When students return to campus, the beloved home of the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts will have a new name in honor of a leadership gift from the Valerie Canady Charitable Foundation. Beginning today, the former Creative Arts Center on WVU’s Evansdale campus will be known as the Loulie, Valerie and William Canady Creative Arts Center.

The newly established Canady Fund for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts will provide for arts programming, educational enrichment opportunities, building improvements and discretionary support to benefit students, faculty and staff within the College of Creative Arts.

The Canady Chamber Series was established by the Valerie Canady Charitable Foundation in 2018 in order to bring in professional chamber musicians to perform and teach for WVU students and the Morgantown community.

“The Canady family has long supported artistic presentations of the highest quality to benefit the CCA and broader Morgantown Community,” said Dean Keith Jackson. “As with previous initiatives, the importance of guaranteeing significant interactions between artists and CCA students is what makes the Canady Chamber Series unique as it includes tremendous performances and the opportunity for our students to work with full-time performers that are outside of their normal sphere of influence.”

Sarah Berkeley is a professional artist who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019. She creates photography, video and performances that question cultural norms such as the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday, indoor living, gender stereotypes and the voluntary sharing of personal data. Her lecture at 5 p.m. Jan. 23 is part of the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts Curiosity Series.

Berkeley holds an MFA in art and design from the University of Michigan and a BFA in studio art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the recipient of the Nebraska Arts Council Distinguished Artist Award, the Lincoln Mayor’s Kimmel Award, numerous Nebraska Wesleyan Faculty Development Grants and the Ameritas Grant, among countless others.

WVU School of Art and Design Assistant Professor Terese Giobbia, art education major Alexandra Miller and alumna Paige Fronczek all received awards during WVAEA’s annual conference. 

Giobbia was awarded the association’s West Virginia Distinguished Service Within the Profession Award. She was selected for the award by WVAEA members for her dedicated commitment to the organization.