Often the first question I get about the conference is…”How much?”

If your plan to attend all three days, the conference itself is only $120 if you are a member of WVW, $140 if you’re not.  If you joined via the contest, you get the membership rate, even if you haven’t received your new member info. yet.  Just mark “member” and we’ll figure it out.

For lodging there a number of possibilities.  I understand at Cedar Lakes (where most people stay) the rooms that are left are just $45 a night (2 nights).
Also most folks get the meal ticket, as we all eat together furthering the camaraderie, connections and cohort collaborations.  Breakfast is $6, lunch $7, dinner $8, and the Saturday night banquet is $18.  Everyone who’s ever attended will tell you the food is excellent.

You don’t have to attend all 3 days.  The registration is very flexible and you can build your own conference package.  Here are some quick conference facts, followed by the Conference registration link.  If you’ve got any questions I suggest you contact the folks listed on that site as they will know in real time what is available.  I will not.

Good luck in the contest, and if you didn’t enter, come join us at the conference and get inspired to dazzle us with your entries next year.

• Established in 1978
• Held the second weekend in June at Cedar Lakes Conference Center ,  accessible to those with mobility impairment, Ripley, WV
• Reception
• Three days of writing workshops
• People’s choice competitions for both Prose and Poetry
• Writers’ Wall writing display and competition
• Informal discussions
• Banquet
• Writing Competition Awards Ceremony
• Social activities
• Bookstore
• Silent Auction
• Annual business meeting
• Entertainment.

Celebrate the first day of Spring with M. T. Pockets at a sexy fundraiser that is sure to beat the winter blues!  The Dirty Spelling Bee will challenge contestants on their x-rated spelling ability with words pertaining to anatomy, bedroom behavior, sexual expression, and sexy slang.

Door open at 6:30 p.m. and the Spelling Bee starts at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for students (must be 18).

Takes place in the Tanner Theatre, Monongalia Arts Center, 107 High Street, Morgantown WV 26501

1) New Juried Visual Arts Exhibition

Back by popular demand, this juried exhibition will showcase the region’s vibrant creative community. The exhibition will take place at an indoor Cultural District gallery during the 2010 Three Rivers Arts Festival, June 4-13, in downtown Pittsburgh.
Submissions are welcome from across the spectrum of visual arts. Works will be juried by a panel of Pittsburgh-based artists and curators.

Artists who meet residence requirements may enter up to three qualifying individual pieces for jury. The goal of the New Juried Arts Exhibition is to showcase the best art produced in our region. Decisions will be based solely on aesthetic quality as determined by the jury panel in an anonymous jury process.

Deadline for submissions: March 30, 2010
More information: http://www.artsfestival.net/visualart/juried-visual-art-2010.html
Download a prospectus and application: http://www.artsfestival.net/TRAF_Juried_Art_Fill_In_Application.pdf

Artist questions about the New Juried Visual Art Exhibition (i.e. does my work qualify?) should be directed to Sonja Sweterlitsch at 412-471-3191 or sweterlitsch@pgharts.org.


2) The 2010 Poster Contest

Three Rivers Arts Festival and City Paper <http://pghcitypaper.com/>  invite you to submit your best artwork for the 2010 Three Rivers Arts Festival poster. The winning artwork will creatively represent Three Rivers Arts Festival’s mission to connect the community to the arts.

The grand prize winning design will be used to help promote the 2010 Three Rivers Arts Festival throughout the region. Four winning designs will be produced as posters.

Deadline for entries: March 17, 2010
More information and guidelines: http://www.artsfestival.net/visualart/2010-poster-contest.html
Entry form: http://www.artsfestival.net/visualart/2010-poster-entry.html

Open call for entries has been extended until March 15, 2009

Visit Tracing Lines Project for more details and contact information

Email Aimee Sones at aimeesones (at) gmail.com

“Through this project, we aim to collect images of the lines that intersect our daily paths, telephone poles and electrical power lines, radio towers and other parts of the electrical grid and infrastructure that supports our lives that can be a beautiful nuisance to our eyes. The project began in southern California and now includes images from around the world, tracing the lines that connect us to the landscape. This call has been expanded from digital images to include documentation of paintings, sculpture, fashion or any other objects that utilize these lines as a design motif.

Only digital submissions will be accepted, photographs taken using the iPhone and other mobile devices or other lower resolution images are invited as they are often linked to the geographic coordinates which will assist in tracing the lines across the globe.

There is no fee to submit, please email up to 7 images (I MB or less per image) to tracinglinesproject@gmail.com with your name and “submission” in the subject heading. Please include your contact information, proper photo credits and as much information as to where the photograph was taken as possible (i.e. intersecting roads, city, state and county). Please label all photographs with your first and last name, and location in the title of the piece (ie, john_jones_los_angeles_1). Please include a short bio, statement regarding your interest in these lines and imagery and 2 page CV. All work submitted will be considered for online exhibitions, future publications and traveling exhibitions.

In submitting work to the project, all artists understand that their work may be used to promote the project and included but not limited to small runs of image reproduction for exhibitions and to support the project.

*** to submit video work, please send us a link to your vimeo, youtube, blip or other web address posting for our review.

This project was initiated by Aimee Sones, who is now collaborating with Alexandra Copley, John Javins and Jessica Larva to collect, curate and continue the process of tracing lines.”

THE GIFTS OF THE MAGI
Music by RANDY COURTS. Lyrics by MARK ST. GERMAIN and RANDY COURTS.
Directed by KARA HAAS
December 9, 10, 11, 12 @ 8 PM
Sunday, December 13 @ 3 PM
It’s Christmas in New York City in this touching and beautiful story of a young couple unable to afford presents for each other on their first Christmas together. Each sacrifices a treasure to provide a gift for the other but, in so doing, they work at almost tragically funny cross-purposes. This is a play about young love and the value of giving. Indeed, the Magi were wise and their gifts were wise gifts, however foolish in the eyes of the practical. Directed by Kara Haas. Appropriate for all ages.

POE
Based on the works of EDGAR ALLEN POE | Directed by KARA HAAS
October 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 @ 8 PM
Tanner Theatre, Monongalia Arts Center

There is no better way to spend Halloween than with a scary story, and Edgar Allan Poe is the original master of the genre.

Recommend for mature audiences.

THE ANNIVERSARY OF MISS NANETTE PRINGLE
Written by DONALD FIDLER | Directed by SHEA THOMPSON
October 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24 @ 8 PM
Sunday Matinee, October 25 @ 3 PM
Tanner Theatre, Monongalia Arts Center A group of eight adults who have been friends most of their lives, gather each year on the anniversary of the death of a their jr. high teacher, Miss Nanette Pringle. This year, meeting at a diner in Texas, many things are exposed about how their lives were forever changed by this incredible woman. Secrets are told, new lies are exposed, and the eight are forever changed. Presented in conjucntion with WVU’s Diversity Week.

Recommended for mature audiences.