With restrictions on gathering in place due to the global pandemic, many performances came to a halt in the West Virginia University School of Theatre & Dance. The school teamed up with West Virginia Public Broadcasting to produce King Lear, which will be broadcast across the state later this year.

“Performing and production is an essential component of theatre curriculum,” said Jerry McGonigle, professor of acting and directing. “For our seniors, this is their capstone project, and for graduate students, it’s their thesis project, so it was important to be able to host this production.”

A new Bachelor of Arts degree in West Virginia University’s School of Art & Design will blend studio art training with psychology and counseling skills, giving graduates the foundations to pursue careers in the growing field of art therapy.

“Art therapy is a mental health profession that combines creative art making with human service skills,” said Dr. Annie McFarland, assistant professor of art education. “Art therapy can be used to target specific therapeutic goals, promote healing and improve overall mental health and wellness.”

State-of-the-art tools and increasingly sophisticated laboratory procedures have made the science behind art and its conservation a fine art itself. 

For West Virginia University Technical Art History students, the on-campus opportunity for hands-on learning and a disciplined approach to scientific methods gives them the advanced skills needed to hit the ground running after graduation.

Wanda Hembree was a freshman in high school when she saw the West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band perform for the first time during one of the band’s visits to Cumberland, Maryland. The performance influenced her to attend WVU and become a member. Now, more than 40 years later, she’s giving back to the band that has given her so many fond memories.

“I knew I was going to go to college but I had no idea where,” Hembree said. “That performance was the moment for me that decided it.”

“Analogy of the Sun” is a new album from West Virginia University Director of Jazz Jared Sims, out on Friday Feb. 26.

For this collaboration with jazz stars Rufus Reid and Matt Wilson, Sims drew inspiration from the sixth book of Plato’s Republic, in which Plato defines goodness in the world.

The West Virginia University College of Creative Arts welcomes Mary Esposito to the staff as assistant director of development.

Esposito brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team from her nine years of employment at the WVU Foundation, where she oversaw annual giving programs including WVU Day of Giving, Women of WVU and Gold Blue and You Faculty and Staff Campus Campaign. She also worked with units all across campus on their annual giving solicitations – including the College of Creative Arts.

The Art Museum of West Virginia University acquired 56 works of art in 2020, ranging from prints to ceramics to paintings, many of which support the museum’s mission to diversify its permanent collection.

“The Art Museum is steadfastly committed to diversifying its holdings by strategically acquiring works by women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ artists—such as Kerry James Marshall and Jaune Quick-to-See Smith—in order to tell more inclusive, varied and nuanced histories of artistic production,” said Director Todd J. Tubutis. “We also continue to build the collection in ways that support and complement teaching and research interests across campus, particularly for students in the School of Art and Design, and reflect the experiences of the region.”

Supporters of the West Virginia University Mountaineer Marching Band will be able to double their impact during WVU’s Day of Giving on March 3, thanks to the Maier Foundation. They have pledged $250,000 to match donations made to support the Pride Practice Facility.

“Our board is excited to provide support to the Pride of West Virginia Marching Band,” said Brad Rowe, president of the Maier Foundation. “Having a permanent and dedicated facility will enhance each band member’s educational experience.”

The Art Museum of West Virginia University is the first venue on a national tour of an installation that celebrates photographer Walker Evans’s landmark solo exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art in 1938. A leading figure in the history of American documentary photography, Evans is today considered one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century.

The exhibition opens Jan. 22 and runs through April 25.