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“The Gallery at Towngate” Hosts First Friday Event

View Art Exhibit and Enjoy a Free, Festive Reception

Join us November 4 at Oglebay Institute’s Towngate Theatre and get introduced  to “The Gallery at Towngate.”  A public reception takes place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The event coincides with Wheeling’s monthly First Friday event.

View the current exhibit on display.  Watercolor artist April Waltz is the featured artist.  In addition, you can go upstairs to the theater and watch a series of short films by independent filmmakers from across the country.  Film shorts will be playing on a loop. So, you can come and go at your leisure.

First Friday Fun!  Have a Drink on Us!

Enjoy a glass of wine or craft beer. Have some light refreshments, too. The event is free and open to the public.

“Whether you are out with the family, on a date or enjoying a night out with friends, stop by Towngate Theatre.  Enjoy the art, film and reception. Meet our staff, too.  Most of all, explore our theater,” Thompson said. “You’ll discover more about all the arts and entertainment events that take place here year-round”

April Waltz Exhibit Reception Nov.4 for First Friday
“Sweet Tooth” by April Waltz. Waltz works primarily in watercolor, but also works with photography and casting. Her work showcases a vibrant use of color and shape that fills the frame with a wondrous and often playful energy. Her work has been seen in numerous group and solo exhibitions throughout Ohio and West Virginia. She is the featured artist at “The Gallery at Towngate.”

The Gallery at Towngate

Towngate Theatre is well known in Wheeling and its surrounding communities for community theater productions, children’s theater, concerts, ballet, film screenings, spoken word and other performing arts events.  But did you know that Towngate is also an art gallery?  The theater lobby is now home to changing art exhibits.

“The Gallery at Towngate” is an extension of the exhibit season hosted by Oglebay Institute’s Stifel Fine Art Center.  OI curator of exhibitions Michael McKowen began working with Towngate a couple of months ago to organize an exhibit season for the theater.

“Stifel is a much larger space and has a limited number of slots available each season for artists to show their work. This second, smaller gallery space provides opportunities for artists to do solo exhibitions without having to fill a space as large as Stifel,” McKowen said.

McKowen is exploring other opportunities for programs that combine visual arts with performing arts and cinema.

According to Towngate Theatre director Tim Thompson, patrons enjoy the new addition.

“Our audiences are delighted and impressed with the addition of our new gallery space. Many patrons commented that it really brightens up the room in an exciting and vibrant way, and they feel like they are getting two shows for the price of one,” Thompson said.

“The Gallery at Towngate” enhances the growing Centre Market District, and it helps attract more art enthusiasts to events in the area such as First Fridays.

About Towngate

Oglebay Institute purchased the Zion Lutheran Church in Centre Wheeling in 1969. Extensive renovations transformed the historic church into a performing arts center.  The community enjoys hundreds of live performances, films and classes and workshops year-round.

Constructed in 1850, Towngate is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

Towngate Spotlight: Roger Hoard and Dan Jones

Towngate Theatre proudly supports live music in Wheeling. Some of the region’s most versatile and entertaining musicians perform on the Towngate stage on select weekends throughout the year.

This Saturday, October 22, is the first of those performances. Hoard and Jones returns to the Towngate stage at 8PM. Guitar master Roger Hoard and fiery fiddle player Dan Jones will entertain with crowd-pleasing tunes from a variety of artists ranging from Charlie Daniels to Tom Petty.

Roger has worked at CA House for 30 years teaching guitar and finding good homes for fine guitars and has been playing guitar for more than 50 years. Roger said music helps him forget about the cares of the day and the problems of the world.

“What I love about playing the guitar is the different styles it can cover and how different guitars make you respond differently as a player,” Roger said. “Also, there’s the challenge of performing, taking that risk and pulling it off. Every time I pick up the guitar, I find a new and different way of playing something.”

Dan, a board-certified family physician with a practice in Colerain, Ohio, has been playing music since he was seven years old and studied under Roger as a student.

“Music has always been a very big part of my family. My uncle was my inspiration to become involved with music. He introduced me to Roger, and the rest, as they say, is history,” Dan said.

Hoard and Jones has performed many shows throughout the region. This year, they even played on The Ohio State University Buckeye Cruise for Cancer aboard Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas. Roger performed at Jamboree in the Hills with country music star and Ohio Valley native Brad Paisley.

“We feel very blessed to have the opportunity to play in so many great locations and to so many wonderful friends and fans,” Dan said.

Dan said he is looking forward to their upcoming Towngate performance.

“Fans can expect a very diverse set list in any of our performances,” Dan said. “We anticipate performing an array of music from Southern and Classic Rock to Modern and Classic Country to Blues. We also have a couple tricks up our sleeve for the show. It’s going to be a little different than when we played there before.”

GET TICKETS

Tickets for the show are $10/$8.50 for OI members. Purchase in advance at OIonline.com or by calling 304-242-7700. You can buy tickets at the door, too.