Public Art Gallery

Welcome to The Mountain Arts District Exhibition on Public Art! Scroll through the public art that can be found in the Mountain Arts District, and click on the image to find out more about each piece. You can also use the search tool below to find art in particular counties.

On each page, there is space for comments. Let us know what these art pieces mean to you or your community.

Below the gallery is a map with the location of each installation. Go out and find art!

We are always looking for undiscovered pieces, and if you know of one we’ve missed, let us know about it! You can email us more information at mtnartsdistrict@gmail.com.

Go Out and Find Art

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Sharp’s Country Store

Sharp’s Country Store
Our Lady of Grace

Holy Rosary Church
Smile! You’re Alive

Kenneth Talbott, 1976-77
Elkins Dumpsters

Mary’s Alley, Seneca Mall Parking Lot, Elkins Lisa Armstrong and Melissa Thomas-Van Gundy These three pieces of pop-up art in Elkins represent three different styles and periods of art. The meadow is an example of impressionism, the tomatoes are representative of pop art, and the Mail Pouch Tobacco dumpster is a staple of advertising art in the United States. Back to the Gallery
Over Bonnie

Corner of 1st st. and 8th st., Marlinton Molly Must This mural is inspired by the writings of G.D. McNeill, author of The Last Forest, and the poetry of his daughter, Louise McNeill. The McNeill family history goes back seven generations in Pocahontas County, spanning a time of incredible cultural change. The title of this mural, “Over Bonnie,” is the term that Louise claims her father used to talk about the old wilderness over the mountain behind their house, before it was cut by the early loggers. Louises claims that he referred to it with those words only in remembrance; for when it had still existed, he called it “over the mountain.” Muralist, Molly Must, interprets her piece referring to a place that was once wild and beautiful, but is now lost and can only be found in memory. Explore an interactive version of this mural, with a breakdown of the text […]
Barbour County War Memorial

N. Main St., Philippi — on the Courthouse lawn Inscription reads: Erected by Barbour County Post No. 44, The American Legion, and the Citizens of This County The Soldiers’ Memorial, dedicated to the memory of twenty-four local men who gave their lives in World War I, was unveiled on November 11, 1923. The project was sponsored by American Legion Post 44 and financed by businesses, schools, organizations, and individuals. The eight-foot bronze Doughboy is one of 136 statues sculpted by Ernest Moore Viquesney, whose grandfather, Charles Alfred Viquesney, became a naturalized citizen in 1844 ceremonies at the Philippi courthouse, on the grounds where the statues now stands. Back to the Gallery
Henry Gassaway Davis

Louis Saint-Lanne, 1927
Butt-A-Saurus

C.J. Rylands
Crow & Acorn Statue

Seneca Trail, Elkins
26201 Monkey Mural

Trader’s Alley (just off of Main St.), Buckhannon Liza Brenner Artist’s Statement: “My favorite time of year in Buckhannon is spring and summer. In this mural, I wanted to reflect the careless, happy feeling you have when the weather starts to change and the world starts to come alive again. In my mind, the question arises: riding bikes, hanging out with friends, and being outside – what could be better? I choose to create my work in oil paints and mixed media on board, using rough brushstrokes to accent elements of collage and give my art a purposefully childlike quality.” Read more about Liza Brenner and the Art in Public Places program at ART26201. Back to the Gallery
ArtsBank Panels

ArtsBank Classes
Trader’s Alley Sky Tapestry

Trader’s Alley (just off of Main St.), Buckhannon Gretchen VanNostrand Artist’s Statement: “Like a volunteer flower which has sprung up from the abandoned cracks of a concrete sidewalk, this suspended installation of ribbons is surprising, joyful, delicate, and temporary. It suddenly appeared in the uncelebrated service alley, and is expected to fade along with the seasons. Beyond the bouyant colors, the effect of the suspended tapestry is a reduced scale of the courtyard as it brings the ceil(ing) down to within reach. The openness of the courtyard has been transformed into a series of horizontal planes, and is now filled with movement. During the daylight hours, the sky reigns from above as the colorful field of dancing ribbons is now the focus of attention. Simultaneously, ribbon shadows are cast onto the courtyard floor, populating the public space with what appears to be a mass choreographed ballet. As the day slowly […]
Sarge

Mike Lee
The Davis Mill

Williams Ave., Davis Gary Miller, 2016 Davis became a well know and boisterous lumber town in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The plateau area was locally known as “Canada,” consisting of a dense forest of spruce and hardwoods.Although it had a succession of owners and names the mill started by Rumbarger in 1886 operated two facilities, one for hardwoods and one for softwoods. They cut timber along much of the Blackwater River, in Canaan Valley, along Beaver Creek, on Canaan Mountain, the Blackwater Manor Tract, Cabin Mountain and Backbone Mountain. In nearly 38 years their mills produced nearly 9-million board feet of lumber. Back to the Gallery
Sun & Moon Mural

Elkins High School, 2015
The Future

4th St., Marlinton — Marlinton Post Office Edwin Dorsey Doniphan, 1939 The Future depicts a farmer working a field overlooking Marlinton and its industrial tannery. The Marlinton Post Office murals reflect the community’s desire to look to the future, while also celebrating the past. Both Marlinton Post Office murals are pieces commissioned by the United States Treasury Department. Before the Federal Arts Project, the Treasury Department had already established the first federal art program, the Section of Fine Arts. Back to the Gallery
Mingo Indian

Erected by S.H. Wood, 1920
Mining Village

Sycamore St., Elkins — Forest Service Building Steven Donahos, 1939 The mural was slated to be installed in the Huntingdon post office but the locals deemed it too depressing. It was then offered to the Logan, WV post office but declined. It finally was placed in the Forestry Building in Elkins. The second mural depicting a forest tower was painted as a compromise. As with the Marlinton Post Office murals, these installments were funded by the U.S. Treasury Department’s federal art program, the Section of Fine Arts. Back to the Gallery
Buckongahelas and His Son Mahonegon

Jawbone Park, Buckhannon Ross Straight, 2000 Inscription reads: Chief Buckongahelas, known as the Washington of the Delaware, holds his son, killed by Captain White in 1773. The Buckhannon River and later this town were believed named for this great Delaware Chief The legend has it that Captain William White shot and killed Mahonegon, for whom the area’s Boy Scout Camp is named, in June 1773. The statue depicts a grief-stricken father holding the body of his dead son, with a bullet hole in the abdomen. The legend also holds that Buckongahelas accomplished revenge, killing White about a decade later. Buckhannon artist and sculptor Ross Straight was fascinated with the story of Buckhongahelas since boyhood days, after hearing it from his grandmother, whose family was among the original settlers. He crafted Upshur County’s first contemporary piece of public art: a statue to Buckongahelas cradling the body of his just-killed son, […]
Barbour County Veterans Vietnam Era Memorial

Location: Veterans Memorial Park, Philippi — 39.152791, -80.042118 Artists: Melissa Riffle, Elizabeth Wentz, Lily Williams, Lisa Peters, Ashley Mathney, and Edina Kahn.
St. Brendan the Navigator

Rt. 219/30, Elkins — St. Brendan’s Catholic Church Timothy P. Schmalz, 2000 This sculpture was chosen by St. Brendan’s to portray their Parish Patron Saint in 2000. St. Brendan is chiefly renowned for his legendary journey to the Isle of the Blessed as described in the ninth century Voyage of St Brendan the Navigator. The statue situates St. Brendan on a boat, with a weather-worn face and his mantel up to block the cold. (He traveled through icy waters and icebergs on his journey). His hands are extended to express his desire to offer Christianity to the world, with an angel on the bow leading and guiding him. One of St. Brendan’s feet is extended forward to express the idea of moving forward into a new world.
Thomas Mural

Buxton St. and 3rd. St., Thomas
Quilt Trail of Pocahontas County

County-wide trail Artist(s): Lois Young, David Young, Gerry Moiser, Rene White, Laronia Cohrs, Chip Atkins, and Karen Friel The patterns you’ll find along this trail connect with the region’s strong heritage and history to the plight many endured during the Civil War. Quilting provided a way for women to quietly express their sentiments and support a cause while honing the necessary skill of quilting. The quilt squares were erected to honor West Virginia’s sesquicentennial. Make sure to see the full trail on the Quilt Trail of Pocahontas County’s website (http://www.wvquilttrail.com). Back to the Gallery
Synergism

West Virginia Wesleyan College Ellen Mueller Artist’s Statement: “With this series of intimately-scaled sculptures, I am exploring the proliferation of organizational structures in our everyday lives. These sculptures consist of small clusters of miniature office paraphernalia fitted to corner spaces and walls. Each is crafted to create the appearance of leaking or bursting out of the architecture on which they are installed. This work challenges the audience to think about how we can work within, outside of and around these daily structures in order to find personal balance or harmony. Read more about Ellen Mueller and the Art in Public Places program at ART26201. Back to the Gallery
Evening Star

Main St. and Kanawa St., Buckhannon Chuck Olsen Artist Statement: “‘Evening Star’ expresses the forces of nature and reveals movements in wind, rock, water, and light in conditions of both harmony and confrontation. An image can have many lives, and “Evening Star” is no exception. It is a painting. It is a lithograph. In Buckhannon, West Virginia it has become a wall. Here, elements of the lithographic version have been reassembled and enlarged to provide a more “heroic” experience of the content. The scale of this installation stresses the emotional forces of nature, far larger than the observer on the street, and presents us with constantly evolving forms. It carries elements that one can easily find in the surrounding hills, rivers, and sky of this community. It also challenges us to recognize, perhaps, the forces of life inside and outside of each one of us.” Read more about Chuck Olsen and […]
Old Brick Playhouse Doors

4th St., Elkins For the past 25 years, the Old Brick Playhouse has been providing educational arts programming and regular, community-led performances. During the summer, the Old Brick also hosts a series of of performance camps. The Old Brick Playhouse makes it home in the, formerly, Randolph Garage Company, circa 1919. This late Edwardian style brick building is a contributing structure to the Downtown Elkins Historic District. Back to the Gallery
John Wesley 1703-1791

Julian Hoke Harris, 1967
Tire Minions

875 Industrial Park Rd., Elkins
Blackwater Falls

371 Williams Ave., Davis — Inside Shop n’ Save Elkins High School, 2016 Blackwater Falls is located along the Blackwater River, which runs through Davis. It is a true blackwater stream, due to the spruce and hemlock trees in its watershed whose tannins impart a tea or amber color to its water. The dark, tumbling waters plunge almost 60 feet over resistant sandstone of the Pennsylvanian Age, creating one of the most photographed sights in the state. Back to the Gallery
ArtSpring Student Pieces

Rt. 32, Davis — On the side of the Shop N’ Save Tucker County Students, 2014 Displayed pieces are the winners of a mural design contest in Works Progress Administration style. Back to the Gallery
C.C.C Worker

4800 Watoga Park Rd. — Watoga State Park Headquarters Installed in 1999 To honor and commemorate the hard work and accomplishments of the Civilian Conservation Corps, established on March 31, 1933 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a CCC Worker Statue was created to be placed across the nation, primarily in sites where they worked. Most of these sites are in national or state parks. Back to the Gallery
Forest Service

Sycamore St., Elkins — Forest Service Building Steven Donahos, 1939 This mural was painted as part of a compromise for the “Mining Villge” mural to be placed in the Forestry Building in Elkins. As with the Marlinton Post Office murals, these installments were funded by the U.S. Treasury Department’s federal art program, the Section of Fine Arts.
Mingo Confederate Statue

Mingo Flats Rd., Valley Head Inscription Reads: To the memory of the Confederate soldiers of Randolph County and vicinity. This includes all soldiers who died on Valley Mountain in 1861 while Gen. Lee was encamped there. The monument, which was initially unveiled July 23, 1913 and sits atop Valley Mountain, commemorates the soldiers in General Robert E. Lee’s army that were encamped on Valley Mountain for 30 days during the Civil War. According to Travelling 219: the Mingo Confederate statue is often referred to as the Robert E. Lee statue, but that this is a misconception. The statue represents a Confederate soldier of ordinary rank, like so many of those who were guarding the area for long periods of time while being cut off from food. Back to the Gallery
Buckhannon City Seal

Main St. and Locust St., Buckhannon Debra Dorland, 2006 The Buckhannon seal depicts an imagined meeting between the great Delaware chief Buckhongahelas (after whom this city is reputedly named) & one of the region’s first European settlers, Samuel Pringle, who, with his brother John, made a home in a huge hollow sycamore tree just north of present-day Buckhannon. Back to the Gallery
Mill Point: Past Visions

4th St., Marlinton — Marlinton Post Office Edwin Dorsey Doniphan, 1939 “Mill Point: Past Visions” presents a pastoral scene from Mill Point, as a horse and rider pass the McNeel grist mill. The Marlinton Post Office murals reflect the community’s desire to look to the future, while also celebrating the past. Both Marlinton Post Office murals are pieces commissioned by the United States Treasury Department. Before the Federal Arts Project, the Treasury Department had already established the first federal art program, the Section of Fine Arts. Back to the Gallery
Bulldog Mural

Rt. 219, Mill Creek — Tygarts Valley High School Lindsay Fincham The bulldog is the school mascot for the Tygarts Valley High School. This particular bulldog mural was designed and painted by Lindsay Fincham, a student at Tygarts Valley. She asked the administration if she could paint the design somewhere on the building, and the school loved the idea, funding the entire large-scale project. Back to the Gallery
Student

Alderson-Broaddus University — 39.158176, -80.047226 Celeste Turley Weekly, 1984 Inscription reads: In loving memory of her parents George Frederick & Arizona Jordan Turley and her husband William George Weekly.
Apollo

Alderson-Broaddus University, Philippi Mark Warner, 1968 Inscription reads: Warner’s idea came from Sir Isaac Newton’s “I stand on the shoulders of giants.” He named the statue Apollo in appreciation for the space program. Alderson-Brauddus chose it for the centennial symbol – 1971 – because the college’s aspirations are dependent upon the past and persons now here and to come. Back to the Gallery
Peace Paintings

S. Main St., Philippi These peace-themed paintings, along with Philippi’s Peace Lamp, adorn the retaining wall coming into downtown Philippi. Back to the Gallery
St. John Bosco

Catholic Convention Center
Cock A Doodle Dude

16 E. Main St., Buckhannon Ginger Danz Created for ART26201’s Art in Public Places program, this installation was inspired by a friend of Danz’s heirloom chickens with vibrant colors and quirky personalities. Danz creates pieces that convey the beauty of everyday items that intrigue viewers to slow down and enjoy the scene she’s painted. Read more about Ginger Danz and the Art in Public Places program at ART26201. Back to the Gallery
Newspaper Sculpture

Rt. 219, Mill Creek — Tygarts Valley High School Tygarts Valley High School Art Club, 2016 This sculpture was designed to celebrate Earth Day, and the idea was that it would biodegrade over time and slowly become part of the earth again. Students and teachers brought in newspapers, and the Art Club worked together to stack the base of the sculpture so that they would interlace and stick together. It was then filled with dirt and sealed off. Students made bets for how long the statue would stand, thinking it would only be mere days, but five months later, the sculpture is still standing. There are plans to replicate this project, creating alternate shapes. Back to the Gallery
Minnehaha

Frank Ours, Signs by Ours, 1983
Civil War

Corner of Rt. 39E and 6th, Marlinton Molly Must This mural is about the hometown strife of wartime. Women were left alone to tend farms & businesses, and defend their families and food stocks against passing troops, marauders, and & outlaws. A lot of the text and imagery is inspired by local stories and local photography. Explore an interactive version of this mural, with a breakdown of the text and imagery here. Back to the Gallery
Veterans Memorial Wall

1st St. and Main St., Parsons Dedicated 2004 Two battlefield crosses stand at Parson’s Veterans Memorial Wall to honor the lives and service of Tucker County veterans. This project was initiated by Parson’s Concerned Citizens’ Coalition and built by volunteer veterans. Back to the Gallery
Heritage Quilt Blocks in Downtown Elkins

Throughout Downtown Elkins Elkins Main Street, 2016 These heritage quilt blocks were designed by Elkins Main Street and completed with the help of volunteer organizations including Generation Randolph and Appalachian Forest Heritage Area. The two quilting patterns that are pictured are the Maple Leaf and the Log Cabin. Back to the Gallery
Parsons QuiltWalks

Parsons Revitalization Organization “Paint the Town,” 2015
Elkins City Mural

Elkins Highschool Art Department 15-16