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.

Bright Gift To West Virginia University

Bright $1M gift boosts Blanche Lazzell acquisition at WVU

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Nearly 30 years after Patricia Bright was first introduced to the artwork of modernist Blanche Lazzell, she and her husband, Bill Bright, are helping to bring the state native’s work home with a $1 million gift to West Virginia University.The Brights’ contribution supports a $1.5 million fundraising effort to expand the Lazzell … Read more

Homer Hickam In Film Shoot in West Virginia

W.Va. film office, filmmaker’s guild to host locations workshop

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ideal locations are key to creating good film and television content, say the organizers of a two-day workshop for location scouts and managers in the Mountain State.West Virginia is increasingly becoming a location for television and movie making, according to the W.Va. Film Office and W.Va. Filmmakers Guild, which is teaming up … Read more

Let West Virginia Explorer Promote Your Business

Broadcast your West Virginia business in the news!

If you’ve had the benefit of seeing your business profiled in the news, you know how immediate and far-reaching the impact can be. Nothing boosts a business like a news story, and thanks to the Internet, news stories can be broadcast further and faster than ever. West Virginia Explorer Magazine now provides a news-profile service … Read more

Snowfall in Jackson County, Mid-Ohio Valley Region

Photographer Rick Burgess reveals the magic of winter in W.Va.

Winter in West Virginia is a delightfully varied season. The Ohio and Potomac lowlands and sheltered southern valleys witness only a few blanketing snowfalls, though the Allegheny Mountains, rising to more than 4,000 feet above sea level, are practically Canadian in climate and can be beset by blinding squalls long into spring. Photographer Rick Burgess … Read more

Join storytellers in a celebration of their art at Tamarack in Beckley.

Storytellers to weave tales at Saturday program in Beckley

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Hosted by the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, story-tellers Linda Durrett, Karen Vuranch, Mikalena Zuckett, and Jodi French-Burr will weave tales on Saturday, November 19, from 2-3:30 p.m. at Tamarack at Beckley, West Virginia. The four speakers, who are widely known for their skills, will perform in concert with the worldwide observance of … Read more

Crowds wander Word Park during the Oddities and Curiosities Fair

Downtown Beckley getting even odder, say fair organizers

BECKLEY, W.Va.—Organizers of a third annual oddities fair being celebrated September 24 in historic downtown Beckley say things are about to get even odder.Sponsored by the Beckley Arts and Entertainment Exhibition, otherwise known as BEX, the Oddities and Curiosities Fair, will host the expanded open-air market with more than 40 artists and vendors, including mystics, … Read more

An enigmatic stone face carved into mossy sandstone along the rim of the New River Gorge is attracting increased attention.

Remarkable stone face attracting curious in New River Gorge

An enigmatic stone face carved into mossy sandstone along the rim of the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia is attracting increased attention as tourism grows in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Though its origins are popularly regarded as a mystery, the bas-relief countenance was likely carved in the 1950s, and … Read more

John Denver performs "Take Me Home, Country Roads."

“Take Me Home, Country Roads” reaching new audiences

If you’re a West Virginian who came of age after 1971, chances are you can hardly remember a time when John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” wasn’t the state’s unofficial anthem.Though not officially adopted as a “state song” until 2014, it was, seemingly, performed at every event everywhere in the state. It became West … Read more

" I’ve had the opportunity and play with some of the finest blues and jazz musicians in the country right here in Mercer County," Sternloff says.

Bluefield State welcomes Sternloff Center for W.Va. music

Bluefield State College announced today the founding of the Pete Sternloff Center for West Virginia Musicology, which will archive and promote the history of music created and performed in southern West Virginia.College President Robin Capehart says the center will fill a much-needed gap in the preservation of and education about the music that flourished in … Read more