December 23, 2013
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A new art exhibit, a program about Parkersburg’s role in the Civil War, a presentation with photographic images of West Virginia from the 1930s and 1940s, kids’ activities and an archaeology lecture are among the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s lineup of special events in January. All of the programs are free and open to the public.
Culture Center
Water, Wood, Metal, Stone and Oil: A State of Art: The Culture Center’s Balcony Gallery has unveiled a new exhibition Water, Wood, Metal, Stone and Oil: A State of Art. The display features 24 pieces of work from the West Virginia State Museum’s historical and contemporary art collections. The works span several decades, media and genres, and provide the public with an eclectic selection of the museum’s extensive collection. The exhibit will remain on display through Feb. 18.
“The ‘Other’ West Virginia: Positive Images of the State from the 30s and 40s” Lecture: On Tuesday, Jan. 7, Betty Rivard will present “The ‘Other’ West Virginia: Positive Images of the State from the 30s and 40s” in the Archives and History Library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. Rivard will show a sample of the photographs from her book New Deal Photographs of West Virginia, 1934-1943 (2012). The predominately positive images were produced by ten professional photographers who visited the state as part of the Farm Security Administration Project. The program begins at 6 p.m.
“Parkersburg: Guardian of the Union” Lecture: At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, Michael Workman will present “Parkersburg: Guardian of the Union” in the Archives and History Library. Workman will discuss the Civil War history of Parkersburg and the Little Kanawha region. He will demonstrate the key role that the town and its political leadership played in the statehood movement and then focus on guerrilla warfare in the Little Kanawha Valley.
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will present three programs of children’s art and craft activities and a lecture about recent excavations at a Marshall County site in January.
Seed Ornaments: From Jan. 2 - 11, kids can visit a Discovery Table and use seeds grown in the Interpretive Garden at the mound to make a winter home decoration.
Design a Plate: Kids can draw inspiration from the Homer Laughlin China Company exhibit on display to create their own plate design from Jan. 14 - Feb. 15 at a Discovery Table at the Mound.
Out with the Old, in with the New: Kids can make jumping-jack turtle toys, indoor snowmen using batting material and a plastic water bottle, and other ingenious crafts from items in the storage closet at the mound while supplies last from noon - 4 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11.
Early Industries and Family Life in Marshall County: At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, Jamie Vosvick, supervising archaeologist for Archaeological Consultants of the Midwest, Inc., Wheeling, will discuss recent excavations at a Marshall County site known as 46MR202, and new information gleaned about the area’s early historic industries and the people involved in them. Archaeologists used Phase I testing, deep testing and deed research at the southwest Marshall County site along the Ohio River.
For more information about Culture Center events, contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner of the division, at (304) 558-0220. For information about Grave Creek Mound events, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator at the mound, at (304) 843-4128.
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.
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