From mainstage plays to large music ensemble concerts and art exhibitions to visiting artist lectures and student recitals, the West Virginia University College of Creative Arts’ 800-plus students and 100 faculty members present hundreds of events throughout the year. From September through April, the College will host The Curiosity Series, 25 events that are a chance for fans of one genre of music to listen to another or to attend a lecture on an arts topic that holds interest for them.

“We know that people are curious about the arts, but we also know that the arts can be intimidating so people typically stick to what they know,” said Keith Jackson, interim dean. “People know what to expect at a rock show – they may not know what to expect at a wind symphony concert or a visiting artist lecture, so they shy away from attending. We want our community members to have an open mind and try something they have been curious about.” 

The Art Museum of West Virginia University will celebrate its third birthday with activities for the whole family from 12:30 - 3 p.m. Saturday, August 25.

A variety of free activities for children will be available during the birthday party including face painting, sidewalk chalk drawing, a hands-on art project and a scavenger hunt. The museum’s exhibitions, Flowing Beyond Heaven and Earth: Chinese Master Ceramists, Form and Balance: Ceramics from the Collection and Impulse: A Trip Inside, will be open during the birthday party. Museum docents and volunteers will be on hand in the galleries to assist visitors as they engage in art.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University is home to a very special collection of works by WVU alumna Grace Martin Taylor.

Taylor was born in Morgantown in 1903 and graduated from WVU in 1928 before embarking on her career in art, becoming one of America’s most innovative printmakers of the second quarter of the 20th century. She also studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts with American Modernist Arthur Carles in the 1920s and received her master’s degree in Art from WVU in 1949. She continued post-graduate study at a number of prestigious art schools.

When the State of Minds campaign wrapped up on Dec. 31, 2017, more than $1 billion had been raised thanks to the incredibly giving and dedicated West Virginia University family.

The College of Creative Arts raised approximately $23 million during the 10-year campaign which created more than 50 new scholarships, built and opened the Art Museum of WVU, launched four new programs and many new majors in the college and started an extensive study abroad program in the School of Art & Design.

The museum’s participation is made possible through funding provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future and meet standards through self-study and a consultative site visit from an expert peer reviewer.

The Art Museum has chosen to do a MAP organizational assessment as a step toward preparing for its initial accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums, to expand knowledge of professional museum standards and best practices and increase financial sustainability. The assessment team, made up of museum staff, including Dr. Joyce Ice, Director; Robert Bridges, Curator; Dr. Heather Harris, Manager of Educational Programs; Dr. Keith Jackson, Dean, College of Creative Arts; and Dr. Bernie Schultz, Professor Emeritus and museum docent; Dr. Arthur Jacknowitz, Professor Emeritus, museum docent, and member of the Museum Advisory Council;  Alison Deem, Chair, Museum Advisory Council and museum docent; and Lyn Dotson, former VP WVU Foundation, and member of the Advisory Council.