Tucker County, WV- Now in its 9th year, ArtSpring Festival is Tucker County’s annual celebration of the arts. ArtSpring features a silent auction, three days of live music, a handmade art market, gallery openings and receptions, theatre productions, artist demonstrations, hands-on activities for all ages, photography and history walks, a square dance, open studios, wine tasting, craft beverage tour, a Saturday evening Art Walk through the galleries of Thomas, WV, a Sunday evening lantern parade and more.
Highlights include:
- Silent Auction Online (Cottrill’s Opera House, Thomas) – Opening Reception Friday 6-9pm; Music by Aurora Celtic and Elizabeth Podsiadlo, The Opera Singing Chef. Featuring mobile bidding for over 100 unique works of art from 6:00 pm Friday through 3:00 pm Sunday.
- Thomas Art Walk (Front Street Art Galleries, Thomas) – Saturday, 6pm. Exhibitions by Amanda Blake at Lamplight Gallery, Steven Lawson at Gradient Project Space, Grace Lawson at Santangelo, Eric Pardue and Melissa Brooke Jackson at Tip Top, Senan O’Connor at The White Room and Open Studio/Printmaking Demos at Talking Leaves.
- Art Demonstrations and Reception (WVHighlands Artisans Gallery, Davis) – Saturday at beginning at 11 a.m. Pottery demo with Pam Snyder, Hand Knitting & Felting demo with Sharon Music, and Wool Spinning demo with Betsy Viola.
- Performances (Upstairs at Cottrill’s Opera House, Thomas) by The Travelin’ Appalachians Revue featuring songwriters, poets, writers, and more. Saturday, 5-7 p.m., upstairs at Cottrill’s Opera House. Theatre Performances by Tucker County High School Drama Club, Sunday 12-1 p.m., Crumbles’ Vaudeville Show Sunday 2-3 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.
- Handmade Art Market & Music Stage (Davis Fire Hall) – Saturday 11am-5pm, Sunday 11am-4pm. Featuring a juried selection of regional artists and the best of local live music, as well as food vendors, mead wine tasting, hands-on kids activities, photo walk, festival info and merchandise.
- Lantern Parade (leaves Cottrill’s Opera House, Thomas) Sunday, 8:30pm. Make your lantern at the Handmade Art Market all weekend and parade it through Thomas on Sunday at dark.
- Young Artists Showcase (Davis Town Hall) – Saturday and Sunday, 11am-5pm. Award-winning art by K-12 students from the annual all-county STArt Student Art Show.
- Craft Brew Tour – Purchase your ArtSpring Pint at the ArtSpring Gallery @ Cottrill’s Opera House or the Info Booth (outside at the Davis Fire Hall) and bring it to the following locations for discounts on craft beverages: Stumptown Ales, Healthberry, Still Hollow Spirits, TipTop, The Billy, and Wicked Wilderness.
A complete festival schedule is available at https://www.artspringwv.com/festival-2019
ArtSpring Festival’s major sponsors are St. George Medical Center, Highlands Art Gallery, Wicked Wilderness, TipTop, The Purple Fiddle, and Canaan Valley Resort. Additional sponsors are recognized at artspringwv.com/sponsors2019. ArtSpring Festival ismade possible by the generous support of the Tucker County District Authority, West Virginia Culture & History, Benedum Foundation, and the Oakland Foundation.