Due to the snow forecast, we will postpone the information and social open house and combine it with the reception for our 2019 members exhibit, next Sunday, January 20, from 2-4pm.
Berkeley Arts Council Announces Art Classes in the New Year
The Berkeley Arts Council is offering an expanded program of art classes at the Berkeley Art Works in Martinsburg, located at 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. Continue reading
Berkeley Arts Council
The common element of successful arts communities is an independent umbrella organization that supports an organized, active, and broadly cooperative arts community. The Berkeley County Arts Council was formed in 2009 to provide unified communication, promotion, support and advocacy for the arts community in Berkeley County, West Virginia.
Call for Entries: Ninth Annual Art and Earth Juried Exhibit
The Berkeley Arts Council announces the Eighth Annual Art and Earth Juried Art Exhibit. The exhibit has the theme ‘Art and Earth: My Art – My World’. Entries should reflect the artist’s view of nature, the environment, or reflect an Earth Day related theme. Any medium or technique, 2-dimension or 3-dimension, is acceptable.
The exhibit will open April 3, 2019 in the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. The exhibit will be on display through May 4, 2019. There will be a reception at the gallery on Sunday, April 7 from 2-4pm.
The exhibition is open to all visual artists throughout the continental United States over the age of 18 in all media. Entries must be original works of art that have been completed within the last three (3) years, and have not been previously exhibited in The Berkeley Art Works.
Juror: The juror for the 2019 exhibit is Jay Pastore, currently a design consultant to the Roberto Clemente Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He previously served as the Artistic Director of the Rehoboth Art League, Rehoboth, Delaware, where he oversaw all aspects, from conception to deinstallation, of over thirty exhibitions each year.
Entry fee: The entry fee for the exhibit is $35 for the first two works. Artists may submit one or two additional works for $10 each for a maximum of four works.
DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:
February 25, 2019 (Midnight)
Click Here to Enter
Notification of Accepted Work: The notification announcing the juror’s selections will be sent by email and be posted on our web site (this page) on or about March 6, 2019.
Awards: Best in Show $500 Total prizes $1,000.
Entries: Entries for the Art and Earth exhibit must be submitted as digital images for jurying. You may submit up to four works to be juried for this exhibit.
The image file format should be normal (“baseline”) JPEG. Do not save as “progressive” JPEG. The images should be 1200 pixels on the long dimension with the other dimension proportional. Save at 72 PPI at high quality setting (8 out of 10 or 80% is good.) Set your filename to lastname_title_WxHxD_entrynumber.jpg. (example: jones_pretty-girl_11x14x1_no1.jpg).
Dimensions should include the frame.
One additional image to show detail for 3-dimensional work is allowed.
Accepted Work: Below are general guidelines. Additional details will be provided at the time of acceptance notification.
If accepted, the original works must be ready for hanging and must not exceed 48 inches in width, including frame. Paintings and works on paper must be suitably framed. All entries to be hung must be equipped with wire, ready for hanging. Three-dimensional works, must not exceed 72 inches in height and 36 inches in width or depth. Three-dimensional work must be free-standing. No substitution, exchange, modification, or withdrawal of works is permitted after they are accepted for the exhibition.
Works accepted for the exhibition are to be hand delivered or shipped to:
Berkeley Art Works
116 North Queen Street
Martinsburg, WV 25401
All accepted work must arrive between March 25 and March 30, 2019
For hand delivered work, The Berkeley Art Works hours are Wed (Mar 27), Thu (Mar 28), Fri (Mar 29) 11-5, Sat (March 30) 11-4.
Shipping: Work must be shipped prepaid to The Berkeley Art Works in sturdy, reusable packing. (Please no styrofoam peanuts!) Plexiglass must be used on all shipped works, no glass.
Shipped works must arrive between March 25 and March 29, 2019 for inclusion in the exhibit. The Berkeley Art Works does not receive US Mail at the gallery address. Do not ship to the gallery address by US Postal Service. Please use UPS or FEDEX. Please email us with tracking information at berkeleyartswv@gmail.com. If you are unable to use UPS or FEDEX to ship your work, please email us for instructions.
For return shipping a <b>prepaid shipping label must be included.</b>
Calendar:
Deadline for digital entries: February 25, 2019 (Midnight)
Notification emailed & acceptance posted by: March 6.
Delivery & shipment of accepted works of art to the Berkeley Art Works: March 25 – March 30
Exhibition: April 3 -May 4, 2019.
Reception: Sunday, April 7 from 2-4pm
Pick up Work: Saturday, May 4, Sunday May 5.
Call for Artists:Berkeley Arts Council Members Exhibit
Call for Artists: 2019 Berkeley Arts Council Members’ Exhibit
All artists who are members of – or who join – the Berkeley Arts Council are invited to exhibit one or two art works in the Berkeley Art Works gallery, January 16 through February 23, 2019. There will be a reception on Sunday, January 20 from 2-4pm.
The exhibit is not juried. Any current member (2019) of the Berkeley Arts Council may participate in the exhibit. Artists who are not current members may join or renew online or at the gallery when the artwork is delivered for the exhibit. There is no entry fee other than membership dues. Participation in the exhibit is a benefit of membership.
To participate, deliver one or two art works to the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg during regular hours on Wednesday, January 9 (11-5pm), Thursday, January 10 (11-5pm), Friday, January 11 (11-4pm), Saturday, January 12 (11-4pm), or Sunday, January 13 (2-4pm) during our Open House.
Although the exhibit is not juried, work must be properly framed or otherwise well presented for display. Framed work must be wired for hanging. Three-dimensional fine art and fine crafts are welcome. An identification card or tag must be attached to each piece.
If for sale, the tag must indicate the price of the work. The Berkeley Art Works will retain a 30% commission on sales of work in the exhibit. Please direct questions via email to berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or 304-620-7277.
Membership applications are available in the gallery or online at berkeleyartswv.org/join-us/.
Veterans Vernacular 2018 Art Exhibit
October 10 through November 11, 2018
100th Anniversary of Armistice Day
Reception: November 11, 3:00-5:00 PM
Berkeley Arts Works, 116 N. Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV 25401
Hours: Wed-Thu-Fri 11-4, Sat 11-5
The Berkeley Arts Council has mounted a unique mixed media exhibition by regional U.S. Military Veterans to commemorate this year’s 100th Anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended World War I. The 13 veteran artists included are or were part of the Healing Arts Center and Recreational Therapy programs at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV. The exhibit is curated by Berkeley Arts Council artist Gary Bergel.
A “Meet Your Veterans” Reception will close this special commemorative exhibit on Sunday, November 11, from 3:00-5:00 PM. All are cordially invited to attend and greet the following veteran artists who have graciously contributed art works to this Armistice Anniversary exhibition:
Abu-Farruk Azhar, Preston Brown, Chris Chambers, Bob Hamill, Christopher Houck, James Jackson, Anthony Jones, Shawn Jordan, Jose Miranda , Howard Johnson, Doug Shuttlesburg, Johnny Williams. Paintings by Michael Smith, deceased, are also included in tribute to him and his service.
Media included in the exhibit span oil and acrylic painting, mixed media, painted ceramics, photography, wood working, and memorial walking sticks honoring fallen comrades.
BACKGROUND: There is an increasing awareness and appreciation for the therapeutic and healing possibilities found in creative human self-expression. Berkeley County, West Virginia, is fortunate to be home to a VA Medical Center with some of the most vibrant and effective art therapy and recreational therapy programs in the nation – evidenced by the Martinsburg Center’s winning entries in the annual National Veterans Creative Arts and Crafts Competition.
“VERNACULAR” is a relatively new term that museum directors and visual art curators give to human creative work done for therapeutic, healing, and restorative reasons. It’s also sometimes called folk art, self-taught, naïve art, outsider, or outlier art. The creators may or may not be engaged with the professional, academic, or commercial art world.
Berkeley Arts Council – We Amplify the Arts
Accepted Artists: Eastern WV Juried Exhibit
Congratulations to the accepted artists in the Sixth Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Art Exhibit. Juror Gary Bergel selected 31 works out of more than 60 submitted. Gary writes:
Viewing more than 60 works submitted by Eastern West Virginia artists was a delightful and rewarding summer experience. I gained a deeper appreciation for the wide spectrum of innovative visual art being produced in this region. As a multidisciplinary “teaching artist” I have a “broad eye.” I let it come into play. After an initial viewing of the work submitted, I rejoiced. I saw that it would be possible to not only curate an exhibit of strong works, but also to include a broad selection of quality work – to be more inclusive than exclusive – of artists, media, imagery, styles, approaches and expressions.
I then spent some hours with the submitted works – comparing between multiple entries, enlarging and studying detail and technique. I am thankful that the quality of most of the digital images permitted such scrutiny – and enjoyment.
After considering the strength of each piece in terms of originality, impact and appeal, proficiency with the medium, and technical skill, I selected 26 two dimensional and five three dimensional works, each of which I believe has merit to “stand on its own.” Gallery space parameters prevented the inclusion of more than one work by a number of artists.
This Eastern West Virginia 2018 exhibition exhibits “you!” It ranges from folk and detailed representational work, to surreal fantasy and social comment, a bit of portraiture, bold pure abstraction, and delightful mixed media assemblage. Painting and graphic media include oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, woodblock printing, and digital electronic. Non-utilitarian wood and clay sculpture is represented. Photography spans both black and white and color.
I look forward to meeting you at the Reception and Awards Presentation on Sunday, September 9 from 2:00 – 4:00 PM. Hopefully you will be able to attend, mingle with your gifted peers, and return to your studio encouraged and inspired to “create more.” Thank you for investing your time, talent and resources to demonstrate that the Arts are alive and flourishing in the Eastern Panhandle.
Gary Bergel
The exhibit will be on display September 5 – October 6 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. Gallery hours are Wed-Fri, 11-5, Sat 11-4.
There will be a reception and awards presentation on Sunday, September 9 from 2-4pm at the Berkeley Art Works.
The full list of accepted work is after the break.
