Arts

The arts in West Virginia reflect the state’s rich Appalachian heritage, creative spirit, and thriving talent. From vibrant galleries and community theaters to renowned music festivals and artisan craft shops, West Virginia offers an endless array of ways to experience authentic Appalachian art and culture. Visitors can explore local studios, enjoy live performances of bluegrass, folk, and contemporary music, and discover handmade pottery, quilts, and woodwork that celebrate traditional craftsmanship.

In "Self Help, Landry Bender plays a college student who infiltrates a self-actualization group after her mother becomes entangled with its enigmatic anti-cult leader.

Horror film shot in West Virginia, ‘Self Help’ to hit theaters nationwide on Halloween

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A horror-thriller filmed in Huntington in 2024, “Self Help” is set for a nationwide theatrical release on Halloween through Mainframe Pictures. The rollout will include “Mischief Night Sneak Previews” on Thursday, Oct. 30, followed by a digital release from Cineverse in early 2026, according to Dave Lavender, director of the West Virginia … Read more

Fayetteville Creates: Kristin Carroll paints a storefront window in Fayetteville on the edge of the New River Gorge.

Fayetteville Creates turns town into a living arts studio for the New River Gorge

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — This winter, the small mountain town of Fayetteville, perched at the edge of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, will swap its usual crowd of rock climbers and whitewater paddlers for a different kind of adventurer—artists. In January 2026, Fayetteville will launch “Fayetteville Creates,” a month-long, town-wide artist residency inviting … Read more

Pioneer Farm at Twin Falls Resort State Park, West Virginia

Hewn log cabins are West Virginia’s ultimate historic architecture

SAULSVILLE, W.Va. — Perhaps no other form of architecture is more strongly associated with West Virginia than the old-fashioned log cabin or what might more appropriately be called the hewn-timber house. New England has saltboxes, and the South has Greek Revivals, but the Virginian frontier, including what’s now West Virginia, produced a habitation that had … Read more