This week on Inside Appalachia, crossing a river by ferry can be a special experience, and hard to come by. On the Ohio River, a retiring ferry captain passes the torch to his deck hand. And Hurricane Helene destroyed roads and knocked out power and cell service across western North Carolina. But there was still a way to keep people in touch.
After waiting for over six years, Morgantown art lovers flooded the halls of the WVU Art Museum Tuesday to see the university’s diverse collection of modernist and contemporary art.
Robert Bridges, the museum’s chief curator says the WVU Arts Museum is the only art museum between Charleston and Pittsburgh as well as Cleveland and Washington D.C.
“Our job, I feel, is to bring art from the outside areas in here to give not only our students but the people of West Virginia a chance to see what’s happening in the greater art world,” says Bridges.
The exhibit is called Visual Conversations – Looking and Listening and it showcases artworks WVU has been collecting since the 1930’s. Over the years some of the works have been temporarily displayed at Stewart Hall, but for many of them, they are being seen by the public for the first time. The collection houses Appalachian, American and even international works.
“With this exhibition, we have paired up some of these artists so you see an artist that was working in the region along with artists that were more nationally known,” says Bridges
The museum’s pride and joy is the exhibition of the West Virginia artist, Blanche Lazzell. Born and raised in Monongalia County and a WVU alumna, many of Lazzell’s modernist works showcase West Virginia’s physical and social landscape. One of her most visually striking pieces is her untitled mural of Monongalia County that was painted in 1934 for the courthouse.
“The colors are just so vibrant and with the placement on the back of the gallery wall, people come in to the large gallery, they can see it and walk towards the space,” says Bridges.
After spending much of its life in storage, Lazzell’s mural is finally back on display.
Joyce Ice is the director of the WVU Art Museum and she says its opening isn’t just significant for the university but also for the state, “adding to the cultural vitality that makes Morgantown one of the best small cities in America while contributing to its wellbeing and that of our region and our state.
In an effort to make art more accessible, the museum is free and open to the public five days a week.
West Virginia University commemorated the anniversary of Pearl Harbor a day early this year. Each December, the bell of the USS West Virginia rings out in remembrance.
The West Virginia University system saw a decline of more than 2,000 students, or roughly 7 percent of its student population, between fall 2023 and fall 2024.
An exhibit at the West Virginia and Regional History Center (WVRHC) at WVU invites the public to explore influential traditions for today and tomorrow.