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Final chance to take part in this Charleston-area community art project

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Jack O’Hearn’s Interactive Public Art Project in Progress

This coming Saturday, August 26th, will mark the third and final installment of my Charleston Community Art Project at The Charleston Area Alliance’s Downtown Streetfest block party series. Meet up with friends and family between 4:30 and 9 p.m. on Capitol Street between Lee and Quarrier for live music by Voo-doo Katz, food and drinks, kid’s activities, pop-up shops and much more.

While there, step into my outdoor living room setup, grab a pencil and some paper and make a drawing that expresses your thoughts on “community.” Your drawing will be used as part of a large painting that will be displayed in public spaces throughout Charleston over the coming months.

As Appalachians and West Virginians, what does community mean to us? What is the importance of community? What does the ideal community look like and how might we go about achieving it?

These questions are becoming incredibly important as our country finds itself in a time marked by divisiveness and civil unrest. Please join me this Saturday by contributing your thoughts on this critical subject. All skill levels and all ages welcome! Help me to create this grand painting depicting our ideas about community!

The Herald Dispatch: Huntington Artist Zac White Spurs Creative Community

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By Dave Lavender

Heck Yeah Fest Poster Design | Facebook

During a recent interview, Zac White is wearing a T-shirt that reads “Drink Coffee, Make Art.”

And his hat says “Off!” but maybe it should say “On!” because White, who turns 31 on Aug. 24, has been rocking the local art and music scene in his own punk rock DIY style.

In the past couple years White, a Charleston-born, Winfield-raised and Huntington-made man, has been a whirlwind – he’s started a series of regular music-infused one-night art show parties called Huntington Culture Storm; has started his own day-long heavy metal and art festival, Heck Yeah Fest!; has cranked out a series of old-school skate/punk zines called Strange Lives (which has fans as far away as Europe); and has dived into the heart of Huntington’s creative community in ways like organizing a Culture Storm in a downtown alley for Create Huntington’s recent #WeBAM Pop-Up Block Party that was filled with bands, music, art, a fashion show and more.

And this is the second year White has helped Huntington Music and Arts Festival organizer Ian Thornton book all of the arts and crafts vendors for the fest, which has ballooned to 12 events over eight days running from Sunday, Aug. 27, to Sunday, Sept. 3…

Read the full article at The Herald Dispatch »

Next City: How to Engage Artists in the Nuts and Bolts of City Planning

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By Jen Kinney

Mary Miss has worked at the intersection of sculpture, public installation and landscape design for decades, and she believes that artists are a resource city agencies aren’t tapping effectively.

Artists can speak to issues of sustainability and equity, she says. They can call attention to often invisible infrastructure and get communities to care. But, she says, “I realized that I couldn’t just go into the city planning office and say, ‘Here’s this great way you can start thinking about artists.’ I needed some examples.”

Now, with evidence under her belt, she’s serving as the first artist-in-residence at New York City’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC). Having visualized historic flooding patterns in Boulder, highlighted the streams of Indianapolis, called attention to the architectural guts of New York’s Union Square subway station and more, Miss is currently developing a framework for other artists to work with and within this city agency…

Read the article on Next City’s website »

Interactive Art Project in Charleston Focuses on Community

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Jack O’Hearn’s Interactive Public Art Project in Progress

This summer, the Charleston Area Alliance has hired me to create an interactive art project for their Streetfest block party series on Capitol Street in downtown Charleston. I am setting up at three Streetfest events this year, the final will be happening on August 26th, 4:30pm – 9pm.

Attendees at the block party find an arrangement of furniture that looks somewhat like a den or study room, but set up outdoors. They are offered paper and pencils, invited to sit at a desk or table, and asked to contribute a drawing based on the word “community.”

What does community mean, what does it look like, or what should it look like? Stencils, stamps, rulers and reference books are also made available to assist with the drawing process.

The end product will be a painting about community, created by the community of Charleston.

Following my final Streetfest event in August, I will use all the collected drawings to create a large-scale, colorful painting, which will be displayed in a downtown storefront window. All of the contributors will be able to find their drawings somewhere in the painting and see how I interpreted them.

The end product will be a painting about community, created by the community of Charleston.

I’ll continue to post updates about the project on The Hub’s blog. You can also follow this and all of my other community art projects at facebook.com/jackohearnart.

New Community Art Classes to Begin in Wyoming County

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Many people think of art as a fun thing some people do on the side. Other people think that art can change your life.

Laura Burdette, the art instructor from The Hub’s Innovation Acceleration Strategy (IAS) Wyoming County Arts Team, believes that art is transformative.

“I forget everything when I’m painting or drawing,” Burdette said, “It takes me into my own little world, it’s euphoric.”

When we announced the winners of our IAS mini-grants program in January, you may recall that the Wyoming County Arts team planned to host a series of art classes. Their plans are now far enough along that they’re looking for students!

Laura Burdette Painting on Slate

Art classes will begin in Pineville on August 29th at 6pm at Power House East in the Happy Trails building at 27 River Drive. This is just across the road from the Pineville Fire Department and the Board of Education.

The first class will focus on slate painting from prep to making market-ready. Future classes will cover color, perspective, drawing, technique and more.

Burdette, who says she’s been drawing since she was old enough to hold a pencil, believes that anyone should feel comfortable to sign up for these classes, regardless of skill level.

“Some people don’t realize that they can do it and a lot of people don’t realize how helpful it can be to them,” Burdette said.

Classes will be $10 each or $60 for the whole 6 month course.  To sign up, contact Laura Burdette at 304-575-3817 or fill out this form online.

Share the word with anyone in the Wyoming County area you think may be interested, and if would like to learn how to travel to your own little world for a bit, don’t hesitate to give it a try.

Mountain Messenger: Local Artist Reimagines Once Vacant Lewisburg School

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Lewisburg by Connie Manchester (2014) – Source

by Reporter for Mountain Messenger

Nowadays, finding someone that inspires you can truly be a challenge. Coming few and far between, these are the kind of people that one wants to surround themselves with to feel motivated, on top of the world, able to handle anything.

Michael Christie, a local artist, is one of those people. Bruce Schweizer, Bob Worley, John Hirt, and Christie are all in a partnership to undertake some massive renovations at the old Lewisburg Elementary School campus.

Where some see nothing, Christie sees a blank canvas; where others see a burden, he sees a project. This mindset is what led him to being one of the four people involved in the complete overhaul of the site on Lee Street.

Sprawling over almost five acres of land, the seven old school buildings haven’t been in use for years, and have sat mostly untouched after being purchased by the New River Technical College Foundation when Lewisburg’s new elementary school opened in 2012. The grounds are a familiar spot for many, with thousands of local kids passing from grade to grade, growing and learning in the old halls like so many before. Over the next few years, however, it will be nearly unrecognizable.

Already, the “E” building that many remember as the gym has begun to turn a new leaf, housing the brand new Lee Street Studios Centre for the Arts…

Read the complete article on the Mountain Messenger website »

Artist Association in Grafton Brings a Community Member’s Dream to Life

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Stitchers with a Purpose from the Buffalo Flats Facebook page

A Grafton couple, Tom and Donna Hart, are following the dream and motto of the late Larry “Butchie” Bartosh and working to make that dream a reality for the Grafton and Taylor County area. Larry Bartosh had a vision for a Main Street location where everyone could come and learn a variety of art forms from painting and sewing to theatre and yoga.

After Larry’s passing in 2016, Tom and Donna Hart acquired the Main Street location from Larry’s wife Bette. The Hart’s knew without a doubt that bringing the dream of an artist association to life was their main goal and focus and quickly started to brainstorm.

The Hart’s knew without a doubt that bringing the dream of an artist association to life was their main goal and focus and quickly started to brainstorm. 

In 1773, William Robinson claimed over 400 acres of land in what was then called Buffalo Flats. Larry knew of the historical information, which many others did not, and always referred to the Main Street location as Buffalo Flats. So the couple knew immediately that the only proper name for this venture would be “Buffalo Flats Artist Association.” Once the couple had gathered a group of dedicated community members to join them in their efforts, they all shot off into action.

A group of WVU Reed College of Media students were assigned to help brand Buffalo Flats. They enjoyed visiting Grafton and learning more about the community as a whole and what the Artist Association was planning. They developed a logo in which the community was able to vote on during Grafton’s first Earth Day Celebration in April. Once Tom began working on the cosmetic upgrades to the building, the students were enthusiastic to come and lend a hand.

The Association houses a group of locals who call themselves “Stitchers with a Purpose.”  They get together the first Thursday of every month to crochet, knit, quilt, and sew comfort blankets for Hospice patients. There is a range of skill levels from seasoned to beginners where everyone teaches each other.

Buffalo Flats Artist Association will also be the lead organization for Grafton’s second annual ArtStock event where local and area artists come to set up and display and sell their art in a peaceful and loving country setting. The event will be held Saturday, September 9, 10 am – 6 pm, with a band to follow at 7 pm.  Potential vendors are encouraged to contact Donna Hart or Breanna Collins for details by August 15.  Buffalo Flats will also house yoga classes and much more.

They are always in search of new teachers and instructors and those wishing to learn new forms of art to become members and help support their mission.

The Association plans to grow continuously and offer new things on a regular basis. They are always in search of new teachers and instructors and those wishing to learn new forms of art to become members and help support their mission. Larry’s art and way of life was to inspire others to be creative and make the world a better place, and this local group has taken the phrase, “Be kind, be generous, make the world a better place,” to heart and hope to make a difference in their own community with art and creativity.

Hi, Breanna

The Record Delta: Buckhannon to Transform Historic Downtown Theater into Arts Center

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Source: Flickr

by Katie Kuba/Staff Writer

The City of Buckhannon has received more than $100,000 in grant funds to turn an old theater into a modern arts center.

Buckhannon learned Monday that it had been awarded an $102,000 grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History to continue transforming the historic Colonial Theatre, at 48 E. Main St., into a multi-purpose space/arts center, according to a city press release. The grant was made possible through the National Endowment for the Arts and the state legislature. Built in 1924, the historic structure operated as the Colonial Theatre from 1924 to 1973 before morphing into the Cinema Theatre from 1973-1980. Then, in 1980, it seesawed between functioning either as a restaurant or bar until its closure in 2014.

In January 2017, the city purchased the structure from Catherine Cuppari for $60,000.

City officials couldn’t be happier about the news, although they weren’t completely surprised, mayor David McCauley said Monday. The primary preparer of the grant application — city architect Bryson VanNostrand — had seemed hopeful that the city would be awarded at least some funding, although he wasn’t sure how much, McCauley said.

Read the article at The Record Delta website »

Charleston Gazette-Mail: WV Neighborhood Using Public Art to Drive Economic Growth

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by Anna Taylor

Down an alleyway known as Jarrett Court in the Elk City historic district of Charleston’s West Side is a faded 1900s-era commercial mural. The ad was once a promotion for Gold Medal Flour.

It lives on the side of the building that houses Elk City Records, one of the area’s newest businesses.

Local artist Kayleigh Phillips, 26, is in the process of restoring the sign, but updating it with a focus for the community so it’s not just an old ad. The effort is one component of transforming the area into a revitalized, art-friendly community.

Charleston Urban Renewal Authority is working on a West Side Community Development plan — which includes rehabilitation of existing structures, visual elements of streets and infrastructure improvements — and a strategic urban renewal plan for Downtown Charleston near the East End and West Side districts. The latter includes creating a West Side Square between Indiana and Bigley avenues along Washington Street West, according to CURA plan documents.

Advocates for Charleston’s West Side are leading the efforts to bring public art to the area…

Read the article on the Charleston Gazette Mail website »

Yes! Magazine: Kentucky Community Joins Forces to Rebuild Economy

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All join hands for a round of square dancing at the Carcassonne Community Center. Photo credit: Lafayette College. Source.

By Peter Slavin

Nearly 50 years ago, on a presidential campaign swing through eastern Kentucky, Sen. Robert Kennedy promised to help a disabled coal miner build a community center in the tiny mountain town of Hemphill to give idle youth and others a place for recreation and meetings.

James Johnson used the brick-making machine and VISTA workers that Kennedy supplied to create community space and built a park and area for horseback riding.

Years later Johnson developed black lung disease and couldn’t keep the center going. After he died, his widow, Mabel, helped establish a new Hemphill Community Center in this mountainous region in the heart of Appalachia.

Now the Johnsons’ daughter, Gwen, is trying to save this piece of family legacy by opening a catering business inside the center, which saw operating funds diminish as tax revenues from the coal industry declined.

The network of local organizations that helped get Hemphill Catering up and running is part of an unusual form of grassroots economic development underway in this community, staggered by the collapse of coal.

It’s known as the Letcher County Culture Hub, a broad and growing collaboration of arts and media groups, for- and non-profit outfits, community organizations, and government agencies that help one another survive and grow…

Read the full story at Yes! Magazine »