Oct. 1, 2020
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History unveiled the 2020 West Virginia Emerging Artists Juried Exhibition in the Commissioner’s Gallery of the West Virginia State Museum at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. The exhibition is free and open to the public.
This year’s exhibition features 42 creative pieces representing the talents of 30 West Virginia artists from 15 counties. A complete list of exhibitors is below.
The juror for this year’s Emerging Artists Exhibition was Elaine Gustafson. Gustafson is the curator of collections at the Weatherspoon Art Museum on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where her areas of interest include photography and modern American art. She holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) in the History of Art from Wheaton College, an M.A. in the History of Art from Brown University, and completed coursework toward her doctorate, also at Brown University. Gustafson also has served as a juror for various art competitions, commissions, exhibitions and shows; a panelist at regional and national arts conferences; and a freelance writer for various regional arts magazines.
The Department presented three awards for the exhibition. The Best of Show/First Place Award received $1,000 and was awarded to Suzan Morgan, Buckhannon, Upshur County, for Silence; second place received $500 and was awarded to Leah Seaman, Philippi, Barbour County, for The New Renaissance (3); and third place collected $250 and was awarded to Dick Allowatt, St. Albans, Kanawha County, for Emergence.
Eligible artists had to be 18 years of age and older and maintain a permanent domicile in West Virginia. Each artist could submit two pieces for the exhibit jurying in painting, print/drawing, mixed media, craft/wall hangings, photography, digital art and/or sculpture. All pieces must have been created between 2018 and 2020.
The exhibit will be on display until March 1, 2021. The Culture Center is open Tuesday to Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Culture Center is following guidelines in accordance with best practices from the WV DHHR and CDC. All visitors are encouraged to wear a face covering and will have their temperature taken upon entry. All visitors will also be asked to fill out the West Virginia State Visitor Covid-19 Screening Form. Visitors should follow social distancing guidelines at all times.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Cailin Howe, exhibits coordinator for the department, at (304) 558-0220 or Cailin.A.Howe@wv.gov.
Emerging Artists Exhibitors (Alphabetical Order)
Dick Allowatt
St. Albans, Kanawha County
Emergence
Acrylic and collage
$550
Third Place Award*
and
Portal
Acrylic and collage
$500
John Michael Barone
Morgantown, Monongalia County
Ball and Chain
Archival ink drawing
NFS
Perry Bennett
Charleston, Kanawha County
After Degas
Photograph
$750
Tim Bollinger
Charleston, Kanawha County
Nearly Night
Oil on canvas
NFS
Larry Keith Brumfield
Barboursville, Cabell County
The Scream, 2020
Digital Art
$425
Mimmie Hedges Byrne
Morgantown, Monongalia County
Café Moment
Oil on linen
$425
Karen Chamblin
Belmont, Pleasants County
Party Line
Oil on panel
$995
Mary K. Chaney
Huntington, Cabell County
View of the Creek from the Bridge
Oil on canvas
$200
John M. Comerci
Beckley, Raleigh County
Island Lick Run
Photograph
$200
Kilsong Cox
Elkins, Randolph County
Sunset on Turtle Rock
Photograph
$1,000
and
Lion’s Head in Dolly Sods Wilderness
Photograph
$1,000
Betsy Ann Cox
Glen Dale, Marshall County
Heart of the Earth
Clay and rock
$175
and
Towering Trees
Clay and wood
$225
Vernon F. Howell
Barboursville, Cabell County
Font’s in Depth
Mixed Media
$990
and
Spaceward
Mixed Media
$990
Betsy Jaeger
Morgantown, Monongalia County
Tree Removal
Oil paint on wood
$800
and
Work Space
Oil paint on wood
$800
Anne Johnson
Summersville, Nicholas County
Topiary Torch
Photograph
$285
and
Barn Dance
Photograph
$285
Stephen Lawson
Morgantown, Monongalia County
Windrowing and Baling Cut Hay
Photograph
$600
Don McDowell
Huntington, Cabell County
The Barefoot Girl
Oil on canvas
NFS
Suzan Morgan
Buckhannon, Upshur County
Pandemic Necessities
Thread, linen/cotton
NFS
and
Silence
Cotton, thread, and textile paint
First Place and Best of Show*
Jennifer Mullins
Charleston, Kanawha County
Corona
Yarn, wire, Poly-fil, and beads
$160
and
Sirena
Yarn, wire, Poly-fil, and beads
$100
Tori Myres
Charleston, Kanawha County
Odocoileus virginianus
Digital Art
$125
Jesus Perez
Alderson, Monroe County
Old Man of Storr
Pigment inks on acid-free paper
$250
Justin Pitsenbarger
Franklin, Pendleton County
Wild and Wonderful
Wood, concrete, epoxy, foam, and artificial plants
$1,000
and
Mountain of Mind
Wood, foam, epoxy, canvas, coal, and preserved moss
$1,000
Jes Reger
Wheeling, Ohio County
Spring Harbinger
Watercolor
NFS
Ed Rehbein
Beckley, Raleigh County
Softly
Photograph
$199
and
Hemlock Hollow Falls
Photograph
$199
Jack M. Rife
Charleston, Kanawha County
Apparatus: Cervical Stabilization with Distal/Proximal Resistive Element
Ceramics, bolts, wire, saw blades
$1,000
Leah Seaman
Philippi, Barbour County
The New Renaissance (2)
Bic Pen, Tempera paints, white colored pencil
$1,000
and
The New Renaissance (3)
Bic Pen, Tempera paints, white colored pencil
$1,000
Second Place Award*
Debbie Kalt Sisson
Ripley, Jackson County
The High Falls of Cheat
Acrylic on canvas
$485
F. Brown Steele
Franklin, Pendleton County
“But Words Will…”
Mezzotint print
$175
Angela Taralla
Rivesville, Marion County
Quilt Squares
Stained glass featuring WV produced glass
NFS
and
WV Symbols
Stained glass featuring WV produced glass
$390
Michael Teel
St. Albans, Kanawha County
A Time to Die
Oil on canvas
$650
Tim Tilley
Skelton, Raleigh County
Misty Morning Run
Photograph
$250
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