All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

ART26201 says it needs financial support from the city to continue to operate Colonial Arts Center’s M.I.B. Gallery

City architect and ART26201 founding member Bryson VanNostrand at the Oct. 4 Colonial Arts Center Board meeting. / Photo by Monica Zalaznik

BUCKHANNON – The Colonial Arts Center Board tabled a decision about whether to renew ART26201’s operation of the M.I.B. Gallery in the Colonial Arts Center.

ART 26201 President and founding member Bryson VanNostrand attended the Oct. 4 Colonial Arts Center board meeting to discuss their continued involvement with the gallery. ART26201 is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to “celebrate and promote the creative and inspirational opportunities in the Buckhannon community,” according to its website.

“I don’t think it’s going to be an easy ‘yes’ or ‘no’ this time around because the cost ART26201 has to host these gallery events is pretty significant and the funds for that are pretty much drying up,” VanNostrand said. “Generally speaking, it costs us about $1,000 per show and that’s the cost of patching, painting the walls, transport of the work to and from the artist’s studio, putting the artist up in a hotel, feeding them, showing them around town, even packaging the artwork, unpacking and packing and so on, so it’s significant.”

VanNostrand said the events have been beneficial for the town and the artists.

“We’ve been doing 10 shows a year, two of those have been local, like the Buckhannon Camera Club and the Upshur County student exhibition – neither of those costs $1,000, more like $300 or $400 — but there’s a lot of staff time that goes into design, posters and printing, and it just it adds up,” VanNostrand said.

ART26201 is still interested in arranging shows for the gallery, but VanNostrand said they would need financial support.

“We’re at a crossroads [as to] whether or not we can continue doing it in the same manner,” VanNostrand said. “For example, we’re not charging any commission on any artworks; that’s a very notable characteristic. That catches every artist’s attention – that they’re going to capture 100 percent of the of that money, especially for us to handle transport back and forth and bring it into town, put them up. No other galleries are doing that.”

He said another possibility is the organization could reduce the number of events from 10 shows a year.

“I would like to see if the CAC board could come back to ART26201 and say, ‘We want you to run the gallery for X amount of shows a year,’ and once we have that in hand, then we can make the financial request for that operation,” VanNostrand said.

CAC board president John Waltz said they would evaluate ART26201’s request, and CAC board members agreed to table the decision until their next meeting.

Share this story:

Local Businesses

RECENT Stories

Upshur County Commission partners with development authority, eyes $550k in grants for proposed rec hub

The Upshur County Commission partnered with the Development Authority and authorized applications for $550,000 in grants, as well as a joint property transfer, to support construction of the proposed John C. Allen Regional Hub recreation complex.

High Point Construction takes over lead in men’s golf league

High Point Construction took the top spot in the Buckhannon Country Club Bob Cupp Memorial Golf League after defeating Sam’s Pizza, while Highland Landscaping and Feola’s Flowers tied for second place.

Task force arrests three for selling Delta 8 to people under age 21, issues four additional warrants

After a year-long investigation, the Mountain Region Drug and Violent Crime Task Force arrested multiple individuals and issued warrants in Upshur County for allegedly selling Delta 8 THC products to individuals under 21.

ATV crash kills 65-year-old woman in Upshur County

Patricia L. Campbell, 65, of Ohio, died after being ejected from an ATV rollover crash in Upshur County on July 4; the investigation continues.

Willard Hampton Rice, Jr.

Willard Hampton Rice, Jr., 84, of Sandusky, a retired Ford Motor Company employee who enjoyed hunting and spending time with family, passed away July 3 and is survived by his wife, children, and grandchildren.

Buckhannon Banter: Get the local lowdown for July 2, 2025

This week in Buckhannon, local organizations plan events and clinics — including a big July 4th celebration — and several community initiatives aim to engage residents of all ages.

Emergency agencies stress need for coordinated incident plans during large events with road closures

Emergency officials emphasized the need for incident action plans and coordination with public safety agencies for large events that close major streets, citing upcoming car shows and other street-closure events to ensure fast, safe emergency responses.
BUHS Sports

B-U now in Class AAAA in all sports; moved to new South Region after WVSSAC restructuring

Buckhannon-Upshur High School will compete in Class AAAA — the highest division — for all sports and has been moved to the new South Region under a two-year realignment by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission.

Stockert Youth and Community Center Board Meeting Agenda: July 3, 2025

The Stockert Youth and Community Center Board will meet July 3, 2025, with an agenda set to discuss organizational matters and upcoming events.