Month: November 2013

Holiday Art & Craft Market Open Early Today

berkeleyartswv Berkeley Arts Council News

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The Berkeley Arts Council’s fourth annual Holiday Art and Craft Market will open early at 10AM for Black Friday at it’s new location at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. The hours of the Market are Thursday 12-5, Friday, 12-8, Saturday 12-5, and Sunday 12-3.

Including the regular members of the “Artists at The Works” co-op group, the Holiday Market has expanded to 28 local and regional artists and artisans, who offer a wide range of artwork and creative gift items.

The Holiday Art and Craft Market was started four years ago to provide local artists and artisans a venue to show and sell their work. Although a portion of the sales proceeds will go to support the Arts Council and the Art Works gallery, the majority of the sales proceeds will be cycled back into the local economy through the artists whose work is sold.

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The Berkeley Art Works, a project of the Berkeley Arts Council, is the realization of the long-held dream of the arts community in Martinsburg and Berkeley County West Virginia: to have a community-based arts facility that supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences for the members of the public, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists, and artisans.

West Virginia Juried Exhibit Opening

berkeleyartswv Berkeley Arts Council News

The 2013  West Virginia Biennial Juried Exhibit opened on Sunday, November 24 at the Dunn Building in Martinsburg. The atrium area on the main level was filled with art and those who appreciate art, including members of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, who were in Martinsburg to celebrate the opening of the exhibit in the Eastern Panhandle for the first time. In fact, this was the first time the exhibit had been held anywhere east of Charleston.

The exhibit opening was the culmination of a special weekend of arts activities in that started with Martinsburg’s special art walk organized by the Berkeley Arts Council. More information about the exhibit is available on the WVDCH web site here and here. The exhibit is on display at the Dunn Building, 400 West Stephen Street in Martinsburg through February 12, 2014.

Berkeley County Council Member Elaine Mauk read the Council's resolution celebrating the arts and the exhiibit.
Berkeley County Council Member Elaine Mauck read the Council’s resolution celebrating the arts and the exhibit.
Jefferson County Delegate speaks to the reception attendees about supporting the arts.
Jefferson County Delegate speaks to the reception attendees about supporting the arts.
The reception was very well attended.
The reception was very well attended and everyone enjoyed viewing the variety of artwork on display.

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Downtown Art Walk, Statewide Art Exhibition Offer Arts Discoveries

berkeleyartswv Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News

The West Virginia Commission on the Arts has announced it will open its 18th Juried Exhibition at the Dunn Building on November 24. (See related story.) The Commission members are also coming to town for their annual meeting, creating an opportunity for local artists and businesses to rise to the occasion by creating a first-ever Art Walk in downtown Martinsburg.

An Art Walk is a freestyle community event when various arts activities welcome visitors along a walkable area, often in a business district.

The public is also invited to “Discover the ARTS in MARTinsburg.” The Art Walk will take place over two days, beginning November 22 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and continuing on Saturday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Events and exhibits will take place along King and Queen Streets in downtown.

“This is a great opportunity to show the eastern Panhandle community some of the creative talent we have in Berkeley County,” reports Malinda Shaver, president of the Berkeley Arts Council and coordinator of the Art Walk.

Times and locations for all events will be available on the map of the Art Walk which is available at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen, the CVB’s Visitor’s Center, and most tour locations beginningNovember 15. The map is also online at berkeleyartswv.org/artwalk.

As part of the Art Walk, special events are scheduled for Friday with music, art receptions and children’s happenings. Wonderment Puppets, the Be Hive and the Apollo Civic Theatre welcome young folks and families; the Berkeley Community Chorus will preview its December concert at the Arts Centre. The Exhibitions Gallery will hold a “meet the artists” reception.

Exhibits will also be open at the Arts Centre, the Redbrick Gallery, and more artwork will be displayed in store windows along Queen Street.

Holiday shopping will be underway along Queen Street, with favorites Flowers Unlimited, DeFluri’s, West Virginia Glass and Queen Street Gallery all open. The Berkeley Art Works is opening its Holiday Art and Craft Market for the fourth year, with many local artists participating

For more information email berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or call 304-620-7277

The Berkeley Arts Council is a 501(c)(3) non‐profit organization 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.