MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — The public is invited to celebrate the 40th annual Marshall County Student Art Show with an opening reception held from 2 – 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 12, at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex in Moundsville. The exhibit features artwork by local 5th through 12th grade students and will be on display during regular museum hours through Saturday, April 2, 2022. The event is free and open to the public.

The exhibit includes artworks by Marshall County students in a variety of media. Categories include acrylic painting, oil painting, mixed media, photography, drawing, watercolors, sculpture and pen and ink. Prize ribbons will be awarded to the best works in each category, and the public is invited to vote for “Best of Show” for 5th through 8th grade and high school students during the opening reception. The exhibit is organized and installed by students from the Cameron High School Art Club under the guidance of Amanda Jenree, art teacher and club advisor.

March 12 is also the second Saturday of the month, and the “Second Saturday Film” will be Lascaux Revisited. This 35-minute film from the French Ministry of Culture will be shown at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. It features exquisite painted images of animals that have been preserved in the Lascaux Cave in France for over 17,000 years. 

Operated by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex features one of the largest conical burial mounds built by the Adena people between 250 – 150 B.C. and ranks as one of the largest earthen mortuary mounds anywhere in the world. 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 houses the West Virginia Archaeological Research and Collections Management Facility.

Admission to Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex is free. The Delf Norona Museum, located at 801 Jefferson Avenue, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and closed Sunday and Monday. Outdoor access closes at 4:30 p.m.

For more information about activities and programs at Grave Creek Mound, contact Andrea Keller, cultural program coordinator, at (304) 843-4128 or andrea.k.keller@wv.gov or visit www.facebook.com/gravecreekmound and www.twitter.com/gravecreekmound.