Operating Hours
Open Tuesday through Saturday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed
Sundays and Mondays
Admission is free.
Contact
Main: (304) 558-0220
TDD: (304) 558-3562
The Culture Center
Capitol Complex
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East
Charleston, WV 25305-0300
Museum Events
Importance of Arts to Our Cultural History
When we talk about the value of arts and culture to society, we always start with its intrinsic value: how arts and culture can illuminate our inner lives and enrich our emotional world. This activity encompasses a broad range of disciplines that ranges from performing arts production and presentation, to visual arts exhibition, to arts education and arts in healthcare, to preservation and interpretation of our collective heritage. This is what we cherish.
However, we also understand that arts and culture have a wider, more measurable impact on our economy, health and wellbeing, society, and education. It is important we also recognize this impact to help people think of our arts and culture for what they are: a strategic national resource.
Essentially, life without the collective resources of our arts communities would be static and sterile—no creative arguments about the past, no diverse and stimulating present and no dreams of the future.
For more information about our current, upcoming or past exhibitions, contact Sidney Duncan, Exhibits Coordinator for the department at (304) 558-0220 or Sidney.L.Duncan@wv.gov.
Current Exhibitions
Tracing Grace: The Life and Art of Grace Martin Taylor (1903-1995)
Explore the remarkable legacy of Grace Martin Taylor, a pioneering Morgantown-born artist and educator, whose six-decade career seamlessly bridged realism with abstraction. Her captivating paintings, prints, and collages, infused with her Appalachian heritage and bold use of color and form, have been showcased nationally and are featured in esteemed collections, including at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, West Virginia University, and West Virginia State Museum. A selection of her renowned artwork is currently on exhibit in the Commissioner’s Gallery of the Culture Center, offering a unique opportunity to trace her profound impact on the art world.
The Artwork of Susan Poffenbarger
West Virginia artist Susan Gidley Poffenbarger was the recipient of numerous West Virginia Juried Art Exhibition awards over the years. In 1999, her painting, titled Blue Ridge and Cedars was awarded the D. Gene Jordon Memorial Award, the highest possible honor. She was also the recipient of the Governor’s Award and the Award of Excellence—each award prestigious enough for her works to become part of the West Virginia State Museum collection. View beautiful creations made by the award-winning artist on exhibit now by the West Virginia State Museum and the West Virginia Department of Tourism in her memory.
Upcoming Exhibits
More information coming soon!
Past Exhibits
Click here to view current and past West Virginia Department of Tourism exhibits and exhibitions. The West Virginia Department of Tourism youth programs exhibits can be viewed here.