Bringing color to vacant buildings in downtown Martinsburg is the goal of “Gallery on Main”, a collaboration between the Berkeley Arts Council and Main Street Martinsburg. The program showcases creations by eight local artists. Original paintings, photographs, sculpture, and jewelry are displayed in the windows of vacant locations in the 100- and 200- blocks of North Queen Street. “By introducing a wide range of high quality public art into the community, we can enhance the civic environment and enrich the lives of residents and visitors.” said Main Street Martinsburg Executive Director Randy Lewis.

The artists are members of the Berkeley Arts Council and include painters Anthony Jones, Judith Becker and Sue Parker, mixed media artist Gary Bergel, photographers Mary-Joe Bennett and Rip Smith, wood sculptor Joe Bourgeois, and jewelry designer Sandy Nichols. Sales of the artwork is facilitated by the Berkeley Art Works, the gallery of the Berkeley Arts Council. The artwork will be on display through the second week of May.

The 2017 Dance Works Festival is in the books after a mad scramble to adjust after an unexpected disruption of its primary venue at Musselman High School. Through the efforts of Arts Council president Malinda Shaver and the members of the committee of dance advisors, the event was completed successfully by combining four different venues in Hagerstown and capping it off with the Gala Performance at Musselman.

Thanks to the folks at Barbara Ingram School for the Arts to helped make arrangements at the City Ballet School, the Grand Ballroom, and the Masonic Temple, the dance students from Berkeley and Jefferson County, West Virginia and students from the Barbara Ingram school in Hagerstown, experienced workshops from eight master level instructors in ballet, tap, modern, jazz, hiphop, musical theatre, and acting disciplines.

The Festival was sponsored by the Berkeley Arts Council in association with the Inwood Performing Arts Company, Dance Dimensions of Hedgesville, Rhythm n Motion, and WHS Synergy Dance Ensemble at Washington High School in Jefferson County, WV.