Parkersburg United Bank Manager Katie Holsinger, left, presented Huntington artist Don McDowell with the Best in Show prize for his work “The Fisherman” Friday at the Parkersburg Art Center during the center’s Biennial PAC Regional Exhibit opening reception. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Art Center invited the community to the opening reception for the PAC Regional Exhibit on Friday.

Artistic Director Abby Hayhurst said the center saw an unprecedented number of entries this year from both amateur and professional artists living within a 100-mile radius of Parkersburg.

“We have 235 works of art, and this gallery is full at 90, so it’s wonderful, and I love it,” Hayhurst said. “It’s just such a joyful thing to see everybody expressing their creativity in this way and not being intimidated and saying, ‘Hell yes, I’m gonna put some work in the show.'”

Two of those artists were Steve Sisson and his wife Debbie Kalt-Sission.

“We try to participate in those shows as much as we can,” Steve Sisson said. “I was a draftsman for 38 years, and I retired three years ago, and I’ve been trying to pursue art more seriously.”

People enjoy exhibits on display Friday at the Parkersburg Art Center during the Biennial PAC Regional Exhibit opening reception. The exhibit was free to the public and featured 235 pieces from artists located within a 100-mile radius of Parkersburg. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

Debbie Kalt-Sisson said she was an art teacher for 38 years.

“This exhibit is great because they have an opportunity to be able to get their art sold, and that gives them that little push… a chance to be seen,” Debbie Kalt-Sission said. “I think artists, they put a lot of time and effort into their work, and they want it to be shared with other people. There’s always a piece of art for somebody to make a connection.”

The exhibit included a wide range of media such as paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and gouache; drawings in pencil, pastel, charcoal, chalk, graphite and acrylic marker; photography; and works in wood, collage, clay, stoneware, textiles, glass and mixed media.

Hayhurst said one of the reasons the exhibit drew so much attention was the donations from sponsors.

“Aside from the fact that people are finally throwing off the COVID yoke, we are offering good cash prizes,” she said. “We’ve got WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center. They sponsor the prizes, and United Bank sponsors the rest. And thanks to United Bank, we can print a catalog, and thanks to WVU Med, we can give away good prizes.”

Patrick Stewart and Ellen Bond discuss a piece at the Parkersburg Art Center Friday during the center’s Biennial PAC Regional Exhibit opening reception. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

She said every year the center picks one of the four standard behaviors from Camden Clark, known as the 4 C’s (compassion, communication, commitment and competence), as the theme. This year’s was “compassion.”

Juror Alison Helm, retired head of the School of Art & Design at West Virginia University, selected winners in four categories: two-dimensional, three-dimensional, photo/digital and theme-based work.

“She looked at the idea. She looks at the technical aspect of the work. Is it painted? Is it carved? Was it done well? Is it finished nicely? So she had a criteria,” Hayhurst said.

The exhibit will remain on display through Aug. 22 with gallery hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free, courtesy of Camden Clark.

Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com.

Charleston artist Newman Jackson enjoys the exhibits on display Friday at the Parkersburg Art Center during the center’s Biennial PAC Regional Exhibit Opening Reception. The exhibit was free to the public and featured 235 pieces from artists located within a 100-mile radius of Parkersburg. (Photo by Douglass Huxley)

WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center Director of Marketing and Public Affairs Roger Lockhart congratulates artist Jack Norman for his third place piece “Old Ben” Friday at the Parkersburg Art Center during the Biennial PAC Regional Exhibit opening reception. Every year the center picks one of the four standard behaviors from Camden Clark, known as the 4 C’s (compassion, communication, commitment and competence) as the theme, with this year’s being “compassion.” (Photo by Douglass Huxley)