Jeff Greenham

On Sunday, April 7, Fairmont’s Arts and Humanities Commission will present its annual awards to local individuals who have shown sustained achievement in the arts, to the educators and other mentors who inspire those efforts and to talented high school and Fairmont State University students.

For many in Marion County, standing in line for a bowl of soup and a slice of bread is a common way to meet an all-too-common need—hunger. On Sunday, March 11, from 11a.m. to 3p.m., at the Knights of Columbus in Fairmont, many residents will stand in a similar line in order to raise awareness and support through an Empty Bowls event.

For the fifth consecutive year handmade bowls created in the Fairmont State University ceramics studio will be donated to the United Way of Marion County where they will be used to serve food at a countywide “Empty Bowls” luncheon fundraiser.

A Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts faculty member has been named a 2016 Master Artist Fellow Final Round Nominee by the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts.

Jeff Greenham of Morgantown, Associate Dean of the FSU School of Fine Arts and Coordinator of the Department of Art, has been named as one of the top five candidates for the final round of nominees. In addition to his teaching career, Greenham is an accomplished ceramics artist.

Fairmont State University ceramic students, alumni, staff and faculty have created several hundred handmade bowls for this year’s Empty Bowls Marion County.

A Fairmont State University Art student and two recent Art graduates have been selected to be part of the Tamarack Foundation show “Emerge,” featuring the artwork of 18 students and recent graduates from college and university art programs across the state of West Virginia.

Fairmont State University’s Department of Art attended the West Virginia Art Education Association conference in Morgantown in October. Faculty members Jeff Greenham and Jennifer Yerdon LeJeune staffed a mobile vendor cart and student Ty Collins presented a painting session. Yerdon LeJeune presented shaped canvas and silk screen printing sessions.

Sponsored by the United Way of Marion County, an event on Sunday, April 19, will support the Sobrania Soup Opera, Mannington Food Pantry and the Salvation Army, providing needed nourishment for county residents. Empty Bowls Marion County also feeds the creative spirit of local potters.

A Fairmont State University School of Fine Arts faculty member recently served as a visiting artist at two local high schools.

Art Department Coordinator Jeff Greenham demonstrated ceramic art at Lewis County High School and North Marion High School for more than 250 students.

Greenham discussed the importance of creativity in all fields, talking about the history of ceramics and his career in the arts. 

Sponsored by the United Way of Marion County, an event on Sunday, March 16, will support the Sobrania Soup Opera, Mannington Food Pantry and the Salvation Army, providing needed nourishment for county residents. Empty Bowls Marion County also feeds the creative spirit of local potters.