March 18, 2010
Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville will open the 27th annual Marshall County Student Art Show competition with a reception and awards ceremony on Sunday, March 28, from 2 - 4 p.m. The exhibit features artwork by middle through senior high school students in grades six - 12.
The reception is free and the public is invited to attend and participate in celebrating the accomplishments of the students. The show will remain on display through April 21.
Participating schools from Marshall County include John Marshall High School, Sherrard Middle School, Moundsville Middle School and Cameron Junior/Senior High School. The exhibition was produced by Cameron High School and coordinated by Vickie Jenree, an art teacher and advisor for the Cameron High School Art Club. The art club was instrumental in behind-the-scene work for the exhibit including setting up the displays, creating the exhibit guide and contributing work for the show.
The artwork will be judged prior to the opening reception and award winners will be announced at the ceremony. The public is invited to vote for the “People’s Choice” awards that will be given for the most popular middle and high school entries. Prizes for the competition include $50 savings bonds donated by BB&T Bank for top awards with additional funding for awards provided by Sherrard Middle School’s Faculty Senate. The exhibition has helped area students compete and win scholarships.
“This art show has become an annual tradition at Grave Creek Mound. The level and quality of student art in Marshall County is impressive and the exhibit’s opening reception helps to showcase this rich student talent,” says David Rotenizer, site manager at the facility.
For more information about the Marshall County Student Art Show exhibit opening, contact Rotenizer at (304) 843-4128 or e-mail him at David.E.Rotenizer@wv.gov. Indicate in the message if you are interested in receiving notification of other upcoming programs at the mound.
Operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features the largest conical burial mound in the New World which ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world built by the Adena people. A massive undertaking, construction of the mound took place in successive stages from 250-150 B.C. and required the movement of 57,000 tons of earth, approximately three million individual basket loads.
Exhibits and displays in the Delf Norona Museum interpret what is known about the lives of these prehistoric people and the construction of the mound. The complex also has a new wing which houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Curation Facility, as well as a study room for researchers and a library. Contact the complex for information regarding group registration and detailed driving directions. The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays. Access to the mound and gift shop closes 30 minutes before the museum.
Visitors can also see four traveling exhibits on display, Women of Design: Embassies, Mansions, and Stately Homes–Pat Bibbee and Vivien Woofter; Marble King: the World’s Finest Marbles; Homer Laughlin China Company; and Ladies Fashion Dolls of the Nineteenth Century by Pete Ballard.
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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