News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History will open a special sesquicentennial art exhibit at the Culture Center featuring West Virginia painters, sculptors, photographers, glass artisans and potters at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013.

The West Virginia Sesquicentennial Artists Invitational exhibition will showcase the work of Arlon Bayliss, Lynn Boggess, Robert Bomkamp, Frank Ceravalo, John DesMeules, Jeff Diehl, Tyler Evert and Jeff Fetty.

Other featured artists are Bruce Haley, Charly Jupiter Hamilton, Kate Harward, Frank Herrera, Ron Hinkle, Vernon Howell, Stephen Lawson, Staci Leech-Cornell, Renee Margocee, Kelsey Murphy, Mark Muse and Steve Payne.

Works by Susan Poffenbarger, Betty Rivard, Tom Schottle, Steve Shaluta, Clayton Spangler, Chip Turner, Brian Van Nostrand, Fred Wilkerson, Stacy Williams, Barbara Marsh Wilson and Carl Wright also are included in the exhibit.

The exhibit was made possible through a partnership with the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and support from the National Endowment for the Arts. All of the art will become part of the West Virginia State Museum’s permanent collection.

On Sunday, Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith will provide brief remarks. A reception will follow. The West Virginia State Museum and Culture Center also will be open from noon to 5 p.m.

For more information, contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner, at (304) 558-0220 or at caryn.s.gresham@wv.gov.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, 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.

– 30 –

Media Note: Photographs of the art are available upon request.