Arts Events

Trails and Trees Studio Tour at Berkeley Art Works

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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.

[UPDATE: Awards Announced] Eastern West Virginia Exhibit

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Best_In_Show_FlyEyes_LauraRobertson
Merit_Award_SunflowersInBlueVase_HeatherHendry
Honorable_Mention_WarHeronIII_TraceyDonnelyFranklin
Honorable_Mention_Untitled_CarinaElhordoy
Honorable_Mention_JeMarcheDansLeFleurs_TomNebel
Honorable_Mention_OutOfMyElement_OmarWilliams

(Click on any image to see a larger version.)

The Berkeley Arts Council announced the award winners for their 8th Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit on display at the Berkeley Art Works. A virtual “reception” was held to recognize the participants and award winners. Congratulations to Laura Robertson from Kearneysville for her fabric piece, “Fly Eyes”, which was selected for Best of Show. Heather Hendry from Bunker Hill received the Merit Award for her pastel drawing “Sunflowers in Blue Vase”. Honorable mentions were given to Carina Elhordory, Martinsburg, for her acrylic painting “Untitled”; Tracey Donnelly Franklin, Shepherdstown, for her assemblage “War Heron III”; Omar Williams, Kearneysville, for his digital photograph “Out of My Element”; and Tom Nebel, Shepherdstown, for his oil painting “Je Marche Dans Les Fleurs.”

This year, 58 works were submitted primarily from Berkeley, Jefferson and Morgan counties, from which the juror Mr. Evan Boggess of Shepherd University selected 24 works in drawing, painting, photography, fibers, mixed media, assemblage and sculpture. He commented that there were a lot of excellent, technically proficient works from which to select, representing very interesting subject matter. His aim was to select works that demonstrated longevity and that kept the viewer thinking about them long after seeing them. The Berkeley Arts Council thanks Mr. Boggess and all the artists who submitted work for consideration in this show. This annual juried exhibit is open to artists who reside in one of the eight counties that comprise the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia: Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant, Mineral, and Pendleton.

The exhibit is on display until October 10, 2020 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg, WV and is open Thursdays through Saturdays, 11:00am to 3:00pm. For more information about the Berkeley Arts Council and the Berkeley Art Works, visit us on the Web at https://berkeleyartswv.org and our Facebook page.

Juror’s Statement

As a juror and fellow artist, I am always trying to articulate the unique, intangible, and persistent qualities of elevated works of art.  What is it about a particular painting, sculpture, photograph, video, print, or installation that remains in our thoughts seconds, minutes, days, months, years after seeing it?  Artwork that exhibits elevated technical skills, subject matter, and formal command are certainly deserving of recognition, but these individual aspects on their own are relatively easy to rank.  Instead, I am drawn to pieces that manage to combine these aspects in surprising ways to create new, lasting visual experiences.   –  Evan Boggess

Congratulations to all of the accepted artists. Email notifications and instructions for delivery of artwork will be sent within shortly.

(Click here to see the full list of accepted artists:

Continue reading →

Submissions Extended: Berkeley Arts Council’s “Mask-a-Palooza”

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Call for Artists!

Decorate wearable coronavirus MASKS
with your original ideas
(purchased or homemade)

Help protect against Coronavirus transmission

Prizes Awarded:
$100 – I Can’t Live Without You
$ 50 – Stayin’ Alive Spectacular
$ 25 – Simply Marvelous

The Berkeley Arts Council is holding a “Mask-a-Palooza” decorated Coronavirus face mask contest and exhibit, September 12 through November 13, at the Berkeley Art Works gallery, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg.

The Berkeley Arts Council is looking for original designs using hand-made or purchased masks.  Make them fun, glamorous, intriguing, surprising … but the end result must be a functional, wearable mask.  We’re trying to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus, after all.

Cash prizes will be awarded for the top 3 designs!

The contest is open to the community and there is no entry fee.  The masks will be on display in the front window of the Berkeley Art Works gallery.

Submission Extended Deadline: September 15, 2020
(No Entry Fee!)

It’s easy to submit! Just click on the link below and enter the information.

Entry Form

(Or you may pick up an entry form at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg. Currently open Thursdays, Fridays & Satiurdays, 11-3.)

Then, bring decorated masks to the Berkeley Art Works after the submissions close (date will be announced.) You may offer your mask(s) for sale – or not. A 30% commission on the retail selling price established by the artist shall be retained by BAC.

Each mask must have a tag securely attached with youir name, an ID number, and price (if for sale.)

After the exhibit, masks should be picked up a the Berkeley Art Works November 13-14, 2020.

Berkeley Arts Council Summer Members Exhibit

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The Berkeley Arts Council’s first summer Members’ Exhibit opens Friday, July 10 and runs through Saturday, August 29, 2020 at the Berkeley Art Works gallery, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg.

The show features 42 works by 27 member artists, and includes 2- and 3-dimensional work in painting, photography, glass, ceramics, jewelry, fibers, mixed media and assemblage.  The Council is pleased with the variety of media represented, which demonstrates the high quality and sophistication of artwork being produced in our area!  The Council is also grateful for our members’ support so we could put the show together within a shorter-than-usual timeframe.

The exhibit is open during the Berkeley Art Works business hours, which are currently Friday and Saturday from 11am to 3pm.  Keep an eye on the Berkeley Arts Council Web site, http://www.berkeleyartswv.org and our Facebook page for more information.

The Berkeley Art Works Reopens in June!

Admin2 Artist Opportunities, Artists, Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News

We are pleased to announce that we are re-opening the Berkeley Art Works gallery to the public for limited hours starting Saturday, June 6.  The gallery will be open on Saturdays from 11am-3pm.

For the safety of our volunteers who sit the gallery, and our visitors, sanitization procedures are in place and the gallery has been arranged for safety and proper social distancing.  The number of guests in the gallery at one time will be limited and we will require our staff and visitors to wear masks.  We are monitoring Berkeley County Coronavirus information daily to determine whether we can continue to expand our hours and offerings in the coming months.

The gallery will be open for retail sales and visitors will be able to view the current exhibition, the 10th Annual Juried Art and Earth Exhibit, which will be on display until July 4.  The exhibit went “virtual” on the Web site, https://berkeleyartswv.org, in April.

While we have had to cancel exhibits scheduled for the summer months, we are announcing a special summer members’ exhibit for July, which will be followed by our Eighth Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit in September.

Our regular classes have been cancelled for the immediate future; however, we are preparing virtual and limited attendance/social distancing solutions to continue to offer educational programs to the community.

Remember to watch your email or visit the Berkeley Arts Council’s web site and Facebook page for information on our activities and programming; questions can be directed to the Berkeley Arts Council e-mail address, berkeleyartswv@gmail.com.

 

DEADLINE EXTEDED Eighth Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit

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Extended Deadline August 17, 2020

The Berkeley Arts Council in Martinsburg, West Virginia announces the Eighth Annual Eastern West Virginia Juried Exhibit, to be displayed in the Berkeley Art Works Gallery, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg, WV. The exhibition will be on display Saturday September 5 – October 10, 2020.

Eligibility

The exhibit is open to artists in all media who reside in one of the eight counties that compose what is known as the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Those counties are Berkeley, Jefferson, Morgan, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant, Mineral, and Pendleton. Continue reading →

Art and Earth Exhibit Goes Online

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Tenth Annual Art and Earth Juried Exhibit
Online Gallery

Perhaps there is a lesson in the developing world-wide catastrophe known as COVID-19 that could be summed up with the old joke, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.” For ten years the Berkeley Arts Council has sponsored the Art and Earth juried art exhibit, seeking work from artists who express how they view the natural world and the environment with the goal of expanding the awareness about these things.

Due to the emergency, we will not be able to open the gallery at this time showing of the Art and Earth artwork. We remain hopeful that this is temporary but in the meantime, we wanted to share the great artwork that was selected by Juror Janis Goodman.

Accepted Artists: Art and Earth Exhibit

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The juror’s selections are in for the Tenth Annual Art and Earth Juried Exhibit and we are very pleased to announce the accepted artists. The juror, Janis Goodman, selected 42 works by 39 artists out of 194 works submitted by 78 artists from 19 states. The full list of accepted artists and works is below. The exhibit will be on display from April 1 – May 16, 2020.

Juror’s Statement:

I was so pleased to find so many of the submissions visually interesting and compelling. As a juror, I look for three things and how they balance each other: content, imagery and technique. I additionally use this criteria for critiquing my students work at the Corcoran College of Art. In many cases the narrative or description was very interesting but I felt the work did not hold up craft wise. In other instances, the technique was strong but the imagery was not convincing. All of the works submitted contained strong reasons for inclusion, unfortunately space limitation is a factor.
Each one of the artists chosen possesses a notable affinity with the subject of Art and the Earth or My art-My World. It is no small thing to tackle such a huge topic with integrity, innovation and skill.  The environment is a precious thing which we as artists must honor and protect.

I believe the artists selected represent an interesting range of mediums, views and images. I think the works will communicate with one another and reinforce this idea of the artist as steward of the planet and valuable citizen.  – Janis Goodman

Congratulations to all of the accepted artists. All are invited to the opening reception and awards presentation on Sunday, April 5  from 2-4pm at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg, WV.

(For accepted artists: After the break (below) is important information regarding the shipping/delivery of the work.)           

Accepted work:

Carolyn Albracht The World In Which We Live
Alba Baez Florida
Alex Barbour Palm Oil
Honorable Mention
Judith Becker Wild Fancy
Leah Bennett Until The Mighty River Breaks Us Apart
Ann Darling Rhythms
Deborah Digel Bison
Tracey Donnelly Franklin War Heron III
Phil Dunn Abandoned
Naomi Dwyer Cell Side Table Barrage Balloon
Justine Godown Poppies
Nancy Hausrath Bubbles
David Heatwole Box of Realities
Deborah Herndon Reverie
Laurie Hoen Weather the Storm
Juliet Hossain Self Portrait of the Sentient Earth
Mahera Khaleque Enormous
Jessie Knirsch Microbial Mat
Jessica LeMere Maya’s Gift
Corinne McAuley Fall Fire
Honorable Mention
Jeanne McClure Jewels of the Garden
Bonnie McDermott Dad’s Place
Jane Michael Wasatch Folds
Dan Morro Hommage
Dan Morro Confined Gloaming
Best in Show
Erin Murray Beyond Our Facade
Sally Myers Wren Leaving the Forest Floor
Alice A Newton The Turtle Doctors at Work
Jim Pearson Anonymous Bone Noise: Harbor
David Pittenger Soon To Seed
Ping Shen Lily Magnolia Blossom (2)
Honorable Mention
Karen Smith Floral Waters 1
B. Berne Smith There!
Rachel Crockett Smith All That’s to Come
Merit Award
Rachel Crockett Smith Eyes Wide Open
Derek Walter Pliocene XXIX
Carol Williams Deporting the Doves of Peace
Honorable Mention
Omar Williams Avon House
Patricia Wilt The Sheep Shearer
Mark Zapico Territory
Jane Zich In The River
Honorable Mention
Jane Zich The Great Melt

UPDATED Information for Accepted Artists: Continue reading →

Tattoo and Beyond Highlights the Art of Local Tattoo Artists

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“Heart and Eye” by Kim Taylor

Opening February 5, the Berkeley Arts Council will showcase the designs and artwork of more than 10 local tattoo artists with shops in historic downtown Martinsburg.  The exhibit called “Tattoo and Beyond”, will feature tattoo designs as well as work in other media by several local artists.  Tattoo art has enjoyed increased popularity over the past several years.

Arms – JJ Hayden, Cherry Bomb Tattoo
Brandon Murphy at work.
“Dog with Ball” by Kim Taylor
“Trifecta Arm” – Boomtown Tattoo

The exhibit will include artwork by owners and artists from these seven parlors:

  • Ambition and Ink
  • Black Pearl Tattoo Studio
  • Boomtown Tattoo
  • Burke Street Tattoo and Gallery
  • Cherry Bomb Tattoo & Body Piercing
  • Drawin’ Attention tattoos
  • True Love Tattoo

The idea for the exhibit came about with the help of the Martinsburg city Department of Economic Development as a way to feature the talent of these local artists and business people.

The show will run from February 5 through 29, 2020, at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street, Martinsburg.  Show off your “Ink” at the opening reception on Sunday, February 9 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.  Also in conjunction with the show, join us at the Art Works on Friday, February 21 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm to hear participating artists discuss their work.

The Berkeley Art Works is open every Wednesday through Friday, 11am – 5pm, and Saturdays 11am – 4pm.

New BAC Open Critique Program

Admin2 Artist Opportunities, Artists, Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News, Classes, Workshops

We are excited to announce a new series of open art critique sessions, starting Friday, January 17th at 6:30 to 8:30pm at the Berkeley Art Works. The group will use the historic Edmund Burke Feldman approach to art appreciation. The first session will open with an introduction to the Feldman Method by Dr. Doug Kinnett, painter, member of the Artists at the Works co-op, and former coordinator of Shepherd University’s Art Education Program.  He will guide the group through a critique of Pablo Picasso’s historic painting, Guernica, which was completed in 1937.

“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso

Open critiques will be held the 3rd Friday evening of every month, from 6:30 to 8:30pm.  Visual artists and creatives working in any medium are invited to bring a work in progress to gain critique, encouragement and positive feedback from a team of Berkeley Arts Council’s Artists at the Works co-op members and regional artists. The critique series is free and open to all, so mark your calendars and come to the Art Works!

“Capturing the Light” Watercolor Workshop by Lynn Ferris, AWS, NWS

Admin2 Artist Opportunities, Artists, Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News, Classes, Workshops

May 2 and 3, 2020

Berkeley Arts Council, Martinsburg, WV is pleased to offer an exciting and unique watercolor workshop by Lynn Ferris, AWS, NWS, nationally and international known artist and instructor.  Ms. Ferris’ workshop, titled “Capturing the Light” will show students how to use light and shadow to design stronger compositions and bring drama to a variety of subject matters.  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.

“Colorful Porch” 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 totake 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 avariety 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. Continue reading →

Call For Artists: “Watercolor Expressions”

Admin2 Artist Opportunities, Arts Events, Berkeley Art Works, Berkeley Arts Council News

POSTPONED

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency, we are cancelling the “Watercolor Expressions” exhibit and will reschedule the exhibit when things have settled down. We appreciate those who have applied to date and we will be processing entry fee refunds.

Berkeley Arts Council, Martinsburg, WV is pleased to announce a call for artists for its Juried Watercolor Exhibit, ‘Watercolor Expressions” to open May 20, 2020 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 North Queen Street in Martinsburg.  The exhibit is open to all artists using watercolor as a critical component of their work and includes portraits, figures, landscapes, still lifes, animals, abstracts and floral themes. The exhibit will open May 20, 2020 at the Berkeley Art Works, 116 N Queen Street in Martinsburg and will be on display until July 4, 2020. There will be a reception and awards presentation at the gallery on Sunday, May 31 from 2 – 4 pm.

Exhibit is open to all watercolor artists throughout the continental United States over the age of 18.  Entries must be original works of art that have been completed within the last three (3) years, and have been not previously exhibited in the Berkeley Art Works.

Juror: Nationally and internationally known artist and workshop instructor, Lynn Ferris, AWS, NWS, will be the juror of this Exhibit.  Ms. Ferris is a signature member of the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and Florida Watercolor Society.  Her work was the subject of a feature article in “Watercolor” magazine, can be seen in  “Watercolor Magic” and the prestigious “Splash” series of books published by North Light.  Her numerous awards include “Best in Show” in both the Florida Watercolor Society and Tallahassee Watercolor Society annual exhibits.  She has been an award winner in “The Artist’s Magazine” All-Media Competition, and her work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach.  Lynn teaches to sold out workshops both nationally and abroad.

Also open for registration:

“Capturing the Light”

POSTPONED

Lynn’s signature workshop “Capturing the Light,”
that shows students how to use light and shadow
to design stronger compositions and bring drama
to a variety of subject matter.
Click Here for Details

Entry fee:  The entry fee for the exhibit is $35 for the first two works.  Artists may submit one or two additional works for $10 each for a maximum of four works.

Continue reading →