More Art, Please Events are in motion to make art an exuberant, front-and-center part of life inMorgantown. written by PAM KASEY
Really great cities have great art. Sculptures, museums, festivals, concerts— all vibrant, thriving cities have that. — Morgantown Director of Arts
Here’s a question: Can we take it for granted that art just happens —that creative people will make the world sparkle and sing for us because they can’t help themselves? Or is art something we have to nurture if we want it to thrive? Probably some of both. We’ve come a long way with the first approach. Morgantown has a raft of talented 2D and 3D artists and a vibrant entertain- ment scene. Vigorous nonprofits support the arts. Still, for a town of our size and bustle, it has felt like some- thing was missing. We don’t have the critical mass of galleries that draw people to Lewisburg, or Berkeley Springs’ quirky feel, or a premier arts celebration like Charleston’s two-week, citywide FestivALL. In those towns, one gets the feeling that ideas are crackling and surprise is just around the corner. Morgantown wants more art— the lively attendance at 2019’s monthly Arts Walks proved that. And our creative community has the talent and passion to make it happen. What it’s had only piecemeal, though, is the City’s undergirding support. Jenny Selin, a longtime arts supporter on City Council, affirms that. “It just feels like art hasn’t gotten the city push that it could have.” Until now. This year, the City of Morgantown is making the arts a full-on commitment.
The shift started with a new full-time position for arts and cultural development—the second city-based such position in the state, after Charleston’s. Hired in April, Vincent Kitch brings experience from cultural hot spots Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington. Then, in Council’s 2020– 2022 Strategic Plan, it named development of arts and culture one of its 10 strategic goals, right up there with fiscal stability and excellent city services. That gives extra oomph to Kitch’s position, and he’s sure Mor- gantown will benefit in quality of life, economic vitality, and tourist draw. “Arts and culture supports all aspects of what a good community is,” he says. The arts can also ease Mor- gantown’s growing pains by con- tributing to the dialogs over tough issues like policing and homeless- ness. “In social change, artists and arts and culture organizations lead the way in those difficult conversations,” Kitch says. “I have been involved in projects where arts and culture were pivotal in bringing communities together that have had long-stand- ing differences.” The role of arts and culture is intangible, but essential to community identity and integrity. “Cities have to be safe, we have to eat and live—but our humanity, that soft side of ourselves and our community, is what arts and culture is for.”
Now Kitch, with Coun- cil’s backing, is preparing an application that would make Morgantown a West Virginia Certified Arts Community. The handful of cities that have earned the designation—Berke- ley Springs and Lewisburg as well as Elkins and Wheeling and just a few others—are leveraging it successfully for both lifestyle and economic benefits, and the potential is growing. “Arts is, I think, the number 5 industry in the state right now, and it’s only going to get stronger, especially after this pandemic,” says West Virginia Director of Arts Lance Schrader. Kitch is collaborating with people all across town to create an application that will wow the state Commission on the Arts. “It’s been a great way for me to learn about the community, and it’s helped me lay the ground- work for future partners,” he says. “I want to make sure that I can represent everyone’s stories so I can do justice to all that came before and Morgantown can receive this designation.” State Certified Arts Commu- nity status would honor what Morgantown’s artists and arts organizations have achieved up to now. Once the status is grant- ed, Kitch says, the value of it depends on all of us. “It’s up to the community to make some- thing of it and use it for a positive.”
and Cultural Development Vincent Kitch
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