The Arts Center Event: Christmas Brown Bag Concert

Happy Holidays! This Wednesday, December 2, 2020, at 12 noon, The Arts Center will premier a virtual Brown Bag Concert here on its Facebook page for our community, featuring Deacon Raymond Godwin performing all of your favorite holiday music! This show will also begin airing on WETV Channel 3 next week! This very special show will be available until after the New Year! https://youtu.be/qMHpAKHEWB4
Don’t Forget: Artists are Small Business Owners

Please consider giving works of art for Christmas. No matter the day, it’s important that you support your local artists, especially in this time of COVID. Visit the the following MAD members to support local businesses and local artisans: Elkins Artists at Work Delmonte Market Marlinton Pocahontas County Artisan Co-op Richwood Mill Whistle Arts Co-op Buckhannon Artistry on Main Thomas Creature Buxton and Landstreet Green Bank Art in Green Bank Watch for special sales at these Mountain Arts District member locations on the MAD Facebook page.
Look what you can win!

Win this beautiful Nevada Tribble original titled “Still and Grey.”
Childrens’ Art in Coalton

Principal Alyssa Tallman and Artsbank Instructor Kylie Proudfoot-Payne received reproductions of murals done by children K-6 grade at Coalton School during the past two years.
Augusta Event: Big Band Jazz in Black West Virginia

Big Band Jazz in Black West Virginia Presented by Christopher Wilkinson Tuesday, October 20 @ 7 pm by The Augusta Heritage Center on Facebook Live, Zoom The coal fields of West Virginia would seem an unlikely market for big band jazz during the Great Depression. However, a prosperous African American audience of coal-industry workers created a robust audience for jazz tours. Black Mountaineers flocked to dances by the hundreds to hear bands led by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Andy Kirk, Jimmie Lunceford, and Chick Webb.
Enter the MAD Pumpkin Patch Virtual Carving Contest!

Carve a pumpkin to enter into the Mountain Arts District Great “Community Pumpkin Patch Virtual Carving Contest”! Pumpkin enthusiasts! Submit your pumpkin carving masterpiece for prizes! Submission will be accepted from October 9th -25th. Prizes will be awarded at the end of October. Follow our Facebook page to view all of the pumpkin images and to stay up to date with what our area artists are up to this fall! Donate $3 per Pumpkin to Support this Event. The Mountain Arts District is a 501c3 organization. Please consider donating to the Mountain Arts District to help support our programs, events and marketing the arts in our community. Interested in being a yearly sponsor? Take a look at the benefits for you, for MAD and for our community.
Augusta Heritage Center Event: Wet Plate Photography

Wet Plate Photography: History & Resurgence in the 21st Century Presented by Lisa Elmaleh Tuesday, October 6 @7pm Augusta Heritage Center on Facebook Live, Zoom This discussion focuses on the history of wet plate technique and its resurgence and place in modern photography. Explore this stunning photography style as Lisa presents projects that have taken her around the country, from Hampshire County, West Virginia, and back again. This presentation is presented with generous support from the West Virginia Humanities Council.
RESCHEDULED: MAD “Creating During COVID” Networking Meeting

Marketing Rountable Featuring Christine Keller of CHRIZART September 29, 2020 7:30 to 8:30 pm Join us for this ZOOM EVENT Log In Information: 304-591-3345; PW: 3345 Join with Mountain Arts District, regional artists, and community organizers to network and collaborate on regional arts-related projects. Christine Keller will join this roundtable event on the topic of Marketing During Covid. Christine is well known for her marketing expertise and uses a variety of platforms to sell her lovely jewelry. The above topic arose during the course of the last ZOOM meeting, but the discussion goes where the participants take it. Find out more about this event on the MAD Facebook page: www.facebook.com/MountainArtsDistrict
The Arts Center’s Fall Juried Exhibition

The Fall Exhibit opens Wednesday, September 30th from 6 – 8 pm and runs thru November 13th, 2020 at The Arts Center.
Augusta Event: Arts Across America

This performance of Arts Across America: West Virginia Voices featues performances by Lady D, Bob Thompson, Ginny Hawker, and Emily Miller. It is a collaboration between The Augusta Heritage Center, The Kennedy Center, and Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia and will focus on the rich and diverse soundscapes found within the Mountain State. Tune in to hear a live performance by noted culture-bearers of West Virginia’s musical heritage. Tune in Tuesday, September 22 @ 4 pm on Facebook Live
The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking Webinars

The The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking is holding monthly webinars on Creative Placemaking. Creative Placemaking is the next big idea in leading communities through healing and recovery. Get the foundation now to forge resilience. Creative placemaking is sustained collaboration among people of diverse professional and personal backgrounds who enhance the places they live, work, and play through art and creative process. The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking is a pioneer in this field and is now offering interactive, engaging webinars to introduce foundational concepts. NCCP webinars help community leaders engage their own creativity to drive healing, recovery and resilience. Check out our 2020-2021 lineup of affordable, monthly webinars. Every webinar is from 2 pm to 3 pm EASTERN, unless otherwise stated. All webinars will be submitted for AICP certification maintenance credits. All webinars are recorded for registrants in case you cannot attend in real time. The $20/webinar fee supports the work of The National Consortium for Creative Placemaking, a 501 c (3) nonprofit organization that offers expertise and peer learning to leaders who seek creative placemaking knowledge and skills to foster more just, equitable, and livable communities through art and creative process. If you have any questions, please reach […]
Augusta Announces Fall Events Schedule

All events are free and open to the public and will be streamed live on the Augusta Facebook page. Some sessions will also be accessible via Zoom to allow interaction between attendees and the presenter. Full Fall Schedule Tuesday, September 8 (7 pm)—Sloss Furnaces: Still Warming a Community presented by Jennifer Lackey (FB, Zoom). This discussion focuses on the revitalization and the repurposing of the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama. An industrial center that fell into decay, the Sloss Furnaces stand as a testimonial to reclaiming community vibrancy through the arts. Tuesday, September 22 (4 pm) Arts Across America: West Virginia Voices with performances by Lady D, Bob Thompson, Ginny Hawker, and Emily Miller (FB, Youtube). This performance, a collaboration between The Augusta Heritage Center, The Kennedy Center, and Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia, will focus on the rich and diverse soundscapes found within the Mountain State. Tune in to hear a live performance by noted culture-bearers of West Virginia’s musical heritage. Tuesday, October 6 (7 pm) Wet plate photography: History & Resurgence in the 21st Century presented by Lisa Elmaleh (FB, Zoom). This discussion focuses on the history of wet plate technique and its resurgence and place in modern photography. […]
About MAD
Follow your heART to the mountains of West Virginia where there are some of the finest artists in the Appalachian highlands.
MAD was founded to be an artist-driven initiative to strengthen the arts economy in north-central West Virginia with the goal of making this whole region a destination for art lovers.
After several public meetings, the priorities were set to begin forming the infrastructure needed to make this goal a reality. The first priority is to grow a directory/showcase of artists and venues so that tourists and residents can have better access to the arts. The online calendar was added and then a public art gallery, all available to you on this fine website designed by Lisa Armstrong.
This website is a cooperative marketing effort of artists, art venues and art supporters. It is open to showcase art in ALL its forms, from visual art to performing artists like musicians and actors, to writers and chefs. It was created with the thought in mind, that many artists do not have a web presence and those that do, often do not tend to their site. MAD wants to lift up all the artists that are inspired by the mountains, and the peace and joy they instill in the hearts of all who live here.
Our all-volunteer team is also active planning workshops for artist entrepreneurs, organizing public art projects and hosting networking meetings of artists and the public twice a month. This is live-streamed onto our Facebook page.
So, please explore the artists and venues on this site. Find out where the artists are selling their work. Click on News/Events to find the Arts Calendar for information on the multitude of performances, classes and gallery exhibits available in this region. Learn more about the artists by looking at our blog, videos and music clips on artist pages. Welcome to the Mountain Arts District. We are glad you are here!