Training their cameras on the people, places, and culture of Appalachia, Rubin and York seek to reclaim the dignity of the term and to portray Appalachians in a more positive and realistic light.

Though it has been outlawed as an additive in everyday consumer goods like gasoline, house paint, and plumbing materials, lead is still highly valued as a component for the manufacture of building materials, weapons, and batteries. Wherever lead is extracted, refined, or turned into essential products that keep economies moving, the element leaves a poisonous... Read More