WVU Parkersburg
300 Campus Dr . Parkersburg , WV
304.424.8000 wvup . edu
WVU Parkersburg continues to expand community resources in the Mid-Ohio Valley . The Center for Civic Engagement and Innovation is spearheading two projects that will grow community access to jobs , arts and entertainment and sustainable agriculture . Riverhawk Farm and the Arts Collaborative of the Mid-Ohio Valley are both expected to become integral pieces of the Mid-Ohio Valley in 2021 .
“ The arts , broadly defined , are a unique expression of our individual and our collective humanity ,” says WVU Parkersburg President Chris Gilmer . “ I noticed immediately upon joining the Mid-Ohio Valley community how rich this area is with high-quality nonprofit arts organizations in drama , music , painting , dance and so many other areas . I knew that I wanted WVU Parkersburg to be actively involved in supporting these organizations and bringing them together to expand their reach through collaboration .”
The Arts Collaborative of the Mid-Ohio Valley comprises 12 organizations in the area that are working together to ignite the arts district . WVU Parkersburg serves as the hub for all these organizations .
“ Through a generous grant from The Ross Foundation , we were able to form the Arts Collaborative of the Mid-Ohio Valley , and it is already paying huge dividends by demonstrating to the community that WVU Parkersburg is committed to servant leadership and partnership ,” says Gilmer . “ Our role here is to support the freestanding nonprofits in advancing their individual strategic directions and in forming a comprehensive strategic direction to continue enhancing the arts for our communities .”
Center for Civic Engagement and Innovation Dean Senta Goudy spearheads the projects through her town and gown relations at the WVU Parkersburg downtown campus located on Market Street .
“ The collaborative designed a live calendar that will host virtual events , shopping opportunities , shows and more ,” says Goudy . “ We ’ re in the permitting process of creating a downtown marquee that will have cutting edge technology that makes it look more like a television than a traditional sign . The art center was able to create a streetscape that the sign will fit into on the corner of 8th and Market Street .”
Additionally , the collaborative initiated an Artist in Residence program , which featured photographer John Noltner and his “ A Peace of My Mind ” interactive exhibit . Noltner ’ s work focused on photographing and telling the story of 101 different residents of Parkersburg . Local businesses used their windows to showcase the finished work . At the end of the exhibit , Noltner projected his work on to the side of The Smoot Theatre for a socially distanced evening of art . According to Goudy , many downtown patrons enjoyed dinner and then visited the projections and listened to Noltner speak .
“ The Artist in Residence program will continue as we start to hopefully phase things back in for public art , community groups and encourage more people to come downtown in creating the art ,” says Goudy , noting a possible festival this fall in conjunction with the Art Center ’ s Artober Fest .