The West Virginia Division of Culture and History has opened two new exhibits entitled, Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the West Virginia Juried Exhibition and Quilts of Award, Celebration and Commemoration, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. An opening reception will be held on Monday, Nov. 2, from 6 - 8 p.m. The exhibits and reception are free and the public is invited to attend.
The 30th Anniversary of the West Virginia Juried Exhibition (WVJE) in the Balcony Gallery features 35 purchase award winners from the biennial display from the first show in 1979 through the 15th exhibit in 2007. Works include photography, painting, prints, ceramics, stoneware, wooden tables, benches and vases, baskets and more can be seen. The 2009 exhibition is currently on display at the Huntington Museum of Art.
The Quilts of Award, Celebration and Commemoration exhibit in the Great Hall features 25 quilts from past juried quilt shows, juried exhibition winners and quilts that were made in celebration or commemoration of special events. It includes a series of quilts made for the U.S. Bicentennial that was exhibited at the Culture Center when the building first opened in 1976.
“We sincerely feel that the efforts of so many people will greatly encourage and support all visual artists not only in West Virginia but throughout the country,” said Norman L. Fagan, first commissioner of the Division in the 1979 catalog of the WVJE and that sentiment is echoed by current Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, who has made it possible for the juried show to travel, sharing the best in art with other communities in the Mountain State.
For more information about the exhibits and the opening reception, contact Charles Morris, exhibition and collections manager for the Division, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 704.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, 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. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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