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ELKINS -- The Arts Center will host a free opening reception for the Mountain State Forest Festival Jurored Art Exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday that will feature the work of over 40 professional and amateur artists from West Virginia.
Kurt Barkley, The Arts Center executive director, said he is looking forward to this exhibit, as it is always one of the most popular of the year.
"The Arts Center has more than 3,000 visitors during the Forest Festival, and they're going to be very impressed with this year's show. We appreciate the help and support of the Seneca Trail Artists Guild and the Forest Festival staff for helping us display this exhibit each year. It's a tourist favorite, and many people make it a point to add The Arts Center to their schedules as a place to stop," Barkley said.
This year's juror is accomplished artist Pat Cross. Moving back to West Virginia from the high deserts of the West, Cross relocated across country back to her roots in Appalachia to ensure her parents' care, where she grows ever more aware of how others have contributed to her art career success.
"Moving forward often brings to light the most significant events behind me," Pat notices, making the next chapter, "...that much more enticing."
Cross found Appalachia much more conducive for her art career than expected. Most recently, the National Endowment for the Arts and the WVDCH awarded Cross an arts grant to attend the 2016 Portrait Society of America National Conference in D.C.
"My paintings of places, waterways and blooms are more like portraits," Cross said, "which help my viewers and collectors relate to my art more personally."
The Mountain State Forest Festival exhibit also features a student art section with works by young artists from West Virginia.
Also opening on Wednesday night is an exhibit in The Arts Center's Maxwell Gallery featuring works by abstract photography artist John Warner.
For additional information contact The Arts Center office at 304-637-2355, or visit our website: www.randolpharts.org.