Nov. 7, 2017
GRAFTON, W. Va. - The West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH) Arts Section invites arts administrators, arts educators, artists and community arts advocates to its 2017 fall listening tour session at Gallery 62 West, Grafton, on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 5:30 p.m. Members of the division’s Arts Section staff will be on hand to talk about how state and federal arts funds are spent in West Virginia to support arts programs in communities. The program is free and open to the public. It will last an hour and a half.
“It is important for the Division of Culture and History to hear from the arts communities and residents about what is happening with the arts in their communities and what ideas they have for programming,” said Randall Reid-Smith, WVDCH commissioner. “The information that we gather through the listening tour will help us improve the programs that we are offering and develop new programs and policies for the grants that we administer to communities, schools and artists.”
The Grafton listening tour is open to residents of north central and northern West Virginia counties and is being hosted by the Taylor Arts Council.
The Arts Section staff will provide discussion questions to begin the conversations at each listening tour stop. The State Arts Plan and the programs and services offered by the division will be included in the discussion. For more information about these, contact Debbie Haught at (304) 558-0240, ext. 714 or debbie.r.haught@wv.gov. For information about Gallery 62 West and the Taylor Arts Council, contact Holly Hill at (304) 376-5066.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is proud to be able to present its programs at no charge to the public, but without a solution to the state’s budget situation, this could be the last year that programs of this type could be offered. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. It 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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