“Astro King” by María Paz Avalos - ChileQuilting. (Image Provided)

PARKERSBURG — The Parkersburg Art Center will open three new exhibitions at once, each exploring creativity and connection in unique ways.

All three shows will open with a reception on Friday, Sept. 5, from 5-7 p.m., where guests can enjoy hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and the opportunity to meet some of the artists involved.

One of the exhibits is “Origins: A Collaborative Exhibition by TASO and ChileQuilting.” Since 2019, the Textile Artists of Southeastern Ohio (TASO) and ChileQuilting have been working together across continents, using quilting as a shared language to exchange ideas, techniques, and stories. Origins is their second joint project, featuring 15 textile works that explore the idea of beginnings–cultural, personal, and artistic.

Some pieces reflect family traditions and ancestral heritage, while others draw inspiration from memory, nature, or the first spark of artistic imagination. Each quilt offers a unique perspective, yet together they form a larger conversation about creativity, identity, and connection. This exhibition is the result of an ongoing partnership built on curiosity, friendship, and the belief that art can cross any border.

The next exhibit is “Illuminated: A Bestiary for Troubled Times.” This exhibit brings together three Athens County artists–Erin Noel Hogan, Emily Beveridge, and Danette Pratt–who explore the fantastical, the medieval, and the monstrous as ways to reflect on the challenges of the present day.

For a limited two-week engagement, the Kee No Kaze group will transform the Reception Gallery with the living art of bonsai. (Image Provided)

Hogan creates dragons from reclaimed fabric and wire, celebrating the strength and magic everyone carries within. Beveridge’s paintings draw on the stories of medieval female saints, offering contemporary reflections on their endurance and power. Pratt’s drawings and textile works merge science and myth, reimagining the strange beasts of medieval manuscripts with wonder and unease.

The final exhibit is “Kee No Kaze: The Art of Bonsai.” For a limited two-week engagement, the Kee No Kaze group will transform the Reception Gallery with the living art of bonsai.

These West Virginia artists shape and train miniature trees into striking natural sculptures, each one a meditation on patience, balance, and care.

The group’s name, Kee No Kaze, comes from the Japanese phrase meaning “Wind in the Trees.” Because these living works require special care, the exhibit will only be on view briefly. Even so, their presence offers a powerful counterpoint to the other exhibitions, reminding us that art can grow slowly, quietly, and with deep intention.

“Origins” and “Illuminated” will remain on view through Oct. 4,

The opening reception is free for members of the Parkersburg Art Center, children under 13, participating artists and a guest. Admission to the reception is $10 for all others with this fee supporting this and future exhibits.

Following the Friday event, gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, courtesy of WVU Medicine Camden Clark Medical Center.

The Parkersburg Art Center supports creativity and culture in the community through exhibitions, programs, educational opportunities, and special events. Learn more at www.parkersburgartcenter.org or email info@parkersburgartcenter.org.