West Virginia Creative Network, WVSU Extension Service and Echo-Lit to Host Ripple Project Celebration

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Creative Network (WVCN), formerly the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts, West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service, and Echo-Lit will host a West Side Ripple Mural Project Celebration Thursday, March 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Echo-Lit on Charleston’s West Side.

Over the past months, artists, neighbors and local partners have come together through WVCN’s Ripple program to imagine and create something lasting for Charleston: a West Side ArtsPark anchored by a mural fence that transforms shared space into a place for creativity and gathering. 

“This event is a celebration of the eight selected artists and community members who created the project and an opportunity to share their story with the community,” said WVSU Arts Extension Educator Robert Moore. “We will share photos from the project’s process and hear from the partners, local leaders and community members who designed the project.”

The project reflects the voices, ideas and collaboration of the community—and the power of art to shape place.

“Our dream is to create a welcoming place where folks can step off the busy streets to gather, create and feel at home—surrounded by art, nature and one another in our West Side neighborhood,” said Jeanne Stevenson, owner of Echo-Lit, which designs original and unique art to inspire and educate while supporting local artists. 

Stevenson envisioned the West Side ArtsPark to be a place rooted in community care and creativity, encouraging people of all ages to slow down, connect and share in the joy of public art, she said.

The Ripple program is a collaboration between WVCN and WVSU Extension Service. It is an artist-led community and economic development pilot program for artists and their communities, designed to help create a shared vision of collaboration for developing public art and supporting working artists at the local level by connecting artists with other businesses. 

“The West Side Ripple Mural Project is exactly what the West Virginia Creative Network was built to support — artists and community members working side by side to transform their neighborhoods through creativity,” said WVCN Executive Director Renée Margocee. “This arts park is a testament to what becomes possible when we invest in local artists and give communities the tools to shape their own story. We’re incredibly proud of everyone who brought this vision to life.”

Participating communities receive coaching, technical assistance and grant funds to design and implement projects that pay local artists for services and bridge the gap between business and arts.

The Ripple program is made possible with support from the Benedum Foundation and the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation.

Echo-Lit is located at 427 Washington Street West in Charleston.

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