Holiday hours are Wednesdays and Thursdays 11:00am to 5:00pm; Fridays 11:00am to 8:00pm; Saturdays 11:00am to 4:00pm and Sundays 12pm – 3pm.
The Berkeley Arts Council’s St. Nick’s Market is open for business!The gallery at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 N. Queen Street, Martinsburg, is transformed into a festive holiday market displaying the work of local and regional artists and artisans as well as their year ‘round co-op artists.
There’s a variety of items for great selection and fun shopping: a mix of fine art and craft items for the home, including ceramics, glass, wood, photography, painting and mixed media; holiday cards, and clocks – all thoughtfully made! Check your lists and be sure to visit St. Nick’s Market at the Berkeley Art Works this year!
Check in to our Facebook page and watch for new posts of product pictures.
We held our first "Evening with The Arts" on Saturday, November 12 and it was a wonderful gathering of supporters of The Arts and the Berkeley Arts Council. There was good food and music to create the atmosphere, and the awarding of more than 40 works of art for those who participated in the "Tombola" raffle/auction.
Many thanks to the artists, who donated their work, the sponsors, who supported the event, and the Board and members of the Berkeley Arts Council, who put a great effort into making the event successful.
Why your participation in "An Evening With the Arts" is important:
The Berkeley Arts Council has been working in Berkeley County and the Eastern Panhandle area to bring arts-related programming since 2009. During our 13 years, we've held 2 successful Arts Expos. We helped the Berkeley Community Chorus get its start. We created a student dance competition. We've built a local artists' cooperative. We've published a Bulletin of arts happenings every month without missing a month - even during the worst of Covid. We create exhibition opportunities for visual artists and changing exhibits for the public to enjoy 9 times per year. We've built up an instruction program of foundational art classes and workshops for all ages. We work in the community with other creative and arts establishments to bring people downtown for First Friday Art Walks. These are just a few examples of what we've accomplished.
We want to continue this important work and do more for the community! Whether you purchase tickets for the event, or you want to be a business sponsor, proceeds will benefit our future programming. We are recognized as a 501(c)3 nonprofit by the IRS. We appreciate your support!
The Berkeley Arts Council announces the award winners for their 10th Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit. Congratulations to the following artists:
Best of Show: “Montani Semper Liberi” cottonwood carving by John Carper, Martinsburg WV
Merit Award: “Repose” oil on canvas by BJ Grandel, Martinsburg WV
Merit Award: “Flying Jellyfish” fiber and mixed media by Carol Williams, Shepherdstown, WV
Honorable Mention: “Death of a Salesman with Sitka Spruce and Iron” assemblage by John Walsh, Shepherdstown, WV
Honorable Mention: “Untitled” photograph by Leslie Williams, Shepherdstown, WV
The awards for this year’s 10th Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit were sponsored by a generous donation from City National Bank. The exhibit is on display until October 8 at the Berkeley Art Works.
The Berkeley Arts Council announces the opening of the 10th Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit, on display at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV until October 8, 2022.
The exhibit highlights the work of artists living in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and includes paintings, drawings, photography, and sculpture. A wide range of media are represented in the exhibit including watercolor and gouache, oil, and acrylic painting, pastel drawing, wood carving, basketry, fiber arts, collage, mixed media, and assemblage.
This year’s juror was Jenna Gianni (MFA), a ceramic artist and educator based in Maryland. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in ceramics at Hood College in Frederick, MD. Ms. Gianni selected 33 works by 21 artists from Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan and Mineral counties.
About her selections, she states: “There’s a quote by John Dewey that states, “ [art] is the authentic expression of any and all individuality…individuality in whatever form it appears.” As a juror, editing an array of talented individual expressions is a difficult task! Works in a mix of mediums and communicating a host of subject matters fueled by imagination and a clear commitment to individuality of expression were finally chosen among this year’s submissions.
Selected pieces balance an understanding of technique with the freedom to move beyond it, creating a fresh work that communicates a new perspective, generating content for the viewer to interact with, think with, and question. These works, whether depicting domestic moments and unique natural scenes, or capturing abstract concepts through a mix of medias, ultimately best exemplified the individuality, breadth, and diversity of the artists of the region. It was a pleasure to take part in this selection process, and hopefully, in the selected works viewers will find pieces to relate to, to enjoy, and to learn from!”
The Berkeley Art Works is open every Wednesday through Friday from 11:00am – 5:00pm and every Saturday from 11:00am to 4:00pm.
Juror Jenna Gianni selected 33 works by 22 artists for the 10th annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Art Exhibit, to be held at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. The exhibit opens August 31 and runs through October 8, 2022.
The Berkeley Arts Council (BAC) announces the award winners for the Contemporary Printmaking juried exhibit, an exhibit of works in various printmaking techniques. The purpose of the exhibit is to introduce the community to the versatile medium of printmaking.
The exhibit is on display from June 29 to August 6, 2022 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV. The gallery is open every Wednesday – Friday, 11-5 and Saturday 11-4.
The juror, Matthew McLaughlin, selected five award winners.
The Best of Show went to Brandon Williams from Nashville, Tennessee for his copper plate etching entitled, “From the Ground Up”.
Merit Awards were given to Mitch Eckert from Louisville, Kentucky for his copper plate etching “Still Life with Inedibles”, and Ginny Fielding from Midlothian, Virginia for her lithograph “Upper Crust”.
Honorable Mentions went to “Downstream” a lithograph by Elizabeth Fontenot from Beaumont, Texas and “They’re Near You When You Sleep”, a zinc plate monotype by Mark Goodmanson from Crystal Lake, Illinois.
The juror, Matthew McLaughlin, is a mixed media artist and curator who explores the human relationship with their environments, specifically urban and suburban spaces. He is a Senior Lecturer and teaches printmaking at the University of Maryland. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Fine Arts from Ringling College of Art and Design and his Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking from Arizona State University.
There are 26 works by 19 artists from 15 states in the exhibit. “In making my selections, the versatility and breadth of printmaking and its processes continued to surprise me. For an art form to have such a wide range of capabilities and be able to produce such a variety of imagery astonishes me again and again. The submissions for the exhibition did not disappoint either. With pieces created through so many processes, it was difficult to decide upon the selections for the exhibition. The prints spoke to me in many ways. For some it was through their craft and cleanliness, while for others it was their gestural quality. Whether it be the crisp quality of a relief print or the tonal subtlety of photogravure, the scope of what an artist can accomplish with print continues to expand with each generation. In the exhibition, I choose to emphasize the range of printmaking’s abilities through the pieces. From photographic work to abstract, from small scale to large, the works bring forward the full gamut of the medium in both process and concept.”
On display from June 29 to August 6, 2022
Deadline for Entries: May 22, 2022 at midnight
Open to all visual artists throughout the continental United States, over the age of 18, working in any printmaking technique, representational, abstract, or non-representational subject matter. Works in any of the following printmaking techniques: engraving, etching, lithography, linoleum or woodcut, screen printing. Photomechanical, digital or mixed media processes may be incorporated as long as the primary technique is one of printmaking. Entries must be original works completed within the last three (3) years, and have not been exhibited previously at the Berkeley Art Works.
Juror: Matthew McLaughlin is a mixed media artist and curator who explores the human relationship with their environments, specifically urban and suburban spaces. He is a Senior Lecturer and teaches printmaking at the University of Maryland.
Entry Fee: $35 for the first two works. Artists may submit one or two additional works for $10 each, for a maximum of four works.
Awards: Best in Show, Merit Award and Honorable Mention. Total prize fund up to $1,000.
The Berkeley Arts Council is celebrating the 250th anniversary of Berkeley County, WV with a visual art exhibit entitled, Berkeley County, WV: Future, Present, Past. Congratulations to the following: Best of Show: Sterling “Rip” Smith for his photo “B & O Roundhouse”; Merit Award: Claudia Giannini for her painting “Dalmanites”; Merit Award: Gary Bergel for his photo “Green Hill Historical African American Cemetery, Feb. 2021”; Honorable Mention: Kelli Myers for her series of 3 wire sculptures of apple trees; and Honorable Mention: Tom Nebel for his painting “Harlan Springs”.
Awards were selected by Dr. Doug Kinnett, local artist and former member of the art faculty at Shepherd University, where he coordinated the Art Education program. Doug has been an exhibiting artist/painter and printmaker since the 1970s, with a long list of local, regional and national shows to his credit.
(Click on the images to see larger versions.)
Thirty-five original 2-D and 3-D works by regional artists address “future”, “present” and “past” themes in a variety of media. The exhibit is on display from May 18 to June 25, 2022 at the Berkeley Art Works. The gallery is open every Wednesday – Friday from 11-5 and Saturday from 11-4. The Berkeley Arts Council thanks the Berkeley County 250th Commemoration Steering Committee for their generous support of this exhibit.
The Berkeley Arts Council announces the award winners for their 12th Annual Art & Earth Juried Art Exhibit. This year, 37 works by 32 artists from 11 states are on display in a range of media including watercolor, acrylic, oil and wax painting, pastel drawing, mixed media, photographic processes, clay, wood, metal, cardboard and plastic.
The award winners for the exhibit are:
Best of Show: Nathan Taves, Columbia City, Indiana, for the painting, Plaid Sun.
Merit Award: Paulo Correa-Meyer, Radnor, Pennsylvania, for the painting, Amazon Fires;
Merit Award: Mark Dierker, Dubuque, Iowa, for the photograph, Blue Wave.
Honorable Mention:Ray Snouffer, Hagerstown, Maryland for the watercolor painting Reflections of Calm.
Honorable Mention:Scot Wittman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the photograph, Jump Rock.
The Berkeley Art Works is open every Wednesday – Friday, 11am to 5pm and Saturday 11am to 4pm. The exhibit is on display until May 14.
The juror was Alison Helm, Director of the School of Art and Design at West Virginia University. “It is my tremendous pleasure and honor to be the juror for the Art & Earth exhibit. I found strong work in all of the areas of art making. I found it inspiring to view all of the different interpretations, and re-imagined landscape and our human relationship to it. There were many extremes, from the Amazon fires to reflections on calm water to experience and enjoy. There were many personal messages of hope and exuberance. This show also serves as an educational resource to enrich the community as well as art and design enthusiasts. The theme promotes engagement with the environment. It is very gratifying to see the high quality of work being produced in the region. Congratulations to all of the artists.”
The awards for this year’s 12th Annual Art & Earth Juried Art Exhibit were sponsored in part by a generous donation from City National Bank.
May 15, 2022 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of Berkeley County, West Virginia! The Berkeley Arts Council is commemorating this milestone by presenting an expanded exhibit entitled, Berkeley County, WV: Future, Present, Past. This exhibit is one of the of the official events selected and supported by the Berkeley County Council. The exhibit will be on display May 18 to June 25, 2022 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV.
Located at the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley in the heart of the Eastern Panhandle, Berkeley County is known for its unique history, beautiful scenery, robust industry, and more. Formed in 1772 from neighboring Frederick County, Virginia, Berkeley County once spanned from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Jefferson County to the famed springs at the Town of Bath (Berkeley Springs) in Morgan County. Throughout its history, Berkeley County has been an epicenter of engagement, growth, and community.
The Berkeley Arts Council invites you to celebrate and honor this unique area with your art! We are asking you to use Berkeley County, WV – its vistas, history, cultures and communities – as inspiration for your work. We hope to build a rich perspective of Berkeley County through interpretations by artists in all arts; from all cultures, identities and viewpoints.
The art exhibit is open to all artists throughout the continental United States, over the age of 18, working in any fine art or fine craft medium or technique, in 2- or 3-dimensions. Representational, abstract, or non-representational work in all media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, mixed media, assemblage, sculpture and graphic arts; fine craft media, such as clay, glass, metal, wood, fibers, etc., are welcome. Entries must be the original work of the artist. Artists do not have to be current residents of Berkeley County; however, they must reflect a future vision, or a present or past adventure, event, memory, experience, etc., in Berkeley County, WV.
Berkeley Arts Council, Martinsburg, WV is pleased to offer an exciting and unique watercolor workshop by Lynn Ferris, AWS, NWS, TWSA, nationally and internationally known artist and instructor.
“Shadow Play” by Lynn Ferris
“Capturing the Light”
Bring your work to the next level. Light and shadow shouldn’t be after thoughts in our paintings. In fact, good use of light and shadow is one of the best ways to take a painting from ordinary to extraordinary.
In her signature workshop “Capturing the Light,” Lynn will show students how to use light and shadow to design stronger compositions and bring drama to a variety of subject matter. Students will gain new skills and confidence working with shadows, light sources, creating glow, and more. Lynn provides handouts, reference materials, and lots of personal attention.
Location:
Holiday Inn Martinsburg
301 Foxcroft Ave, Martinsburg, WV 25401
304-267-5500 (Ask for special workshop rate)
Merit Award: “Flying Jellyfish” fiber and mixed media by Carol Williams, Shepherdstown, WV
