Charleston, WV - Artists from Fairmont, Marion County; Augusta, Hampshire County; and Richwood, Nicholas County, won the top prizes in the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History’s (WVDACH) 23rd biennial West Virginia Juried Exhibition, which opened Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston.

The exhibit, featuring 89 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, mixed media and crafts created by 66 West Virginia artists, is cosponsored by the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. The exhibit will remain on display through Feb. 10, 2024. A list of all exhibitors can be found at https://wvculture.org/2023-west-virginia-juried-exhibition-artists-announced/.

Ten pieces in the exhibit will be purchased and become part of the West Virginia State Museum’s permanent collection. Jurors Stephen Wicks and Jennifer Kaplan, both of Knoxville, Tenn., selected three artists as this year’s $5,000 Governor’s Award winners, with one receiving the D. Gene Jordon Memorial Award, which is named for a former chairman of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts who died in 1989; seven pieces were awarded $2,000 Awards of Excellence; and an additional eight Merit Awards of $500 were chosen that are not purchase awards and do not become part of the museum’s collection.

The WVDACH proudly presents this biennial event in partnership with the West Virginia Commission on the Arts and with support from the West Virginia Legislature, which appropriates funding for the exhibition’s awards. The $33,000 in award money constitutes one of the largest endowments for a single exhibition in the country.

Many of the works on display are for sale and may be purchased through the closing of the exhibition. Photos of the 18 award-winning pieces can be found at: https://wvculture.zenfolio.com/p672359606.   

For more information, contact Rachel Keeney, exhibits coordinator for the department, at (304) 558-0220, ext. 175.

2023 West Virginia Juried Exhibition Winners:

GOVERNOR’S AWARD WINNERS — $5,000

Liuqing Ruth Yang
Fairmont, Marion County
Cydney with a Chinese Traditional Garment Han Fu
oil on linen
*D. GENE JORDON MEMORIAL AWARD

Susan Feller
Augusta, Hampshire County
Jane S. Choice Jan 22, 1973 - June 22, 2022
wool hooked through linen

Cecil Ybanez
Richwood, Nicholas County
Nature’s Prayer
air dry clay on metal candlesticks

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE — $2,000
Frederick Hays
Elkview, Kanawha County
Echoes of Appalachians
mixed media
 
Derek Overfield
Fairmont, Marion County
Spell of Silence
oil on canvas

Brian Reed
Ivydale, Clay County
Here Come the Crows #3
watercolor on paper

Nicole Suptic
White Oak, Raleigh County
Very Squeaky Kitty
colored pencil on paper board

Robert Villamagna
Wheeling, Ohio County
Sistersville
mixed media

Thomas Wharton
Wheeling, Ohio County
The Age of Innocence
oil on linen and
Self-Portrait
oil on linen

MERIT AWARDS — $500
John Ryan Brubaker
Thomas, Tucker County
A Walk Through Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge
photograph on paper

Donald Earley
Greenville, Monroe County
Lollipop
mixed media

Stephen Lawson
Morgantown, Monongalia County
A Day’s Haymaking on Asel’s Big Pasture
photograph on paper

Thorney Lieberman
South Charleston, Kanawha County
The Holy Land: The Shomron from Har Bracha Looking South
from Itamar to Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean
c-print photograph

Patrick Facemire
Gassaway, Braxton County
Starbuck!
oil on canvas

Suzan Morgan
Buckhannon, Upshur County
Breathing
textile wall hanging

Brian Reed
Ivydale, Clay County
Frog Portal
watercolor on paper

John Williams
Renick, Greenbrier County
Live Edge Cherry Table with Sculpted Stand
cherry wood sculpture