ask anyone in the film a single question, whom would you ask and what would you want to know more about?
• Did anything in the film surprise you?
• What aspects of the film (landscape, language, family dynamics, etc.) were relatable? If so, what felt familiar? If not, what felt new and unfamiliar?

RURAL ECONOMIES: WHO AND WHAT DETERMINES “SUCCESS?”

One topic of conversation Wendy and her former students engaged in was “success” and their journeys towards achieving their own ideas of success. Meeting with them, their families, and visiting them at home, work, and in community spaces, they reflect on how their collaborative work impacted their lives. While many of the students expressed their love for photography, not all of them continued practicing photography in their adult lives.

• What were some reasons the students offered for why they no longer take photos?
• What are some common trends in their explanations for not pursuing photography into adulthood?
• In what ways were the students’ ideas of success shaped by their lived experiences? What are some examples of being successful that the people in the film offered?
  • In what ways might the social, cultural, and economic aspects of someone's life influence their notions of what being successful means?
  • In what ways can educational experiences impact these ideas of success?
• What were some of the professions, or characteristics, that the former students seemed to link with success? What are some examples that provide insights into how students seemed to think about the possibility of pursuing creative endeavors?
  • What might this suggest about what is required to pursue a creative profession?
  • In what ways can the possibility of pursuing careers of passion or artististic professional lives be considered a class issue?
• In what ways can we think creatively and critically about traditional ideas of what it means to lead a successful life?
• What are some “natural resources” your community offers (think creatively, consider cultural knowledge, practices, and wisdom)? Are there ways that these resources are extracted from your community?
• Who benefits from extractive practices? Who is most impacted? Who gains wealth, recognition, and reaps the benefits? What are the ethical concerns with such practices, specifically in communities that are under-resourced?

When asked about growing up and being an artist, Denise responded, “Well, I was...I guess I wanted to grow up and do other things, and you know. Leaving a little bit of the childhood behind and going on to be an adult.”

• What does this suggest about the role of creativity in adulthood?
• In what ways might our notions of adulthood, or the demands of “growing up,” inhibit us from pursuing creativity and making art?

FAMILY STRUCTURES: UNDERSTANDING STUDENT LIVES BEYOND THE NUCLEAR FAMILY

When telling the stories of individual students, Wendy discusses the structures of family and community. She says, “I learned so much from my neighbors about making things, growing things, and about the role women, men, and children played in their families.”

• What was the role of the traditional nuclear family in this film? How was it similar, or different, from how you know family structures to work in your own life and community?
• How were your ideas of the traditional, nuclear family challenged in this film?
• What did the former students’ household structures look like? What are some reasons the film presented that explain why these family structures exist the way they do?
  • Are there connections between the impacts of coal mining and opportunity that shaped family structures in the film?
• What are the strengths of intergenerational family support structures (i.e. grandparents helping to raise grandchildren or living with families at home)?
  • What are some ways that family structure can impact young people’s world views as they grow up?

ART EDUCATION AND OPPORTUNITY: ASPIRATIONS, ACCESS, AND BARRIERS

Wendy shares the story of how she created arts education for students in rural Kentucky. When she reflects on her time as a photographer in the area, she begins to talk about why sharing this experience with young people is important, she says “Having a camera can give anyone power, but particularly children.”

• In what ways did access to the arts impact these students? In what ways were the students given power? What are some ways that the power they were granted was limited?
• In what ways did art impact your adolescence, learning, and development?
• In what ways did your educational experience meaningfully integrate the arts? Were there nearby schools that focused more (or less) on the arts than your school? Were there any factors that determined which schools would place heavier emphasis on the arts than others?
• In what ways is art-making an opportunity that is limited by class, wealth, and opportunity? Does it have to be?

As an adult, Sue says to Wendy: “When I look at the book, and I’ll try not to get emotional, but we were poor, but we didn’t feel that way. No. And now that I’m an educator and knowing what I know about poverty, and, we didn’t see it as that way. You know, we wasn’t poor. We didn’t… We were important because we were taking those pictures, and now when I look back--of course, you know, I got emotional a while ago because I do get emotional about...because I was one of the children that I have now. And I want to make a difference in their life and inspire them the way that you inspired us."

• What does Sue’s statement suggest about the impact of an outsiders’ relationship on her understanding of her own experience? What are the benefits in having someone come into a community and introduce new ways of seeing, and reflecting? What are some potential dangers of having an outsider come in and provide new ways of seeing?
• In what ways is it important for photographs to be contextualized for viewers? What types of assumptions can be made in relation to a photograph out of context?
• In your life, who were the teachers that made you feel important and valued? Did you have a teacher who inspired you to see the world in a new way or to trust your experience? What character traits, or teaching styles, set that teacher apart from others?
• What does this suggest about the impact education can have on students’ lives for the long-term? In what ways can education open transformative opportunities? What boundaries exist that can keep students from accessing “equal” opportunities?
• Are there ways that communities can be rich in some ways even if they aren’t wealthy? What are some some of those ways and why does it matter?