Contact: Kimberly Osborne (304) 766-3363 kosborne@wvstateu.edu
INSTITUTE, W.Va. – Support the work of local artists and entrepreneurs this gift-giving season with the West Virginia State University (WVSU) Creators Program’s “Creators Under the Tree” holiday event. Products such as books, movies, music, crafts and gourmet seasonings will be available for purchase at the WVSU Economic Development Center (EDC) Wednesday, Dec. 3, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
“The Creators Program has done awesome this year,” said Jaime Rinehart, office manager at the WVSU EDC. “We’ve had high enrollment, sold out workshops, excellent participant feedback and additional funding support. This holiday event is our way of celebrating the successes of the season as we look forward to next year.”
Participating vendors include Daniel Boyd, filmmaker (“Chillers,” “Invasion of the Space Preachers”) and author of the graphic novel “Carbon;” Eric Douglas, author of “Heart of Maya;” William Bitner, author of “She Saw Dinosaurs;” Cat Pleska, editor of “Fed From the Blade;” F. Keith Davis, author of “The Secret Life and Brutal Death of Mamie Thurman;” Frank Larnerd, editor of “Hills of Fire: Bare-Knuckle Yarns of Appalachia;” and Carter Taylor Seaton, author of “Hippie Homesteaders.”
Other vendors include entrepreneurs BeFine Designs, HepCatz Design, Mud River Pottery and Dickinson Salt, as well as merchandise from Mountain Stage. There will also be live music from local performers Lady D and the BrotherSisters.
Rinehart says plans are already underway for the Creators Program’s spring season, which will launch in the New Year.
“We definitely have high hopes for next season, with some big names coming through to deliver Creators Talks,” she said. “We also have some new equipment and technology at the EDC which will be incorporated into next season, along with some intermediate workshops that will pick up where some of our most popular beginner workshops leave off.”
The Creators Program launched in 2012 as a series of community workshops for all levels focusing on skills and knowledge essential to creating for mass media and art. WVSU partners with the West Virginia Economic Development Council and the West Virginia Film Office on the series. WVSU Cultural Activities cosponsors Creators Under the Tree.
Creators Under the Tree is free to attend. There is a $10 fee for vendors. Contact Jaime Rinehart at (304) 720-1401 for vendor information.
The WVSU EDC is located at 1506 Kanawha Blvd. West in Charleston.
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