Lewisburg, WV (WVDN) – Carnegie Hall’s August/September Exhibits continue with three galleries showcasing the works of regional artists. The Museum Gallery (adjacent to the Hamilton Auditorium) features a collaboration with Jessie Thornton and Nanette Seligman.
Jessie Thornton was born in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. He moved just a bit downriver to Huntington, in his late 20’s and early 30’s to finish his education at Marshall University. His goal was to obtain a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and move to an area with more economic opportunity.
“The ‘struggle to stay’ phenomenon in West Virginia is very much a real thing for nearly everyone who grows up in this state and it was no different for me,” explains Thornton. “West Virginia always felt like home,” he adds. He expanded his horizons a bit by traveling across the country during this time. He was driven partly by the fact that he was born with the genetic disorder Cystic Fibrosis. Not knowing how long his health would hold up, he picked up a camera and taught himself how to use it and went exploring.
As a photographer, he learned to see things differently. He learned what ‘real’ mountains were, as well as canyons, dark skies, and cities. However, he kept coming back to the ancient, eroded mountains of West Virginia and the old rivers with their carved-out valleys and canyons that are, frankly, a mere shadow of their Western counterparts. He learned that WV has night skies that are still dark enough to view the Milky Way and even our small towns and cities can be compelling under a certain light.
Nanette Seligman is a potter and a painter who blends painting and ceramics together, sometimes serious, sometimes not. Her pottery is a lifetime of expression waiting to get out. She has a ceramic studio in Davis, WV, and she also sells at regional art markets, the Davis Farmers and Artisan Market), and through the co-op Artist at Work in Elkins.
She studied art in undergrad and ceramics in graduate school. She spent her creative energy teaching art on all levels, K–college for many decades, and promoting the importance of art education on all grade levels throughout WV. Now it is her turn to solve her own creative problems and enjoys being in her studio.
The exhibits are free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and run through the end of September. For more information, please visit carnegiehallwv.org, call (304)-645-7917, or stop by the Hall at 611 Church Street, Lewisburg, WV.
Carnegie Hall programs are presented with financial assistance through a grant from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.
