The West Virginia Department of Education will host its seventh annual arts showcase, Arts Alive! Friday, April 26, 2013, at the Clay Center in Charleston.  The lobby showcase will open at 6:30 P.M. with mainstage events to begin at 7:00. Admission is free and open to the public.  Tickets are available from the Clay Center box office. Please call 304-561-3570.

Representatives to the planning committee include members of all major arts education professional organizations in West Virginia: The West Virginia Art Education Association, The West Virginia Music Educators Association, and West Virginia Thespians.

The official 2013 Arts Alive! event poster is available. Feel free to download, distribute, print, and spread the word.

Please visit this page for updates!

The lobby showcase will feature student art work from the West Virginia Art Education Association's two-dimensional and three-dimensional art shows, as well as artwork from pre-K programs in all 55 counties.

Also featured:

  • Music students from the Mary C. Snow West Side Elementary School magnet program, with music teacher Brandon Willard, in a performance featuring world percussion.
  • The Marshall University Early Education STEAM Center, with teacher Brea Wiles, highlighting the importance of the arts as part of the WVDE Universal Pre-K Celebration.
  • Strings students from Cheat Lake Elementary and North Elementary in Monongalia County, under the direction of Arlene Bennett.
  • Strings students from Mountaineer Middle School in Monongalia County, under the direction of Arlene Bennett.
  • The Morgantown High School-University High School combined symphony orchestra, from Monongalia County, under the direction of Joel Cotter.
  • The fine arts department of Capital High School in Kanawha County, performing a scene from Anything Goes. Their teachers are Kathy Corbett, Kris Corbett, Bobby Jenks, and Michelle Legg.
  • The West Virginia All-State Chorus.
  • The Shepherdstown Middle School Jazz Band.
  • The Cabell Midland High School Trumpet Ensemble.
  • The Arts Alive Dance Ensemble.

For further information, email the WVDE Coordinator for the Arts, John Deskins at jdeskins@access.k12.wv.us.

Arts Alive! Logo Winner Announced

The 2013 Arts Alive! logo winner is Samantha Shimer. Samantha is a 12th grade student of Jim Smith at Parkersburg South High School.

The logo was chosen from among dozens of submissions from around the state. It will be used on all Arts Alive! printed materials, including posters and other promotional materials, the concert program, and the official t-shirt.

ARTS ALIVE! Mission Statement: Arts Learning For All

GOALS:

  • To provide a statewide venue showcasing the outstanding arts achievement in a setting renowned for arts performances and exhibitions before an audience of students, family members, educators, policymakers, leaders, advocates, and philanthropists.
  • To support developing and emerging, developing, and established arts programs in West Virginia public schools.
  • To inspire local education systems to embrace the arts as an essential part of every child's core education and empower the greater West Virginia learning community to advocate for comprehensive arts education in its schools.
  • To celebrate the arts in West Virginia schools and their communities.

How the artworks and performing arts presentations are chosen