The Berkeley Arts Council announced today that it will open “Berkeley Art Works”, a new gallery, activity center and arts education facility in downtown Martinsburg, West Virginia. Located at 116 North Queen Street, the refreshed space will support a variety of art exhibits, an artist cooperative, small special events and a range of arts-related instruction. Doors will open in early July with activities that will ramp up to a grand opening celebration August 14 – 17.

A growing calendar of events is on the Berkeley Art Works website at berkeleyartswv.org/artworks/.

“For a long time local artists have hoped to have a place where residents and visitors can experience the wide range of talent represented by their work,” said Malinda Shaver, president of the Berkeley Arts Council board of directors. “We are planning to include not only painters, photographers, and sculptors, for example–but also small musical, dance, and theater-related activities to create a hub of artistic activity. We will continue to create events that happen throughout Berkeley County, and in the schools, like our Tom Lynch Watercolor workshop scheduled for August 12-15 and our Arts in Education program.”

The first activity opening at “the Works” will feature artists and artisans presenting their work in a co-op style gallery where visitors may purchase from a selection of local creations. Artists and artisans who wish to participate should email berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or call 304-596-0873.

Several art exhibits are “in The Works” featuring local and regional artists in July and August and the Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit in September. October brings an exhibit of Eastern Panhandle photographers, and the fourth annual Holiday Art and Craft Market is slated for November and December.

Beginning in mid-July, classes and workshops will offer the opportunity to learn such techniques as watercolor, pottery, jewelry techniques, mixed media, and introduction to art for children. A summer program is planned to begin in mid-July. To register, visit berkeleyartswv.org/artworks/instruction/. or call 304-262-1611.

Berkeley Art Works is a service of The Berkeley Arts Council, a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization incorporated in West Virginia working to ensure that Berkeley County has a vibrant, vital arts environment by promoting awareness, understanding and appreciation of the literary, visual and performing arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The Berkeley Arts Council is on the Web at www.berkeleyartswv.org.