Spring Wildflower Art Exhibit open at Tamarack, online

Cheryl Keenan, The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.
·2 min read

Apr. 11—GLEN JEAN — Flowers are blooming and spring is in the air. See how local students creatively celebrate the season and regional ecology through art at the Youth Arts in the Parks (YAP) 2024 Appalachian Spring Wildflower Art Exhibit at Tamarack Marketplace.

The annual contest was open to all students in grades K through 12 from Fayette, Mercer, Nicholas, Raleigh, and Summers counties. Students learned about regional wildflowers and Appalachian ecology while they created art using watercolor paint, oil pastels, pencils, paper, and more. Some artists also used computers to digitally create art featuring local wildlife (Digital Critters).

The creativity and talents of local students yielded amazing works of art, with over 200 participants this year. The top 69 juried pieces are now showcased at Tamarack Marketplace in Beckley through May 6. The works of these featured youth artists are on exhibit in the lobby of the Hulett C. Smith Theater, while the five Best in Show artists' pieces will later be displayed alongside adult artists in the The Life Art_quatic: Aquatic & Marine life spring gallery show that opens May 1 in Tamarack Marketplace's David L. Dickirson Fine Art Gallery. Tamarack is open Wednesdays through Mondays (closed Tuesdays) from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. See the YAP exhibit online at https://www.nps.gov/neri/youth-arts-in-the-parks.htm.

The display is part of the 2024 Spring Nature Fling. This annual event runs from mid-March through May and highlights the wonders of nature in central Appalachia.

Join free guided hikes and talks with rangers and naturalists, try your hand at nature-inspired art, attend nature workshops, learn about regional plants through art created by local youth and adult artists, and more. Event programs, workshops, and exhibits will take place at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Tamarack Marketplace, Beckley Art Center, Love Hope Gallery, Active Southern West Virginia, Three Rivers Avian Center, Beckley, Fayetteville, Hinton, Oak Hill, and the West Virginia State Parks of Babcock, Bluestone, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield, Hawks Nest, Little Beaver, Pipestem Resort and Twin Falls Resort.

The event schedule is available at www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/spring-nature-fling.htm.