Raleigh County fifth-grader Kurbi Murphy is all smiles as he takes the stage after winning first place in his division for his colored pencil piece, titled “Crazy Eyes,” while it’s displayed on the screen in the background Sunday at Tamarack.
BECKLEY, W.Va. — On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of people strolled the art-lined rooms of Tamarack looking at myriad pieces detailing various themes of West Virginia’s history and culture.
Ink drawings hung by photographs. Abstract beside acrylic. Although the works were diverse, inside one hall the artwork shared a common trait: The pieces were done by students across southern West Virginia.
The inaugural Youth Art exhibition opened Sunday with an award ceremony recognizing the young artists whose works graced Tamarack’s walls.
Molly Baker Halstead, gallery manager, said the purpose of Tamarack is to showcase the best and brightest in West Virginia art.
“It doesn’t matter if you are 9 or 99, you can be part of being the best in West Virginia’s” artistic circle, she told the audience.
The juried show featured works submitted by Kindergarten through 12th-grade students from Raleigh, Nicholas, Summers and Fayette counties…
