WVU Parkersburg Humanities Division Hosts "Appalachian Spring" Celebration

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

West Virginia University at Parkersburg is celebrating "Appalachian Spring," a series of arts events to be held on campus during the month of April.

Sponsored by the college’s Humanities Division, Appalachian Spring is designed to celebrate the rich and varied artistic traditions of the region. All but one of the programs is free.

On Monday (April 8), West Virginia novelist Denise Giardina will read from her new work in a free presentation at 7 p.m. in Room 2536-38. Her four earlier novels, "Good King Harry," "Storming Heaven," "The Unquiet Earth," and Saints and Villains," deal with such varied topics as the 1921 Battle of Blair Mountain, medieval English history, and the life of theologian and concentration campus victim Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ms. Giardina is on the faculty at West Virginia State College. A reception and book signing will follow the reading.

The WVU Parkersburg Friends of the Library will sponsor a 2 p.m. presentation Sunday, April 14, by Fawn Valentine on "West Virginia Quilts and Quiltmakers." She will examine quilts made in West Virginia as a reflection of the materials culture in times past. Also, she will look at textile production and distribution, folk cultural practices and the economic background of quiltmakers. She has written extensively on quilts and quiltmaking and lives in Monroe County, WV. The free program will be presented in the college theatre.

On Thursday, April 18, distinguished scholar John Cuthbert will lecture on "Early Art and Artists in West Virginia." The free program is at 7 p.m. in Room 2534.  Cuthbert’s recent book on the subject led to his winning the Charles H. Daugherty Award in the Humanities, the highest honor bestowed by the West Virginia Humanities Council. He is the curator of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection and director of the West Virginia Historical Art Collection at the West Virginia University libraries. He has written extensively on the arts, history and culture of West Virginia for local and national publications, including American Music and American Art Review.

The college’s observance of Appalachian Spring will conclude with the student theater production of the humorous melodrama, "The Wild Flowering of Chastity," at 8  p.m. April 26 and 27 and 2 p.m., April 28, in the college theatre. Tickets are available in the college business office and will be sold at the door.

Appalachian Spring is partially funded by a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council. Additional information is available by contacting Rebecca Phillips of the Humanities Division Speakers Series Committee, 424-8282.

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For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
Director, Communications and Public Relations
WVU Parkersburg
(304-424-8203)