Downtown Charleston ArtWalk

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (TGKVF) is a non-profit, charitable community trust that accepts contributions, creates and administers funds, and makes grants for the benefit of the greater Kanawha Valley’s residents.  Our mission is to improve the quality of life and promote philanthropy.  First organized in 1962, the Foundation now manages more than 500 separate Funds ranging from ten thousand dollars to seven million dollars.  Through its trustee banks and managers, TGKVF invests the principal of each Fund and distributes the income via grants to the community in areas like arts and culture, health and human services, education, land use, and recreation.

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation is proud to participate in Charleston’s ArtWalk in conjunction with our recent initiative “A New Charleston.”  One of the initiative’s primary goals is to promote entrepreneurship.  Through our involvement in the Charleston ArtWalk, we can work toward this goal by helping to support local artisans.

Featured Artist:              Katie Cumberledge

Katie’s work consists of an eclectic combination of abstract pieces, vintage portraits, local landmarks, and seascapes. She uses acrylic paint on canvas as her medium and also is open to special requests and can recreate versions of her work for a reasonable price. As a newlywed and college student, she uses her art as a way to pay for school tuition and other expenses. Katie’s goal is to continue to create and see where her art takes her! Every day offers new inspiration and a chance to share beauty with others. Katie’s favorite thing about art is that it speaks to people in different ways. One artist’s scraps are indeed another artist’s treasure!

Featured Artist:               Deborah Herndon, Photographer

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation features 29 limited edition pieces of Herndon’s work ranging from photographs of French and Spanish architectural details and urban landscape (including “French Kiss Knocker,” finalist in the 67^th Allied Artists Juried Competition)  to one of Herndon’s more recent pieces, “Orchestra Hall, Violin Blue,” a metallic photography print/raised paint tracing on cardboard overlay.  The piece was originally juried for the Annual Re/Vision Project of the Visual Arts Association of Louisville and was used to raise funds for visually impaired children of Kentucky and southern Indiana.

Featured Artist: Faye Johnson

The Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation will feature 5 jewelry designs by Faye Johnson.

Johnson became interested in jewelry creation in 2007 as a result of a design class at Beadlush in Charlotte, NC.  Since then Johnson has studied under critically acclaimed designer and metalsmith Dan Haga as well as jewelry maker Kim St. Jean.  She has also participated in multiple art shows in the NoDa arts district of Charlotte, NC.  Johnson’s jewelry reflects her interest in metalsmithing and stringing; her work uses mixed media including clay, gemstones, and various metals.

Featured Artist: Shawn Brogan

Cultural Crossroads: Afghanistan

West Virginia artist and soldier Todd Harrell captures the faces of a people lost in time. A decade of visits to this war-torn nation reveals a culture torn between the oppression of the Taliban and the promises of freedom by an international community. As they search for their identity and position on the world stage, Harrell presents a people and a culture, steeped in tradition while struggling with progress bringing them into the 21st century. His passion for the people and his mission has lead him to capture more than 20,000 images, dozens of which will be on display during the May ArtWalk at Romano & Associates.

J. Todd Harrell – Artist Statement

Having travelled to most areas of the country, I attempted to capture the strength and courage of the Afghan people with my images. When asked by Afghans why I take their photos, I often tell them it is so I can share their story with the people of America. Afghans have a kindness and generosity that I feel is often lost in Western cultures.

Ranging from flat or rocky deserts to spectacular snow covered peaks, the geography is as diverse as the people who inhabit it. I often try to frame my subjects in these environments that mirror the challenges they face in their daily lives.

I don’t wish to political statements or cultural judgments but rather share the faces of a nation that has known little but war and oppression for generations. I feel my images capture a sense of hope or perhaps just resolve. In any case, they are a beautiful people with a rich, colorful history that offers us a trip back in time and a look at our own beginnings as a nation.

Good News Garage Gallery will be presenting “New Deal Photographs of West Virginia, 1934-1943″ during the May ArtWalk. Photographs taken by Ben Shahn in 1935 and Marion Post Wolcott in 1938 in Logan and McDowell Counties are from a recent book with the same name.

Exhibit includes a book-signing by the editor, Betty Rivard.

Stray Dog Antiques will be featuring an exhibition entitled “JARS” that showcases collections of quotidian, weird and amusing objects composited in jars, by Gina Puzzuoli. In addition, artwork by Jake Fertig, Gary Needham, Robert Allender, Paint Coyote Studio, and many others will be on display.

On Thursday, May 16, 2013, Art Walkers are invited to join the Charleston Ballet from 5- 8 p.m. for a drink and a snack for our DANCING AND DRINKS series. View the inside world of ballet dancers at work in class and rehearsal settings for their upcoming performances . Along with watching the dancers, Antique and Modern Porcelain Doll Creations of Becky Turley will be exhibited at the ballet studio location. See attached artist’s statement and photos.

Studios are located on the Mezzanine Floor at 100 Capitol Street in the Security Building. For additional information call the Charleston Ballet office at 342-6541.

New to the Charleston ArtWalk is Hope Village – a boutique shop that brings to town lovely and unique art from across the globe.  We are proud to offer fabulous baskets from throughout the African continent as this month’s featured Artwalk item.  These one-of-a-kind specimens of functional artwork are woven by local African craftspeople who are committed to providing a beautiful and quality product.  The Ghana Bolga basket is one of our most popular sellers.  These genuine Bolga baskets are exclusively woven by the indigenous Gurune (also known as Frafra) people around the town of Bolgatanga in Northern Ghana.  These large, sturdy, colorful baskets are perfect for market shopping, vegetable picking or storage – the colors are absolutely beautiful – a must see!  The Zulu wire basket provides an explosion of color for the eye – truly a work of art that would make a statement in any room of your home or office.  The beaded wire baskets from Kenya are made with amazing patience and concentration as the weavers create each beaded wire basket. They string tiny colored glass beads on wire in meticulous fashion to create the patterns.  These baskets are truly spectacular – ornate and colorful!

All of the beautifully hand-crafted baskets available at Hope Village are worth stopping by to admire the handy work and craftsmanship of the native tribes of Africa.  The very same baskets that are featured at Hope Village are also featured in the Smithsonian Art Museum!  Come by to see our beautiful collection of baskets as well as hand-crafted jewelry, shawls clothing and house wares – artwork from around the globe all right here in Charleston.  All products are fair trade certified and 100% of the proceeds from sales at Hope Village go back to the artisans.  Stop by for a featured sampling of ethnic flare as well as a sampling of our featured olive oil.  You will not want to miss the newest member to the ArtWalk – Hope Village (located at First Presbyterian Church) – follow the signs.  Cash and checks only please.

Woomer, Nistendirk & Associates, PLLC, located at 231 Capitol Street, Suite 400, will be featuring Photographers, Bill and Carolyn Hilborn, during the May Artwalk.

Gallery eleven welcomes 2 new members, Joyce Daniels, and Arthur Evans . We are proud to have them in our Gallery.

Scott Milam and his son Colin are playing easy listening music each month at Artwalk at Gallery Eleven.

Arthur Evans is the featured artist for May.

Taylor Book’s Annex Gallery will be serving complimentary wine and refreshments for the opening of a new exhibit featuring the following:

The intricately layered monoprints of Karla Hackenmiller, Associate Professor of Art at Ohio University, Athens. Hackenmiller exhibits extensively nationally and internationally including venues such as The Czech Museum of Fine Art, Prague; the Buddy Holly Art Center, Texas and the Mesa Arts Center in Arizona.

The satirical, larger-than-life, western narrative paintings of Tracy Stuckey, Adjunct Professor at Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts and Part Time Lecturer at WVU College of Creative Arts. Stuckey will be moving to Colorado this

summer, so don’t miss this final opportunity to view his work in West Virginia.

Tiera Floyd’s thesis project for her graduation from West Virginia Wesleyan University titled “Legacy of the Lines” has been on display before in the Annex Gallery, but the powerful portraits are worth more than a second look and we’re happy to bring them back for a second run.

Kathleen Kneafsey’s ceramic sculptures combine elements of architecture and fine art to create a puzzle-piece construction. Kneafsey serves as artist-in-residence at the Huntington Museum and is responsible for selecting the country’s top ceramic artists to visit Huntington as part of the Walter Gropius Master Artist Workshop Series. Thanks in part to her tireless efforts, the museum’s clay studio has grown, the workshop program has gained national stature, and HMA’s contemporary ceramics collection expands with each visiting artist.

The oil paintings of Belmont artist, Karen Chamblin, will be featured in the “Inspired By The Old Masters” show for the dates of May 14 – June 16, 2013 at the Art Emporium, Charleston, WV. Sixty to seventy paintings, including florals and animals will be on display and for sale.

Karen, known for her romantic expression of flowers, studied oil painting with nationally recognized artists, Elizabeth Robbins, Laura Robb and Dee Kirkham. She has been an associate member of Oil Painters of America for 5 years and has been juried in as an artisan at Tamarack of WV. The opening reception will be May 16th from 5 pm to 8 pm during the Charleston Artwalk. Artist, Karen Chamblin, will be present to discuss her techniques. The public is welcome.

Art Emporium is located at 823 Quarrier St., Charleston, WV.