Education
Art Connections
As a holistic and innovative program, participants integrate personal experiences in a safe, stress-free, therapeutic environment with guidance and support of facilitators. Through visual art, drama, music and dance, techniques are utilized that foster and encourage validation, confidence, understanding and empowerment. This is a free, mobile, 6-week program situated and hosted in various locations assessed as higher-needs throughout Wood and Washington Counties. Services are available for ages 5 & up.
Arts Encounter
Students from local middle schools visit Artsbridge, Wood County Society, Parkersburg Art Center and Actors Guild of Parkersburg for workshops on pottery, drawing, acting, choreography, costumes and wigs. The goal is to introduce students to the area’s artistic and cultural offerings and actively engage them in the arts in a relaxed atmosphere.
Art Installations & Exhibits
Artsbridge works with local schools and local businesses to create exhibits in the communities it serves. There is currently an exhibit in place at citizens bank in Belpre for Belpre City School students’ pieces. There are also exhibits for local city schools at the Grand Central Mall on a two-week rotation from March thru the end of the school year.
Catalog of Artists & Artists on Tour
The Artsbridge Catalog of Artists offers supplemental arts instruction in dance, drama, visual arts and music, and is designed for targeted instruction to enhance student learning. With its emphasis on STEM initiatives, Artsbridge is bringing the arts into the schools and evolving into STEAM initiatives. Schools and teachers can request someone from the catalog to give a presentation to a classroom or larger group. Artsbridge currently has 24 artists in a variety of media who are available for the program. The Artists on Tour program, which schedules artists to give presentations to school students, offers three tours each school year under the program for elementary students from kindergarten through sixth grades.
Catalog of Artists
Scholarships & Teacher Awards
Janet Frazier Scholarship Award
One elementary or middle school and a high school Fine Arts teacher will be awarded $1,000 each.
Donna Campbell Award for Excellence
Two students pursuing a Fine Arts degree will be awarded $1,500 each for their first semester of college.
Parkersburg native Luke Frazier, founder and conductor of the American Pops Orchestra, approached Artsbridge in the summer of 2019 with the idea for an annual scholarship for graduating West Virginia high school seniors who are pursuing Fine Arts in college. The scholarship application and rubric are distributed to local high school guidance counselors, administrators, and Fine Arts teachers. The scholarship, called the Donna Campbell Award for Excellence after Luke’s grandmother is for the amount of $1,500 for the first semester of college. There will be two student scholarship winners chosen this year, each for $1,500.
In addition to the student scholarship award, Luke has set up an award for an outstanding Fine Arts Teacher. This award, called the Janet Frazier Award for Excellence, also named for one of Luke’s grandmothers, shall have two West Virginia winners annually; one elementary or middle school Fine Arts teacher and one high school Fine Arts teacher. Nominees for this award must be currently teaching Arts, Music or Drama. Both recipients will receive $1,000 for supplies for their classroom. Nominations can be made by parents, students, administrators, fellow teachers, etc.Â
Application Instructions
 The deadline to apply is February 29, 2024. These Scholarship award opportunities are available to all students in our service area in Washington County, Ohio and Wood, Ritchie, Pleasants, Jackson, Roane, Doddridge, Tyler and Wirt Counties in West Virginia. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Artsbridge. Please email the completed applications to artsbridgedirector@gmail.com (please put Scholarship Application or Award Nomination in the Subject line) or mail them to:
Artsbridge
925 Market Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101
Teacher Awards
Annual award for outstanding fine arts teachers nominated by their students and community members.
Very Spectacular Arts Festival
The annual Very Spectacular Arts Festival brings between 250-500 students with special needs from Washington County, Ohio and Wood, Wirt, Pleasants, Jackson, Doddridge and Roane Counties in West Virginia. Students come together for a day of hands-on arts experiences including painting, singing, dancing and STEAM learning.