News and Features

Sarah Fletcher is interviewed by our AFHA AmeriCorps member William Pounds about her history as a weaver, teaching and being taught, and traditional weaving. Sarah Fletcher is the owner of Ben’s Old Loom Barn and weaves custom designs and teaches weaving. Coming soon. Sarah Fletcher is a MAD subscriber (under Ben’s Old Loom Barn). Her profile can be found here –http://www.madwv.com/item/bens-old-loom-barn

Dave Shombert talks with our Patrick Facemire about his woodturning methods, preferences in types of wood, the difference between craft and sculpture and much more. Check out the full interview on our Youtube channel! www.youtube.com/MAD Dave Shombert is a MAD subscriber. You can find his page at – http://www.madwv.com/item/dave-shombert/ He has a website you can find at – http://woodspunworkshop.com/ Dave Shombert

Bob Smakula is interviewed by our own Patrick Facemire on the topics of his father, pasteurized music, his entry into playing banjo, and other interesting topics. Smakula is the owner of Smakula Fretted Instruments and  makes and repairs instruments. Coming this winter. Bob Smakula is a MAD subscriber (under Smakula Fretted Instruments). His profile can be found here – http://www.madwv.com/item/smakula-fretted-instruments/ You can also find him online at – http://www.smakula.com/ – and – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Smakula-Fretted-Institute/223312208253061 Smakula Fretted Instruments

  It’s an interview with Michael and Carrie Kline! Michael and Carrie Kline are musicians, Folk historians, archivists, radio-people, and political activists. In this program by the Mountain Arts District, a brief account of their long story is told, and Michael and Carrie share their views on Music, on History, and on Life. Learn what the Klines have to say regarding: Music History as a Survival Tool The Importance of Taking Action Tradition Education and What Patrick Facemire Needs to Learn to Do with His Dang Tea. Thanks to the Klines for their participation!

Local weaving shop founded by Dorothy Thompson. A working hand weaver’s shop specializing in hand crafted items made by local artisans. Local weaver and community advocate for fiber and related arts. There are 20 producers of fiber and related arts. Ben’s Old Loom Barn has rugs, placemats, runners, stoles, towels, baskets, afghans, and many other hand crafted items for both home and gifts. The shop takes orders for special items. Weaving lessons are also available. Find out more about Ben’s Old Loom Barn here: https://www.facebook.com/bensoldloombarn/

This summer, Elkins Main Street will be continuing their heritage quilt blocks project throughout Elkins. This summer, they’re working on4×4 blocks in addition to the larger 8×8 blocks you can see on the side of the YMCA and Davis Trust buildings. The two quilt squares featured today are the Log Cabin pattern and the Maple Leaf (one of many patchwork designs based on natural objects). Log Cabin was popular during the late 1800s; the Log Cabin block probably became a favorite block among early quilters because it required a minimal amount of cutting and gave them an opportunity to use utilize narrow scraps of fabric. While its design is frequently associated with the pioneer spirit and ruggedness associated with log cabins themselves, by the end of the 1800s many Log Cabin quilts reflected the Crazy Quilt fad and were made in silk and velvet scraps. Even silk and velvet ribbons were used to make the “logs” in what became known as Ribbon Quilts.

This week we are featuring one of Mountain Arts District’s great arts resources, Talbott’s Frameshop. Located at 220 3rd St. in downtown Elkins, Talbott’s is a custom picture framing shop and art gallery located at 220 3rd Street, in the historic “Talbott Building.” Established in the early 1980’s, the frame shop developed out of Talbott Paint & Glass to fill the need for custom framing in Elkins and the surrounding communities. Stop in and check out their gallery or bring your special item in to be custom framed. The shop is located directly underneath the “Smile! You’re Alive” mural. The gallery that is currently exhibited is West Virginia railroad history through art. This past weekend, Mike Doig and Jim Porterfield presented at The Art of Elkins on the exhibit. Contact Talbott’s by clicking here: http://www.madwv.com/item/talbotts-frame-shop/ And share their page, by hitting the social media icons on Talbott’s MAD page.

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/