<h1>The 20th biennial West Virginia Juried Exhibition will open at the Art Museum of West Virginia University in Morgantown on Sunday, Nov. 12, at 2 p.m.</h1> Eighty West Virginia artists were selected for the exhibit, which will feature 84 pieces, including painting, drawing, mixed media, craft, photography, digital art, sculpture and print. Twenty-eight counties are represented in the show. The exhibit opening reception is free and open to the public. The exhibit will remain at the Art Museum of West Virginia University until Feb. 11, 2018. “The West Virginia Juried Exhibition continues its tradition of presenting the best of our state’s well-known and emerging artists,” said West Virginia Division of Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith. “We are pleased to open this year’s exhibit in Morgantown, which will be the seventh city in which we have enjoyed showcasing the exhibit.” In past years, the exhibition has been in Beckley, Martinsburg, Wheeling, Huntington, Parkersburg and Charleston. At the opening reception, the division will announce the exhibition award winners. Governor’s Awards winners will receive $5,000 for their work. Awards of Excellence winners will receive $2,000 for their work. These are purchase awards, and the art will become part of the West Virginia State Museum permanent contemporary art collection. Merit Awards of $500 each will also be presented that afternoon. The following artists in this paper’s distribution area, by county, will be featured in the exhibition: Greenbrier: Alex Brand, Lewisburg - sculpture Mark Jennings, Hinton - photography Melinda Russell, Alderson - mixed media Monroe: Kylene Babski, Lindside - drawing Adrienne Biesemeyer, Alderson - crafts Pocahontas: Douglas Chadwick, Hillsboro - photography The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. It brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
