FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- 4/20/08
Morgan Arts Council • Berkeley Springs, WV
Press contact only: Jeanne Mozier 258-4248

BERKELEY SPRINGS AT #7 ART DESTINATION IN U.S.A.

BERKELEY SPRINGS, WV -----The list of top art destinations in America
released recently by American Style magazine places Berkeley Springs,
WV at #7 among small cities and towns, the smallest in population of
the top 25. “It’s our seventh year on the list and we’re at #7, back
in the top 10,” says Jeanne Mozier, local arts promoter. “It all seems
magical.” Sante Fe and Asheville top the list but Berkeley Springs
ranked higher than many notable places including Boulder and Aspen,
Colorado; Sarasota, Florida and Annapolis, Maryland. “Berkeley Springs
continues to be the only town in West Virginia to make the list,” says
Mozier.

The list is compiled from votes cast by the public. Berkeley Springs
competes in the category of under 100,000 population. The complete
list in all three size categories can be found on the magazine’s
Website: americanstyle.com

Berkeley Springs making a national list has benefits beyond bragging
rights. “Many visitors come to Berkeley Springs specifically because it
is known as an art town. They seek out the galleries and want to know
where there is live music,” says Laura Smith, administrator of Travel
Berkeley Springs, the local visitors center. “We start getting calls in
March wanting to know who is performing during the summer concerts in
the park.”

Mozier asserts that being a nationally recognized art town also has an
impact on economic development since individuals and companies looking
to relocate seek out places with a rich cultural scene. “Being known
as a creative town is one of the most important assets Berkeley Springs
has to compete in the new economy,” she says.

Mary Hott, Executive Director of the Morgan Arts Council (MAC) has been
fielding requests for help from other places. “The Benedum Foundation
suggested that we might want to put together a presentation for other
towns who want to be ‘just like Berkeley Springs.’ That was their
phrase, not mine,” says Hott, “and we just received a request from
Berryville, Virginia to meet with a team and help them develop an arts
presence there.” Other recognition has come from Create West Virginia
which considers Berkeley Springs a model for the state, and the
national Boomtown Institute which highlights the town for its success
in using the arts for economic development.

“There are many pieces to the local art scene,” says Mozier, listing
activities MAC stages at the Ice House, local commercial galleries like
Mountain Laurel and Heath Gallery, groups like the Delectable Mountain
Quilters and Concerts on the Hill and regular music venues like Tari’s
Jam Night and weekends at the Troubadour. “When you consider percent
of population engaged in the arts either as participants or audience,
Berkeley Springs probably scores higher than Sante Fe,” she says,
“maybe even New York.” Mozier describes what she claims is a regular
occurrence. “On almost any given day at the Ice House there can be
play rehearsals, afterschool art classes and a gallery show being set
up. Add to that group of 50 or so people rehearsals in town for the
community choirs or music ensembles and people shopping in galleries
and it adds up to impressive art density. That doesn’t even consider
what happens on weekends when there are big audience events.”

As with major metropolitan areas that include large budget items for
cultural development, widespread public and corporate financial support
is a key part of Berkeley Springs’ success. “Corporate sponsors,
foundation and government grant funders, and local donors especially to
MAC are as essential to the thriving art scene as the artists,” says
Mozier. “Investing money in the arts and arts organizations shows the
value placed on the contribution the arts make to life.”

For more information on Morgan County arts activities check
www.macicehouse.org or call 304-258-2300.