THE 2026 MOUNTAIN WORKSHOPS
Winchester | Clark County, Kentucky
OCT 20 - 24, 2026
The 2026 edition of the Mountain Workshops has a few seats left in our Picture Editing workshop. The last day to pay is Sept 15. This workshop can sell out so don't wait! Apply today.
The work created during the 50th annual Mountain Workshops in Maysville, Mason County, Kentucky is featured below.
Gateway to Kentucky
Photos by Nick Thelen, Nyle Leddy, Michael Baniewicz, Victor Hilitski, Josh Boland, Jonah Savage, Deni Stanev, Finn Gomez, Andrew Burke-Stevenson, Alejandra Rubio
Buffalo herds crossed the Ohio River at what is now Maysville for thousands of years. Colonial explorers and settlers created a port at this gateway and a road into Kentucky. Over the next two and a half centuries, the seat of Mason County grew into a prosperous river port and tobacco market. Maysville today is a city of rich history, beautiful architecture and friendly people trying to figure out what the future holds.
“Maysville is a wonderful little community,” said retired journalist Nick Clooney, brother of Rosemary and father of George. “A great thing that a little town will do for you is they will support you.”
“Maysville is a wonderful little community,” said retired journalist Nick Clooney, brother of Rosemary and father of George. “A great thing that a little town will do for you is they will support you.”
Video by Adam Wolffbrandt, Sam Mallon, Nic Huey and the Mountain Workshops participants
October 21 - October 25, 2025
Directed by Western Kentucky University’s Visual Journalism & Photography program, 87 student and professional photographers and videographers from around the nation, along with a staff of nearly 60 educators, editors and assistants, spent a week in October 2025 capturing the stories of this distinctive American community.
PORTFOLIO
FEATURED STORIES
PHOTOS BY CARLEE HITE
Erin Williams, a Maysville native, has found a way to turn her passion for ceramics into more than a hobby.
VIDEO BY MYAH GRIFFIN
Scotty Fulton, 84, has been collecting hammers for more than 50 years, amassing a collection of over 27,000. But something is missing.
VIDEO BY VON SMITH JR.
Buck Reed and Aaron Hardy operate one of the last newspaper printing presses in the region. Within the mechanical rhythm of the press, they find refuge from their own struggles.
PHOTOS BY TRAVIS LACOSS
Dr. J.T. Williams is a man who wears many hats, balancing his time between his interests and care of his family.
VIDEO BY CAROLINE BITTENBENDER
Stephanie Martinez paints the murals that define the artistic pulse of Mason County – and her husband of 32 years is her biggest inspiration. When he became disabled from chronic pain, they began to paint a new world for each other.
Behind the lens
Take a look at the people behind the scenes who make this annual project a reality.
Video by Lauren Howe and Kayden Mulrooney