The West Virginia Commission on the Arts of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH) held a news conference on Wednesday, April 18, at the Parkersburg Art Center to announce that the West Virginia Juried Exhibition 2007 will be presented at the Parkersburg facility from Oct. 19, 2007 to Feb. 8, 2008. This is the first time in the exhibition’s 28-year history that it will be held outside of Charleston.
Sam Winans, president of the Board of Trustees of the Parkersburg Arts Center and a member of the West Virginia Commission of the Arts made the announcement. Abby Hayhurst, executive director of the Parkersburg Arts Center and Jeff Pierson, director of arts for the Division, were also in attendance.
Since its inception in 1979, the West Virginia Juried Exhibition has been held at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex. Within the extensive mission of the WVDCH is the element of arts promotion throughout West Virginia. In order to further this goal, the Commission and the Division decided to have the exhibition travel to Parkersburg, sharing the best in art with yet another community in the Mountain State.
“Since I’ve become commissioner, one of my goals has been to touch every part of our state with outstanding cultural events. We are excited to have the opportunity to expand our outreach to the community by placing the West Virginia Juried Exhibition 2007 in Parkersburg,” said Randall Reid-Smith, commissioner of the WVDCH.
The biennial West Virginia Juried Exhibition showcases the work of state artists and craftspeople and provides the public with a comprehensive view of art and craft activities in the state. Awards totaling $33,000 are made to artists and craftspeople for works in the areas of painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, mixed media and crafts. Works are acquired for the West Virginia State Museum Collection through the exhibition’s purchase awards.
The exhibition is presented by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. The awards are made available through the West Virginia Commission on the Arts of the WVDCH through funds appropriated by the West Virginia Legislature.
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 Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural 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.
The prospectus and the Artist Register form can be downloaded at http://www.wvculture.org/museum/exhibits.html.
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