The Morgan Arts Council and Morgan County Schools celebrate National Youth Art Month with their annual exhibit of artwork created by local youth, showing at the Ice House in Berkeley Springs. Hiroko Rubin is the curator.
Rubin commented, “It is time once again to showcase the artistic talents of students in Morgan County. I feel so honored to be able to curate the Youth Art Show every year. Let’s celebrate the beautiful art created by our children. I hope they are all as proud of themselves as much as I am proud of them!”
Two floors of the Ice House will be over- flowing with the creations of local student artists. Every public school in Morgan County will contribute work to the show, as well as homeschool groups.
New this year, the Berkeley Springs High School Research Club will exhibit a PhotoVoice gallery exhibition. PhotoVoice is an arts-based qualitative research method that uses photography and narratives to initiate social change. This exhibition is part of a Youth Participatory Action Research project hosted in collaboration with the Morgan County Partnership and Frostburg State University.
Also, the newly formed National Art Honors Society chapter at Berkeley Springs High School will be hosting a silent auction, with proceeds contributing to a visual arts scholarship fund.
MAC will host a reception for the show and youth art performance on Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. The performance, free to the public, will include local youth showcasing their talents in instrumental music, vocal arts performance, comedy, drama and dance. Refreshments will be provided.
The Youth Art Show may be seen every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., from March 1 through March 31.
Grant support for these programs comes partly from individual donors, the National Endowment for the Arts, the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, local hotel/motel taxes, Eastern WV Community Foundation, and the Tom & Virginia Seely Foundation.
The Ice House is at the corner of Independence and Mercer Streets in downtown Berkeley Springs, WV. For more information on this and other MAC activities, call 304-258- 2300 or go towww.macicehouse.org.
