Submitted photo Rotary Club of Elkins President Phillips Kolsun is joined by, from left to right, ArtsBank members Scottie Roberts Wiest, Heidi Bray and Kylie Proudfoot-Payne.

ArtsBank members Kylie Proudfoot-Payne, Scottie Roberts Wiest and Heidi Bray addressed the Rotary Club of Elkins, giving the club an update on the organization’s current activities.

ArtsBank, Inc. is a non-profit artist residency program that was formed in 1992 by a group of parents, teachers, administrators and many volunteers. The mission of ArtsBank is to expand and enrich the arts experiences in the public schools to cultivate artistically literate citizens.

“In 1992, when Randolph County was at a crossroads of taking art teachers out of the elementary schools, it was a grassroots movement by so many people,” said Proudfoot-Payne. “The number of artists who are still in the community, still teaching, still pushing through arts experiences and arts education is just astounding to me.”

The first grant ArtsBank received from the West Virginia Department of Arts and Humanities was for $2,000 in 1992.

“That was a lot of money. We did a two-year program in the schools. We had local teaching artists come and be the teachers. When the grant ended, we wanted more art and we wanted to do more art and find people who wanted to be a part of it,” said Wiest.

Now, ArtBank is established as a teaching experience with a hands-on approach. At recent arts conferences, Proudfoot-Payne has had many inquiries from other attendees asking how to start their own grassroots style ArtsBank program.

The ArtsBank programming is currently available in grades K-5 in Randolph County but will expand in the coming year. The ArtsBank teaching artists will be working together to establish what skills are needed by the students, whether it’s fine motor skills or cutting skills, or other types of skills, and building a curriculum around those things they believe the students need most.

There is a bank of artists who provide services including Proudfoot-Payne, who’s in her 16th year. Joining her are Artsbank teaching artists, Emilee Goodman, Nevada Tribble, Kiki Alba, Paula Kaufman, Emily Prentice, Zoë Payne, J.B. Stalnaker, Akiko Endo and Will Stout.

“We just hired Will Stout, hoping to pull in some theater and acting as well. Making eye-contact, speaking and talking and interpersonal skills are some things that we have identified as a potential need in the future so we’re going to design another set of lessons for this upcoming year,” added Proudfoot-Payne.

The ArtsBank curriculum focuses on multiple lessons including Fiber Fun for Year One that was created by Nevada Tribble. This program uses fine motors skills with materials they have around. The students work on various wooden looms to thread fibers and create artwork. Flora with Friends is supported by a Youth Engagement Through Public Art grants. A number of panels were created by the students, and one has been installed at Pickens School.

Anaglyphs, which are stereoscopic 3D images by superimposing two slightly different perspectives of the same subject which create a cohesive image when viewed through corresponding color-filtered glasses – like the old-fashioned blue/green and red 3D glasses at the movies. Free Choice Art incorporates all the materials available to the students, giving them the choice of what materials they can use in their art. The students are familiar with the variety of art styles offered because they have been exposed to ArtsBank their entire elementary school experience and have developed favorites.

One of this year’s new projects was Color Theory that was presented through a STEAM Power West Virginia grant.

“We talked about simultaneous contrast after image affect which is color fatigue. When you look at something red for too long that red turns to green. We talked about that and they were able to create that optical illusion,” said Proudfoot-Payne.

ArtBank also worked with students at to create a series of murals. These murals are in need of a home in Elkins and are in various sizes. There is a set of 3 murals with an outdoor theme with the tallest being 7 feet 9 inches by 2 feet. There is also a set of two floral-themed murals that are a bit smaller. These murals can be hung either inside or outside. “If you have any ideas as to where these could be installed, please let us know,” said Proudfoot-Payne.

The ArtsBank Auction, which is traditionally held on the last Saturday in February, was extremely successful this year. This yeat, the ArtsBank Auction garnered over $20,000 from ticket sales and the auction proceeds.

“We thank all of you who made it out,” said Bray. The proceeds from the auction provide materials for the program as well as serving as matching funds for various grants submitted by ArtsBank. Past grants have been received from the NEA (National Endowment for the Arts), the State of West Virginia Tourism Department, STEAM Power West Virginia and Snowshoe Foundation.

Bray is one of many ArtsBank members who benefited from ArtsBank while in school.

“I have fond memories of ArtsBank as a kid. I was in grade school in the early ’90’s and Bill McWhorter was my ArtsBank teacher. When Mr. Bill came through the hall with his little cart, you knew it was going to be a great day,” added Bray.

More information about ArtsBank can be found at the organization’s website, www.artsbankwv.org and on Facebook at “ArtsBank, Inc.

Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in their communities, and in themselves. Visit www.Rotary.org to learn more about Rotary International, visit the club’s Facebook page – Rotary Club of Elkins – or contact 2025-2026 club president Phillips Kolsun at phillipskolsun@gmail.com for more information about the Rotary Club of Elkins.