2/19/03
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History will unveil a new exhibition, For Letter and Verse, on Friday, Feb. 21, in the Art Gallery of the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex, Charleston, on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 p.m. The free exhibition and reception are open to the public. The show will remain on display through April 8.
For Letter and Verse is a collaboration between artists: a poet who conveys meaning through words, and a calligrapher who visually interprets the poem. Poets from Marshall University’s Department of English and HELP program composed the verse, while calligraphers from the Charleston and Huntington Calligrapher’s Guilds provided the elegant lettering to create the unique exhibition.
The show comprises 17 pieces created by 12 poets and 14 calligraphers. Poets include Laura Baisden, Logan; Laura Bentley, Huntington; Beth Darby, Huntington; Paul Fuller, Silver Spring, Md.; Rosalee Hodges, Huntington; Dolores Johnson, Huntington; Adam Killgallon, Bryan, Ohio; Karen McComas, Barboursville; John McKernan, Barboursville; Llewellyn McKernan, Barboursville; Jacob Smith, Huntington and Matt Wolfe, Huntington.
The calligraphy was created by Wanda Cummings, Huntington; Denise Erwin, Hurricane; Nancy Gribble, Layman, Ohio; Jennifer Grove, Marietta, Ohio; Sharon Hanse, Barnesville, Ohio; Priscilla Marten, Proctorville, Ohio; Joyce McGinnis, Huntington; Jackie Pauley, South Charleston; Terry Quentrill, Hurricane; Ruth “Noodie” Runner, Elkins; Midge Schrader, South Charleston; Ann Tracy, Chesapeake, Ohio; Mary Wagner, South Charleston and Mary Lou Wiegand, South Charleston.
Wanda Cummings, a founding member of the Huntington Calligrapher’s Guild, came up with the idea for the collaboration after reading the Marietta, Ohio, Poet’s Society and its Calligraphy Guild joined forces in a similar show eight years ago.
The Cultural Center is open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information about the exhibition, contact Stephanie Lilly, exhibits coordinator for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 128.
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. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. 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 Boulevard, East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
Phone (304) 558-0220
Fax (304) 558-2779
[email protected]