Trails and Trees Studio Tour at Berkeley Art Works

October 20, 2020November 18, 2020 Rsmith Artists, Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News

The Berkeley Art Works is hosting the Trails and Trees Studio Tour this year. The group of artists made the decision to cancel the usual, self-guided event for the health and safety of visitors, volunteers and artists.

“I offered the idea of a ‘pop-up’ venue at the Art Works to the group. It’s a win-win for everyone. The Berkeley Arts Council gets to fill their exhibit space with great work and exercise their tag line, ‘We Amplify the Arts’, and Trails and Trees gets a venue for their fall show,” said Anna Howard, who is a Trails and Trees Studio Tour member and the president of the Berkeley Arts Council. “This year marks the 10th anniversary of Trails and Trees. Members of the group have built the Tour into an important annual event. Last year’s tour was a great success so we didn’t want to lose momentum,” said Howard.

Artists working in clay, glass, wood, fibers and other media are included in the exhibit. There is functional pottery, blown and stained glass work, furniture, baskets, clocks, jewelry, quilts – even honey – all useful and handmade locally. Being at the Art Works gives visitors a full month to appreciate the artists’ work, and do some early shopping for the fall and fast-approaching holiday season.

Visit the Berkeley Art Works at 116 N. Queen Street, Martinsburg and spend time with the art of Berkeley County. The “Studio Tour at the Berkeley Art Works” is open until November 14; gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11:00am to 4:00pm. For more information contact berkeleyartswv@gmail.com, or call 304-620-7277. The Trails and Trees Studio Tour is planning to be back as usual November 6 & 7, 2021.

The Berkeley Arts Council is 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 Art Works, a project of the Berkeley Arts Council, supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.

Berkeley Arts Council November Art Classes Via Zoom

October 8, 2020October 20, 2020 Rsmith Berkeley Arts Council News

The Berkeley Arts Council is offering two virtual art classes in October and November via the Google Zoom application. Instructor Judith Becker will present “Creative Techniques for Painting Landscapes” on Mondays, November 16, 23, 30; and December 7 from 6:00-8:00pm. In this 4-week class, students will discover interesting, even unusual, ways to reinterpret a landscape photo. Using the same reference photo for all four class sessions, participants will select exciting color schemes, redesign the composition through cropping and highlighting, eliminate uninteresting elements, change the focal point, and explore how to abstract the original reference photo.

Pre-registration is required. For more information, a list of materials, class prices, and to register, visit https://berkeleyartswv.org/instruction/#zoom. Due to the pandemic, the Council has suspended in-person classes. Keep your eye on the Berkeley Arts Council Web site http://www.berkeleyartswv.org for updates and more Zoom classes as they become available. Please direct questions via e-mail to berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or call 304-620-7277.

The Berkeley Arts Council is 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 supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.

Berkeley Arts Council “Mask-a-palooza” Contest Winners

October 7, 2020 Rsmith Berkeley Arts Council News

The Berkeley Arts Council announces the winners of their “Mask-a-palooza” covid-19 face mask competition. The competition was open to the community, with the requirements to “make them fun, glamorous, intriguing, surprising…but the end result must be a functional, wearable mask”. Several original designs using hand-made or purchased masks were submitted. The winners are:

$100 First Place: “I Can’t Live Without You” by Suzanne Ravgialla
$50 Second Place: “Stayin’ Alive Spectacular”, by Carolyn Moore
$25 Third Place: “Simply Marvelous”, Judy Ficklin
$10 Honorable mentions: Jean McClure and Yari Piedra

The masks are on display in the front window of the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg through November 13.

Berkeley Arts Council President Anna Howard said, “The covid-19 pandemic is a deadly serious subject that has ravaged our health and our souls. Communities must take strong actions to contain the spread of the virus. In an effort to promote the role that masks play in containment, the Berkeley Arts Council decided to hold this contest. Combining social responsibility and art, the Council hoped to add creativity and humor to help us through these uncertain times. We congratulate the participants and we want to thank one of our Berkeley Arts Council members for contributing the prize money for this contest.”

The Berkeley Arts Council is 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 supports local and regional artists, brings quality arts experiences to the community, and provides a wide range of arts learning experiences for local residents, artists and artisans.