Mystery of the Missing WV State Museum, Part 2: “Get R’ Done”
Subplot: Just Because It’s Expensive Doesn’t Mean It’s Good

Sweet: “I see in the papers where a Virginia company was hired for $6 million to do the fabrication and design of “The Missing WV State Museum” (see previous blogpost here).
Sour: “You mean the ‘whiz bang gizmo Disney-esque showpath’ museum we’ve been hearing was on its way for years? I wish I could have just one of the millions they have wasted on that project.”
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Sweet: “A lot of arts people wish they could have had just one of the millions they wasted on that project. A number of organizations would be thriving today instead of dying on the vine if they had been given just a fraction of the money they flushed down the toilet these several years on this disaster.”
Sour: “The administration then was ‘fiddling while Rome burned’ with the rest of the arts world. Well, it had better be good. They better get it right this time. We are not going to be able to redo it again in my lifetime at this price tag.” (more…)

Photograph by Betty Rivard. Click to enlarge. See more of her work at at www.bettyrivard.com.

SOUR: There’s a lot of wild, interesting stuff out there these days. What are some of your favorites?
SWEET: I think the most remarkable thing this past month or so is the absolutely creative “Pandora’s Toy Box” exhibit at the Good News Mountaineer Garage Gallery at 221 1/2 Hale Street. Who are these people who consistently bring to our city some of the best, most current shows? Have to say that whoever runs the Good News Gallery outdoes the moneyed, blue chip galleries in town.
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SOUR: Yeah, kudos, to them, they also outdo the endowed, million-dollar budget established places in the area. Who knew?
SWEET: The Pandora’s box show is fantastic, comical (in a good way), erudite, and creatively first rate as a curatorial venture. Wow! Hope to see more from them, whoever they are. And please check out their online shows at www.marshhouse.com. And check out their actual space. Good luck and let’s show them some support.

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Mike Keller photograph of high-flying clouds

SOUR: I got to say, I also really thought the two-person show by Betty Rivard and Mike Keller at the Art Emporium was outstanding. So glad to see some veteran photographers (who are also great supporters of up and comers and the local scene) do a great show. I know what it is like being a working, sometimes struggling artist who tries to reach the next level AND help the youngsters up and coming. These two are commendable and their new stuff is outstanding. (more…)

As regular readers of the ArtAttack blog will have noted from recent posts, we have added a new face and aesthetic to the mix of this blog about art in Charleston and West Virginia. Amanda Jane Miller, a freelance art writer for the gazz arts and entertainment section of the Charleston Gazette, has joined the blog. Miller received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from West Virginia University, where she studied photography, electronic media and art history. She will be sharing the space with occasional posts from long-time contributors Sweet and Sour. Let us know what you think in the Comments sections.

Also, who has got a new name for this blog? Start the suggestions below…. The winning name earns some arty prize we have not yet figured out yet, but which will be something cool — or something they mail to us as a press freebie. It’ll still be cool. | Douglas Imbrogno, thegazz.com editor

Mike Budai, “Giving Friendly a Try.” Click photos to enlarge

Mike Budai:
I’d say that, as i’m usually just a paper/2-D artist, painting the figure was really liberating… even though i was painting 2-D, the work of making sure lines aren’t crooked, things are even, etc. presents some creative decision making that I rarely have to deal with. This is the 3rd (or maybe 4th?) figure i have painted; each one is more fun to work on.

As for Charleston, i think it is really great that they are getting a show like this. Growing up in a smaller town (New Castle, PA) I would have loved to have had the opportunity to see some really diverse work like these figures. It’s really a norm-breaker as far as art in a small town goes, you know? (more…)