News and Features

(Updated 4/23/2020) Below, we are providing a list of funding and support opportunities for artists. If you come across additional opportunities, let us know so we can include it in our list for our fellow artists. Relief and Assistance from the U.S. Government Due to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, if your business has been affected by COVID-19, you can qualify for disaster relief assistance from the federal government. These funds are open to all businesses and nonprofits nationwide who have been affected by the pandemic. Paycheck Protection Program Loan Guarantees This low-interest loan/grant is available to small businesses only, including the self-employed, sole proprietors, freelancers, etc. The loan is designed to cover wages (payroll, 401k contribution, healthcare costs), mortgage interest/rent and utilities. The loan is forgivable (becomes a grant) as long as the recipient uses 75% of the funds toward those items within 8 weeks. You can apply at any SBA (7a) approved bank. Read more. Economic Injury Disaster Loans This low-interest loan program is available thru the SBA for businesses affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The loan allows for a $10,000 advance within 3 days of application that will not have to be repaid. […]

Painter and Instructor from Elkins, WV

Voting for the Mountain Arts District’s 2020 High School Student Art Contest  begins soon. Members of the public can vote for their favorite art entries on the Mountain Arts District Facebook page from June 12-16, 2020. View the submissions on our website, but please remember to vote on our Facebook page! Students from Randolph, Tucker, Barbour, Upshur, Nicholas and Pocahontas counties submitted their fine art and sculpture pieces. The submissions are entered into a contest on our Facebook page for the “Most Likes”. First place will win $100. The second and third place entries will each win $50. The 4th through 10th entries will be noted awarded the designation of “honorable Mention” (no cash prize). Please vote on our Facebook page. The Mountain Arts District will announce the winners on June 16th on our Facebook page. Thank You to Our Sponsors This contest is sponsored by Ajuga.com and the Mountain Arts District. Any business or person who would like to participate as a sponsor a cash award for the 2020 High School Student Art Show, please contact the Mountain Arts District at mtnartsdistrict@gmail.com.

“I was first introduced to felting in 1993 at an Augusta Heritage Center class with Beth Beede. It was love at first sight!”

Learn quilt blocking at the Elkins Sewing Center on Tuesdays at 10 am. Stop in for one session or join us for a series of classes: March 10th: Log Cabin Quilt Blocks March 17th: Block-of-the-Month—Delectable Mountains March 31st: Dresden Plate Quilt Block Find out more about the Elkins Sewing Center.

The Art of Quilting and Weaving Exhibit will continue to run until February 28th at The Art Center in Elkins.  This is a quality exhibit that should not be missed.  You will be amazed at the variety and creativity of the artists from the Weaver’s Guild and the Log Cabin Quilters who meet at The Elkins Sewing Center.  

Our featured event for this month was the Augusta Heritage Festival in Elkins City Park!

Bob Smakula talks with our Patrick Facemire about his repair methods, differences in sound, his favorite musicians and much more. Check out the full interview on our Youtube channel! www.youtube.com/MAD Bob Smakula is a MAD subscriber. You can find his page at – http://www.madwv.com/item/smakula-fretted-instruments/ You can find him online at –  http://www.smakula.com/ – and – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smakula-Fretted-Institute/223312208253061

Our featured event for the month is the ArtSpring Festival including subscribers Ben’s Old Loom Barn and Buxton and Landstreet Gallery giving demonstrations as part of their participation in the Festival. Beautiful downtown Thomas during the ArtSpring Festival. A glass blowing demonstration at Buxton and Landstreet. Sarah Fletcher was showing people around and giving the history of Ben’s Old Loom Barn. Here she is during a weaving demonstration. Buxton and Landstreet Gallery and Studios Artspring Ben’s Old Loom Barn You can find last month’s featured event here – http://www.madwv.com/spring-into-art/

MAD Interview Series: Sarah Fletcher I recently sat down to interview Sarah Fletcher a weaver and owner of Ben’s Old Loom Barn, which can be found in Canaan Valley. Raised by a teacher of weaving, she now teaches and weaves herself, sharing and selling traditional Appalachian weaving to tourists and residents. Her MAD page can be found here – http://www.madwv.com/item/bens-old-loom-barn/ You can find the video portion of this interview here on our Youtube page – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sAtvjiAUAHU What was your first experience with weaving? Actually, I grew up with weaving… in the house where I grew up, which was in the farm house. My mother decided she needed to build a loom barn. ‘Cause the school house where she had her weaving school, the county board of education had abandoned it. The roof was starting to leaking and it was just starting to fall down, the building had been built in the 20s, so she built a loom barn and it was one room, and all the supplies were upstairs and she had six looms in here, and she would have classes and I used to come up, bout when I was a kid and I grew up here in Canaan, […]

You can find JoLynn’s mural at the Barbour County Development Authority in Downtown Philippi and her page with us here – http://www.madwv.com/item/jolynn-powers/ If you see her around, congratulate her on the mural (tell her you saw it here) and finishing up with three years (!!!) of AmeriCorps Service. She writes this great blog – https://westvirginiamountainmama.com/about/

The Mountain Weavers Guild were at the Darden Mill as part of Forest Festival. Here are some photos of their various weaved creations, just in case you missed it! Mountain Weaver’s Guild

MAD WV member Don Hall is holding an exhibition of his plein air paintings in Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, WV ongoing until October 28!  The Gallery hours are 10:00 AM–4:00 PM, Monday through Saturday; the address is: 611 Church Street Lewisburg, WV 24901

The Pocahontas County Artisan Co-op has more than 40 member artists and craftspeople working in two dozen mediums.  As a business incubator the Co-op assists regional artisans in advancing from hobby to cottage industry and are committed to promoting the arts in Pocahontas County through public demonstrations, workshops, exhibitions and community-based educational activities. Find Pocahontas County Artisans Co-op locations at: 4th Avenue Gallery @ the Marlinton Railroad Depot 720 4th Avenue Marlinton, WV 24954 The Shops at Leatherbark Ford @ Cass Scenic Railroad State Park Cass, WV 24927

This week we are featuring the two artists of Brenwood Forge & Broom: David “Woody” Harman and Brenda Harman. Woody, a blacksmith, is a member of the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America and the Appalachian Blacksmith Association. He has been blacksmithing for 35 years. Brenda, a broom maker, is juried with the Allegheny Highland Arts and Craft Center in Clifton Forge, VA. She made her first broom in 1993. Both artists are founding members of the Pocahontas County Artisan Co-op and juried members of Tamarack. Both are also members of the West Virginia Art Guild. Stop by the following locations to see more of their work: 4th Avenue Gallery, Marlinton Shop at Leatherbark Ford, Cass Allegheny Highlands Arts & Crafts Center, Clifton Forge, VA Addison Visitors Center, Webster Springs

This week we are featuring one of the producers at Ben’s Old Loom Barn in Canaan Valley, Patty Loebig. Patty’s most recent project has been creating tote bags out of recycled plastic bags. She uses bags from different stores to create the color palette (Dollar General is yellow, Walmart is blue, Sheetz is green, Kroger is brown, etc.). She starts by collecting the recycled bags, folding them, and cutting them into thin strips so that they can be rolled and used as thread. Patty then weaves the plastic thread through her loom like she would any other material. The final product is a beautiful repurposing. Stop by Ben’s Old Loom Barn to check out these bags and many other interesting creations. Ben’s Old Loom Barn is also displaying their producer’s work this month in the lobby of Citizen’s Bank in Parsons. Stop by during regular business hours to see some of their incredible work!    

This week, our Featured Event is ArtSpring’s annual Memorial Day Festival! The Festival lasts from Friday, May 26th until Sunday, May 28th. See the full schedule here: www.artspringwv.com. ArtSpring Festival is an annual celebration of the vibrant arts community in Tucker County, West Virginia. The main activities hubs are in Thomas and Davis, and you are encouraged you to explore Canaan Valley, Parsons, Hendricks, Hambleton and the surrounding areas while you’re here. Learn more about ArtSpring’s Silent Auction, hands-on activities for kids & makers, gallery openings & exhibits, craft beer, wine and food, live music and more. Looking for places to stay? Find rooms at Canaan Valley Resort, Timberline Four Seasons Resort, Black Bear Resort, The Billy Motel, Bright Morning Inn, Cooper House, Fiddler’s Roost Guest House, and Purple Fiddle’s Hostel. For information on-site, please visit the Info Booth in Davis, located outside the Davis Firehall and adjacent to the Handmade Art Market, Food Vendors and Music Tent. Please also stop in and say hello at the Silent Auction, located in Cottrill’s Opera House on Front Street in Thomas. See a full schedule of events at: www.artspringwv.com And check out these other regional events this week: Windchimes & Fused Glass class; Tuesday – […]

This week we are featuring a newcomer to the Mountain Arts District Showcase, CREATURE, a gallery, studio, and imaginarium of Seth Pitt’s art. The work spans from hand drawn conceptual cartoons to large format time intensive melted crayon sculptures to absurdist sketches to excerpts of books that were never written. The next time you’re strolling along Front St. in Thomas, be sure to stop in and see Seth’s various works in CREATURE as well as it’s sister galleries, Lamplight and The White Room. To see more of Seth’s work, learn where to find it across the county, and see his business information: check out CREATURE’s page here: http://www.madwv.com/item/creature/

This week our featured artist is writer/blogger Jolynn Powers. A self-proclaimed West Virginia Mountain Mama living slowly, foraging, cooking, canning, hunting, and fishing her way through Appalachia. “I’m a forty something mother of two who was born and raised in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain in Boulder, Co. I have lived, loved, and laughed in North Central West Virginia for 25 years with my family. We Live a rural life, full of family, food and the outdoors. I love to take photos and telling stories about the Appalachian Mountains where we live.” Check out Jolynn’s blog to read more on her adventures through Appalachia: https://jolynnsmountainmama.wordpress.com/ JoLynn Powers

This bright piece of public art adds a splash of color on the outskirts of Davis between the town and Thomas. It was designed and painted by Elkins High School Art classes in 2015. Elkins High School art classes have produced several murals and art projects across the Mountain Arts District. Browse through our gallery to find more! http://www.madwv.com/public-art-gallery/

This week’s public art feature watches over Main Street, like Buckhannon’s own Dr. T.J. Eckleburg. Cock-A-Doodle-Dude was created for ART26201’s Art in Public Places program, which has been very successful at launching several public art  projects across downtown Buckhannon. From ART26201’s site, artist Ginger Diaz says, “Rarely do I view something beautiful without calculating how to capture it in a painting! I am particularly inspired by simple scenes, the way sunlight hits a coffee mug or a sleeping cat on a window sill. I want to convey the beauty I see in everyday objects and create a scene which intrigues the viewer and encourages her to slow down and spend some time with the painting. Recently I became enchanted with the vibrant colors and quirky personalities of my friend’s heirloom chickens and decided that a large-scale rooster would be a perfect mural for Buckhannon’s Main Street. Your town holds a special place in my heart as a community dedicated to celebrating the arts.” To see more of ART26201’s projects click here: http://www.art26201.com/publicart/index.html And to see more public art in the Mountain Arts District click here: http://www.madwv.com/public-art-gallery/

Descendants of the early pioneers wanted to honor the place where the an American Indian village had stood, now Mingo Flats. Though whether or not this village was Mingo or not, is debated. Remains of the village were visible to the first settlers, although clearly abandoned for many years. An online copy of “Monument to, and history of the Mingo Indians; facts and traditions about this tribe, their wars, chiefs, camps, villages and trails. Monument dedicated to their memory near the village of Mingo, in Tygarts River Valley of West Virginia” provides a great deal of information on the statue, the arguments for and against its erection, and even some of the speeches given on the date of its dedication. The inscription on the statue reads: This monument is erected in memory of the passing of the “Red Man.” An Indian village was located near this place according to local tradition. It was frequented by the Mingo tribe, and at one time was an Iroquois outpost – Mingo Iroquois, meaning “Foreign Service”. The Mingoes are said to have been expelled by the Iroquois for disloyalty. This village was on the trail from the Lakes to the South, but had been abandoned prior […]

This week our featured artist is Kathryn Gillispie from Greenbank! Kathryn has taught in many public schools in Randolph County, local colleges and private workshops in WV. Numerous merit awards in painting and Best of Show at Mountain State A/C Fair, Ripley, and twice in the Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins are some of her accomplishments. She is a juried Tamarack artist and a signature member of WV Watercolor Society. In the past 25 years she has founded 4 art cooperatives in Randolph, Tucker, and Pocahontas Counties as well as advise other states on how to form art groups as cooperatives. Currently she is the owner/ artist of Green Bank Art Center. See more of Kathryn’s art and learn where you can shop for it at: http://www.madwv.com/item/kathryn-c-gillispie/

This week our featured artists are Carrie and Michael Kline! Michael and Carrie Kline weave West Virginia stories and folklore with spine tingling harmonies on voice and guitar. The Klines present their music both as entertainment and social history, with engaging ease and hard-hitting passion. The Klines have performed in Italy, Germany, and across the United States. To hear them and be encouraged to join in on a chorus is to be transported to a country church, a primeval forest, a coal miner’s picket line, or grandma’s kitchen. Listen to a sample of their music and learn where you can find their work to buy at: http://www.madwv.com/item/michael-carrie-kline/