The West Virginia State Museum in the Cultural Center on the State Capitol Complex will close Friday, Jan. 16, 2004, for renovations. Over the next several months, the 27-year-old displays in the museum will be dismantled and new exhibits will be installed.
When it reopens, the newly renovated 23,000-square-foot museum will incorporate the state’s regional diversity and ethnic heritage into a variety of entertaining, hands-on displays that cover a wide span of the state’s history from early settlement to today. According to state officials, more than 125,000 people visit the West Virginia State Museum each year, and that number is expected to increase dramatically when the new museum opens.
“This will be an attraction that will appeal to visitors of all ages and interests,” said Nancy P. Herholdt, commissioner of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, which operates the museum. “We have designed an experience that will allow visitors to explore what it means to be a West Virginian by immersing themselves in stories about our land, people and culture. We are extremely excited to have arrived at this point in the project and look forward to being able to share the new museum with our visitors.”
For more information about the project to renovate the West Virginia State Museum, call Ginny Painter, director of public information for the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 120.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Visit the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the Division. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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Ginny Painter
Director of Public Information
West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History
The Cultural Center
1900 Kanawha Blvd., East
Charleston, WV 25305
Phone (304) 558-0220, ext. 120
Fax (304) 558-2779
Email [email protected]