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FeedMay 2, 2012 08:05 AM WV Sound
Keeping a beat in the Mountain State
Art is Alive in Mercer County
Photographed by Richard Hypes
Live music, a vibrant parade, a poetry slam, plays, a home tour, and so much more—All Together Arts Week in Mercer County is jam-packed with events. This year, All Together Arts Week takes place May 12 through May 19, 2012.
“This event is special because it brings together creative people from all around the area to experience literary, performing, healing, visual arts, and more, and collaborations and new friendships are born in the process,” says Lori McKinney, co-founder of the RiffRaff Arts Collective and volunteer for All Together Arts Week.
The week showcases creative opportunities in and around Mercer County, connecting musicians to bands, actors to theater companies, and music and art lovers to a plethora of sights and sounds. “It also gives us artists a week to really get out there and support one another, to visit new venues and build alliances, and to discover untapped resources,” Lori says.
Events happen all across the county throughout the week, with hundreds of people coming out for the kick-off on Saturday, May 12. At the end of the week, a parade through Princeton is a highlight for many residents, Lori says. “Last year, a couple of very talented artists built a giant paper mache elephant ... She will be back on May 19, along with a large dragon, a turtle, plenty of winged beings, and other costumed characters. There will be face painting, sidewalk chalking, and general merriment all day in downtown Princeton. It’s a very unique and colorful day that our creative community looks forward to all year.”
Check out All Together Arts Week:
Saturday, May 12
12 p.m., Kick-Off Event @ The Turnaround, downtown Princeton
2 p.m., Bramwell Spring Home Tours, Bramwell, followed by dinner at The Corner Shop
6 p.m., Sundays in New York at The Summit Theatre, Bluefield
7 p.m., Second Saturdays Live Music at Sisters' Coffee House, Princeton
9 p.m., Live Music at The Ramsey School, Bluefield
Sunday, May 13
8 a.m., Digital Landscapes Workshop @ Brainerd Gallery, Bluefield
2 p.m., Appalachian PenWorks Presents Poetry in the Park at Princeton Town Square
2 p.m., Sundays in New York at The Summit Theatre, Bluefield
Monday, May 14
3:30 p.m., Reader's Theatre @ Craft Memorial Library, Bluefield
4:30 p.m., Knitting Club @ Craft Memorial Library, Bluefield
5 p.m., Wood and Alabaster Stone Carving Class @ Neighbors' Arts & Crafts, Princeton
6 p.m., Crochet and Knitting Club @ Princeton Public Library
7 p.m., Open Stage Night @ The RiffRaff, Princeton
Tuesday, May 15
1 p.m., Opening of "Pre-Columbian Art Meets Cameo Glass" at Bronze Look II, Bluefield
6:30 p.m., Sound Healing & Peace Meditation at Windhorse Healing Arts Center, Bluefield
8 p.m., Poetry Open Mic & Writers' Coffee Klatch at Windhorse Healing Arts Center, Bluefield
Wednesday, May 16
6 p.m., Healing Arts Sampler at Windhorse Healing Arts Center, Bluefield
9 p.m., Live Music at The Ramsey School, Bluefield
Thursday, May 17
1 p.m., Painting Workshop at Neighbors' Arts & Crafts, Princeton
6 p.m., Camera Club at Associated Photography, Princeton
6:30 p.m., Dinner and Jazz Music at East River Arts, Bluefield
8 p.m., Open Mic Night @ East River Arts
Friday, May 18
Open House @ The Bronze Look, Princeton
7 p.m., Open Mic Night @ The Little Opry, Glenwood
7 p.m., Friday Night Open Stage @ Gary Bowling's House of Art, Bluefield
Saturday, May 19
11 a.m., Art Alive in the Streets, Grand Finale Parade and Drum Circle @ Mercer St., downtown Princeton
8 p.m., Moms Let Loose at Chuck Mathena Center, Princeton
9 p.m., Live Music at The Ramsey School, Bluefield
I'm sure it's too late now but, maybe next year Almost Heaven Bakery and Nonna's Italian Kitchen can have something or do something to get involved in this wonderful event.
Martha Barberio