August 27, 2012
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will unveil a new exhibit at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 10, 2012, featuring the artwork of 13 award winners in its Inspired: A West Virginia Series of Juried Exhibitions at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston.
The exhibit will include art from the top award winners in each of the Division’s four installations of the series, which began in June 2010 and consisted of West Virginia landscapes, wildlife, historic figures, and historic buildings and structures.
The Inspired Series was conceived by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith as a way to commemorate the Mountain State’s sesquicentennial, which culminates in 2013. The series harkens back to the museum’s early days, when artists were asked to focus on a specific theme to help increase the size of the state’s art collection.
Artists whose work will be showcased are Kaylyn Cole of Fraziers Bottom, Ken Ewing of Beckley, John Farley of Huntington, Peter Kephart of Levels, Brittain McJunkin of Charleston, Ted Mobley of Hurricane, Carli Dawn Ratliff of Oak Hill, Sandi K. Reinhart of Craigsville, Emily Roles of Charleston, Steve Rotsch of Charleston, April Waltz of Wheeling, Tommy Warf of Huntington and Wendy Wassink of Fayetteville.
The Inspired Series: Juried Award Winners show will remain on display in the Commissioner’s Gallery of the West Virginia State Museum through Feb. 10, 2013. Admission is free.
For more information contact Charles Morris, director of museums and exhibits manager, at (304) 558-0220.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Media Note: Photographs of the art are available upon request.
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