Latest News 08/30/2010: Build a Free Web Site with WordPress Space is still available for the “Building a Free Website with WordPress” on Saturday, September 11, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. sponsored by the Berkeley Arts Council.  The workshop will be taught by Rip Smith. In this hands-on workshop, participants will have the opportunity to build their own site during the workshop. Topics covered include [...] - More 08/14/2010: Artist Directory is Live The Berkeley Arts Council announced today the posting of the new Berkeley County Artist Directory on its web site at http://www.berkeleyartswv.org/directory/ . The Directory is a listing of visual artists, artisans, performing artists, writers and other members of the creative community. The directory is a resource for businesses and organizations wishing to exhibit and display [...] - More 07/30/2010: Scenes from Berkeley County Featured in Library Art Display Artists often gain inspiration from the views that are part of their daily life, using their personal perspective and talents to capture what they see and share it. A group of painters and photographers recently responded to an invitation to include their creative efforts in the August exhibit at the Martinsburg Library, titled “Scenes from [...] - More 07/07/2010: Berkeley Artists Directory Seeks to Survey Local Talent Visual artists and artisans, musicians, dancers, performers and other types of artists are encouraged to create their own listings in an Artist Directory being established under the auspices of the Berkeley Arts Council. The directory will be a resource for businesses and organizations wishing to exhibit and display local art, to commission artwork for a [...] - More 07/01/2010: New Artisan Workshops Scheduled As part of The Arts Council’s commitment to supporting local artists and artisans, we are offering workshops in various areas such as the use of technology, business practices, promotion and marketing, web sites for artists, presentation of artwork, photographing artwork, preparation of submissions to juried exhibits or other competitions, and other areas that may be [...] - More 06/28/2010: Call for Artists Berkeley County Scenes Call for Artists: Berkeley County Scenes Exhibit Martinsburg Library, August July 31 – August 29 The Berkeley Arts Council in association with the Martinsburg Public Library is sponsoring an exhibit of artwork that depicts scenes of or that otherwise represent Berkeley County. We invite any artist to submit one or two pieces for this exhibit. [...] - More

Announcing the
Berkeley Arts Council

Press Release
August 31, 2009

Berkeley Arts Council  to Focus on
Artists, Arts Groups and Audiences

“Amplifying the Power of the Arts Community” is the slogan and goal of the newly formed Berkeley Arts Council. The Council aims to put the spotlight on local creativity by increasing opportunities for area residents to experience the artistry of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians, actors, artisans and others; or to participate in creative pursuits.

When the economy slows down, creativity finds new ways to cope, and the arts in Berkeley County could get a boost to help get them through to sunnier days with the formation of the Berkeley Arts Council.

Inspired by the activities of similar organizations in neighboring West Virginia counties and across the nation, local arts activists Sterling “Rip” Smith and Malinda Shaver recently took the necessary initial steps to constitute the Berkeley Arts Council.  “We’d been learning about the role of arts umbrella groups in helping to revitalize places like Frederick and Cumberland.  When we visited their events, the energy was exciting and we wanted to help create more of that here at home,” Shaver commented.

In a prospectus for the new Arts Council, Smith points out that the goals for the new group are to support the activities of existing arts organizations but also to increase opportunities for residents to enjoy the creative results.  “With the good examples of the Morgan Arts Council and AHA in Jefferson County, we have a lot of inspiration to help us succeed,” Smith said.

“Our first step was to get more information about local arts events and activities to everyone.  We collected it and began to distribute it through email as the Berkeley Arts Bulletin,” added Shaver, reporting that the Arts Centre, Main Street Martinsburg, ArtBerkeley, Heritage Crafts, the Apollo and others contributed to the effort by passing the Bulletin on to their lists.

A recent issue of the Arts Bulletin highlighted exhibits and performances, also listing auditions, musical events, opportunities for artists to exhibit, and a number of classes and workshops throughout the Panhandle area.  A free subscription by email is available for those who sign up at the Berkeley Arts Council web site, www.berkeleyartswv.org.

“We discussed the idea for the Council with many of the key people in the arts and the community, and with their encouragement, we decided to take the first steps.  One of them suggested that the goal was to amplify the arts — make everything bigger.  We really liked that idea,” added Shaver.  And Smith commented that “We’ll have a lot of work to do, and we hope the community will help support the efforts to make Berkeley County alive with all of the arts.”

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