CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – November 9 is National Go to an Art Museum Day! While West Virginia might not have the greatest selection when it comes to large-scale art exhibits, there are still places people in north-central West Virginia can go to enjoy. local art and artists. And with the move towards remote and virtual options, many world-class museums now have online exhibits that can be enjoyed for free right here in West Virginia.
Keep it local
The West Virginia University Museum of Art in Morgantown offers a range of different types of art in its permanent and temporary galleries, from paintings to statues to publications and features work by artists from West Virginia and beyond. Permanent galleries include the McGee Gallery and the Campus Read offsite exhibit, and the museum is also currently showcasing Rauschenberg in China: The Lotus Series.
The museum is open from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, so you cannot visit in person on the 9th. However, the WVU Art Museum also offers a virtual tour option for several of its galleries. During the virtual visualization, you can click on an on-screen representation of the museum and see works of art and at your own pace. Click here to view the McGee Virtual Gallery.
Admission to the West Virginia University Art Museum is free. More information on directions, parking and COVID guidelines can be found on the museum’s website. You can find information on special events on his Facebook page.
The American Glass Museum in West Virginia (MAGWV) is located in Weston. The art of glass has a rich history in West Virginia. The museum’s goal is to “publish and preserve anything that may relate to the glass industry,” and it has artifacts and works of art from all periods of American glass history. The museum offers interactive exhibits, a gallery, library and museum shop. The most recent exhibits at MAGWV include the Lady Jane stained glass dollhouse.
In addition to its exhibits, the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia also features local artists and hosts art demonstrations and special events, including a Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” which is on display until November 14. It was even featured on the Curator’s Choice podcast.
The Glass Museum is located on Main Street in Weston and is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Admission to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia is free. Check the museum’s Facebook page for special events and features.
Other museums in West Virginia
If you are able and willing to travel through West Virginia to see magnificent art, here are some options across the state to get your daytime “Go to an Art Museum” fix.
The Oglebay Glass Museum in Wheeling offers a hybrid experience between history and art museums. The museum has the Sweeney Punch Bowl which is the largest piece of cut crystal ever made and over 3,000 other pieces of glass. Walk-in workshops and demonstrations are also available where museum visitors can make their own glass paperweight.
The Oglebay Glass Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $ 10 per person, but children 17 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
Most West Virginia know that the Clay Center downtown Charleston offers a number of art and discovery exhibitions. The Juliet Art Museum within the Center hosts traveling exhibitions and workshops in addition to its permanent art collection. The Over the Years: A Celebration of the Clay Center Collectors Club exhibit runs through January 23. The permanent collection includes six categories, including Pop Art and West Virginia artists.
Upcoming workshops include bookbinding on December 11, where participants will create their own sketchbooks. The cost of the workshop is $ 35 and participants must register in advance. Admission to the Clay Center is $ 9 for adults and $ 7.50 for children. Other offerings at the Clay Center include a planetarium, theater, and discovery museum.
The Huntington Art Museum has several galleries on display, including The Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for West Virginia which runs until November 28, American Paintings on display until February 13 and Latin American Roots on display until January 9. HMOA also prioritizes education and offers classes for people of all ages who want to learn different artistic mediums. Classes are available at beginner and advanced levels in photography, painting, drawing and ceramics.
In addition to the museum’s art collection, it also has a conservatory which displays orchids, plants important for agriculture, unusual plants and two sculptures.
Virtual museum visit
Some of the best museums in the world can be viewed from home on your computer. While a computerized version may not give the full experience of seeing a work of art in person, it is a cost effective, safe, and easy way to view art in the distance.
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles offers virtual options for art exhibitions and performances held within its walls. Getty offers 37 interactive virtual exhibits for you to browse that feature detailed views and descriptions of each piece of art. Some of the online exhibits are Getty Highlights: 19th Century Paintings, Radical Whimsy: Victorian Women and the Art of Photocollage, Contemporary Voices in Asian American Photography, A Historic Black Right Protest, and Fantastic Beasts of the Middle Ages. In addition to online exhibits, visitors to virtual museums can browse collections of photographed art and enjoy a virtual view of the street.
The Getty Museum also offers free virtual versions of some of its theater performances. LIZASTRATA will be available live online on November 29. If you happen to be in LA and want to visit the museum in person, admission to the Getty Center and the Getty Villa Museum is free.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, allows you to see one of the world’s most famous artists’ works up close. Two exhibitions are available online: Which books has Vincent van Gogh read? and The Love Life of Vincent Van Gogh. You can also browse collections of his work in different genres and mediums. The four-story Street View version of the Van Gogh Museum can also be explored.
The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon-si, South Korea, eight online exhibits can be viewed from the comfort of home as well as street exploration in eight sections of the museum, both indoor and outdoor.
For more options for virtual museum experiences, click here.
