December | 2020 | Berkeley Arts Council

Call for Artists: Berkeley Arts Council Annual Members’ Exhibit

All artists who are members of – or who join – the Berkeley Arts Council for the 2021 calendar year are invited to participate in the Annual Members Exhibit at the Berkeley Art Works from January 14 through February 13, 2021.

Any current member (for 2021), working in any medium, may participate in the exhibit. Not a member, but want to be? Now is your chance! Artists who are not current members may join or renew online, at berkeleyartswv.org/join-us/. You can also join at the gallery when you deliver your artwork. There is no entry fee other than membership dues.

Participation in the exhibit is a benefit of membership. To participate, deliver one or two pieces of your work to the Berkeley Art Works on Thursday and Friday, and Saturday, January 7 – 9 from 11am-4pm.

The exhibit is not juried; however, work must be properly framed or otherwise professionally presented and ready for display. Two-dimensional work must be wired for hanging (no saw tooth hangers, please). Three-dimensional fine art and fine craft are welcome and encouraged and must be professionally presented. An identification tag must be attached to each piece, including the artist’s name, title of the work and price if it is for sale. The Berkeley Arts Council will retain a 30% commission on sales of work during the exhibit.

The exhibit will be open during Berkeley Art Works business hours, which are currently Thursday and Friday 11am to 5pm, and Saturday from 11am to 4pm. The exhibit will be promoted to the local press, as well as on our Web site and Facebook page. Due to covid-19 restrictions, there will be no opening reception. Please direct questions via e-mail to berkeleyartswv@gmail.com or call 304-620-7277.

Beginning in 2012, Giving Tuesday has turned the first Tuesday in December into a day that encourages global generosity.

This is the first year that we at the Berkeley Arts Council have participated in Giving Tuesday. I downloaded the “toolkit” and was overwhelmed with the planning and preparation. Where to begin? The toolkit was filled with a host of activity suggestions to bring people to the organization. After a lot of mulling I realized that the true intent of the day was to provide an opportunity to “share the load”. The day was not meant to bring extra burdens for organizations. So, for this year at least, it was time to simply put a foot out there and begin.

As a recipient of our monthly bulletin you have followed us as we have worked over the past 10 years to support increased frequency, quality and variety of arts-related events, facilitate activities that extend arts throughout the community, and to build communication and interaction among arts organizations.

Let’s face it, most of us do not like asking for help. So as we start small with this our first foray into Giving Tuesday, we realize that to expand our programs we need to open up and ask for your help. Membership dues, fees from classes, and revenue from exhibits are not going to expand our budget to meet to our growing ideas for new art events in the community.

Making a monetary donation is easy to do. Look down the right side for the large orange and blue “Donate” button Click and follow the steps through the PayPal system.

Thank you for taking the time to read this appeal. If you decide to participate in “Giving Tuesday”, thank you for helping support the arts in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

All the best,

Anna Howard

President – Berkeley Arts Council