WVWS President Jeannine Romano was pleased for the organization to be exhibited at Gallery 842.

“During the past two years as president of the West Virginia Watercolor Society, I have been continually amazed and inspired by the caliber of talented artists we have in our state,” Romano said. “The motto ‘to promote and ensure a high standard of watercolor painting’ is demonstrated by many of our members, who mentor and teach watercolor painting throughout the region. It is exciting for us to bring our creative flair to the Huntington area.”

The exhibit was juried by John Farley, gallery director and adjunct art faculty member at Marshall University. A graduate of Marshall University’s Department of Art and Design, Farley’s work has been chosen for display in the Huntington Museum of Art and the West Virginia Culture Center, among others.

Farley encouraged the public to view this exhibit, noting the diversity and talent represented in the show.

“There are a wide variety of examples of various watercolor techniques – despite the fact that they are all under the umbrella of watercolor paintings,” Farley said. “Viewers will find everything from highly representational portraiture to gestural abstract paintings.”

Gallery 842 is both a community- and Marshall University-held space to promote local talent and initiative. The gallery is a free cultural experience for any artist or art enthusiast. Summer hours are as follows: Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information or questions about Gallery 842, or any College of Fine Arts events, contact Jaye Ike by phone at 304-696-3296 or by e-mail at jaye.ike@marshall.edu.

The Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Downtown Live Committee will host its 3rd Annual Children’s Art Festival Extravaganza (CAFÉ)

When: Saturday, June 12 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Ninth Street Plaza between Third & Fourth Avenues
The 3rd annual CAFÉ event will have activities for children 12 years old and younger. Some of the arts featured are the following: book making, stamp art, tie-dye art, sculptures, a children’s community mural and others.

The event is free for everyone.
Other activities will include performances by the Cabell County Public Library Puppets, Jeslyn Performing Arts Center and visits from a clown. The Cabell County Sheriff’s Department will be on hand to do children’s finger printing.

A Sidewalk Art Sale will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Various artists will display and sell their works on the plaza during the event. Arts for the sale will include: Photography, Oils, Pastels, Quilting, Jewelry, Hair Accessories, Miniature Framed Artwork and Outsider Art.

For more information, contact the Chamber at (304) 525-5131.

Honestly, the term “multi-cultural center” doesn’t really do a great job of explaining what it is they are aiming to do. This small handful of people want to create a destination where anyone can come and discover new foods, new music, new dance, new art, and new people. A place where you can take classes to learn how to make some amazing food or learn a fun and invigorating dance while at the same time learning about the cultural significance of each. It’s more than just a classroom or dining room though – it is also a place of celebration where events will highlight various cultures and where the community can come together. This is pretty heady stuff because it means, even after they’ve raised money for a facility, they will still be volunteering their time and their energy to providing classes, to finding new and compelling information, and to reaching out to everyone in the area to make sure everyone feels welcome within their doors.

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner in the home of an Ethiopian family here in Huntington. During the meal I was able to enjoy some amazing food; food I otherwise never would have had the chance to taste. There were some great pancake like bread shells, called Injera, and some awesome bean and meat fillings that were accompanied with just the right amount of spice. The best part were the amazing drinks they made for us to wash it all down with it. That family invited about 20 people into their home for dinner that night and across the table I met some great people from all walks of life in Huntington. After dinner we all, even the most reserved people there, eventually got up and learned a new dance and the whole time, this incredibly diverse group smiled and laughed and made new friends. Over the course of the meal we had some great conversations and I learned about, not only Ethiopian culture, but about various programs and organizations within Huntington. When I think of the multicultural center I imagine I will get just as much out of each event they host. I will learn, I will meet new people, I will laugh, and I will undoubtedly eat some amazing and new food.

In the spirit of full disclosure I want it to be clear that I have no involvement in the planning or the work going on in making the cultural center a reality. I’ve just witnessed the team working and planning at the weekly Chat-n-Chew’s at the Frederick building lobby over the past few months. Their energy is infectious and their sincere desire to bring something really great to life in Huntington is something that can only be commended. The multicultural team is a group that isn’t focused on what could have been – they are completely dedicated to what can still be and I can’t stress enough how great it is to see that attitude in Huntington.

Of course, a team can only talk and plan for so long before they have to start the hard task of implementing their plan. This is true of the multicultural project and they are about to have their first fundraiser – a food sampling during the Marshall Artist Series “Uncorked” event on May 22 starting at 1pm. Even if you can’t afford to attend the full “Uncorked” wine tasting I encourage you to take a stroll along 4th avenue and to explore the various food vendors, and the multi-cultural cuisine, that will be available. I’ll be there snacking the part of the day away and I truly hope you will all join me.

The team doesn’t have a website yet but I’ll be sure to let you know where it is once it is up!

NOTE: this doesn’t seem to work in IE so please use firefox, chrome, safari, or opera when going to the site.

You can click on the image to see a larger version.

The ArtGawk is the brain child of Carter Seaton who, after seeing a similar display at Charleston’s FestivALL, felt we needed something similar here.  Thanks to her hard work, and the efforts of the many who aided her, there are over 60 works on display so you can almost guarantee that there will be something that catches your eye or makes you think.  All of the art you see is actually on sale which benefits not only the artists but the owners of the buildings displaying the work as they will receive a 5% commission.  Hopefully this commission will encourage other building owners to become involved in future ArtGawks.

If you would like to participate in a future ArtGawk – or get involved in ,or start, any other projects – you should stop by a weekly chat-n-chew; Thursday nights starting at 5:3opm at the Frederick Building lobby.

Kiva is a micro-lending web site. Micro-lending, to those who aren’t familiar with the concept, is a way to provide financing to people who can’t get financing through traditional financial systems. For example, a farmer in Azerbaijan may need some cash to buy a cow – but the large banks there won’t make a loan out for that small of an amount of money. At the same time the farmer may not be able to afford a larger loan and thus can’t use the normal banking system. That’s where mico-finance steps in. It enables that farmer to borrow the money he needs to buy his cow at a reasonable interest rate as compared to local money-lenders (which often charge in excess of 100% interest).

We just started our team this morning so we have only made a single $25 loan so far. However, you too can join and make loans to resourceful people all over the world who are working hard to take care of themselves, their families, and their communities.

I encourage you to check out the site and see what micro-finance and Kiva are all about. If it interests you then please join our team and then make a loan. You don’t make any money from lending out the money but you’ll certainly make a difference in many small communities throughout the world.

Organizers are seeking artists who would like to display their works. “This is a chance to bring more talent to the forefront here in Huntington.  The 27th will be full of creative energy provided by an entire community who believes in the change that art can be.  If this is successful, we would like to possibly make this a monthly event.” – Christopher R.J. Worth

For more information, or to get involved, please call 304-942-6959.

While you’re downtown you can also check out the cruise-in, get some snacks from various food vendors, and visit some of the new and old shops that pepper the area. The classic cars are already starting to line up for the cruise in and the block party (which starts at 5pm.) I hope to see the street packed with people from all over the area!

Also, remember, that this concert is the first in the series that will span the entire summer. On the first Tuesday of every month there will be another party running from 4pm to 10pm. You can’t beat a free party so you have no excuse in not coming out.

Marshall University Professor Dr. Bonita Lawrence poses with the differential analyzer before the model was unveiled during a public demonstration Saturday night at Marshall.

It is not a computer or a calculator in the modern sense, but a mathematical machine known as the differential analyzer (DA) does help students understand and solve certain types of mathematical equations known as differential equations.

Marshall University’s differential analyzer model was unveiled during a public demonstration Saturday, May 2 at the Francis-Booth Experimental Theatre on the Huntington campus.

Marshall’s model, nicknamed Art, is one of only a handful of DAs in the country and is the only one available for public inspection, according to Dr. Bonita Lawrence, a professor with Marshall’s Department of Math.

“When I saw the static display of the Manchester Differential Analyzer at the London Science Museum, I stood and looked through the glass and wondered where I could see one of these machines in action and what an exciting experience it would be for our students to study this early technology,” Lawrence said. “When I discovered that the only working machine in the U.S. was in a private home I thought, ‘perhaps we should build our own!’ ”

Research on using mechanical machines to figure differential equations started as early as the mid 1800’s, but the first practical differential analyzer was built in the United States in the 1930’s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  A few other machines have been constructed over the years at military bases and universities.

The development of high-tech calculators and digital computers has nearly rendered the DA obsolete, although Lawrence says there is still an advantage to using it for instruction.

“There is a wonderful quote from Dr. Vannevar Bush (the first to build such a machine at M.I.T.), ‘Experience is necessary, of course, in order to use the device effectively. This is actually one of the most attractive aspects of the machine; one acquires an entirely new appreciation of the innate nature of a differential equation as that experience is gained,’ ” Lawrence said.   “Although his purpose for building the machine was to find solutions for physical models of interest  to him at the time, Dr. Bush also could see the educational value  of the  wonderful visual interpretation of a differential equation (an equation involving rates of change) that the machine offers.”

Work on the four-integrator differential analyzer began in 2007 for Lawrence and her team of students after they had successfully built a smaller two-integrator machine.   Team members include Richard Merritt, Anthony Justice, Aaron Bevins, George Chappel, William Morrison, Stacy Scudder, Saeed Keshavarzian, Rebecca Klug, Tom Cuchta, John Fishman, Lin Yuan, Tue Ly, Michael Lake, Devon Tivener and Kelsey Herholdt.

Marshall University’s differential analyzer is constructed of Meccano, which is material used for working models and mechanical devices.

For more information contact Lawrence at 304-696-3040 or via e-mail at lawrence@marshall.edu.