BUCKHANNON — ART26201 will present “Variations on a Mountain Man,” a solo exhibition by Beckley, W.Va., artist Robby Moore, beginning Friday, September 24, at the M.I.B. Gallery in the Colonial Arts Center.

There will be a special opening artist’s reception from 4 to 8 p.m. and Moore will give a special introduction at 5 p.m. Reservations are recommended for Moore’s introduction, and they can be emailed to info@ART26201.com.

In addition to the opening event on September 24, the M.I.B. Gallery will be open from 4-8 p.m. on September 25; and October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15 and 16. All events at the M.I.B. Gallery are free and open to the public.

Significant financial assistance for the Colonial Arts Center Rehabilitation project has been provided by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History; ART26201; and Buckhannon Community Theatre.

About Robby Moore: Robby Moore was born and currently resides in Beckley, WV. He is a mixed media artist and graduated with a Bachelor of Art degree in Studio Arts and also a minor in Theatre from Concord University. He began professionally exhibiting artwork in 1999. In 2004, Moore co-founded Treehouse Arts Ensemble, an arts organization dedicated to producing original fine and performing art in West Virginia. He has curated many art exhibitions in West Virginia and Ohio, and his work has been exhibited in various spaces including the Juliet Art Museum in Charleston, W.Va., and The Huntington Museum in Huntington, W.Va. Moore is a theatrical director and has also worked professionally as a scenic designer and artist, costumer, actor, technician, and marionette puppeteer. From 2011 to 2016, he was a Tamarack Resident Studio Artist at Tamarack in Beckley, W.Va, has been a juried artist there since 2008, and was once named one of the Top 15 Tamarack Artists. Recently, he was profiled in the Fall 2020 issue of ArtWorks. Moore currently serves as the Executive Director of the Beckley Art Center.

Artist’s Statement: “Variations on a Mountain Man” takes a closer look at the evolution of my figures, specifically those that represent the theme of a man in the mountains of West Virginia. Over the last 18 years, I have used my work to dissect my experience of being a male artist in Appalachia. I have drawn this experience in the human form, as a symbol and character in a narrative. Sometimes with recognizable features and sometimes abstracted to a line of most common denominators. Upon reflection, there is also a presence of Appalachian culture and practices in process, technique, and media. This anthology of selected works from 2003 to today not only tells the story about a man living in contemporary Appalachia, but demonstrates similarities to the identifier of “mountain man” through a lens of feeling other, and often foreign to the place where I was born and raised.

About ART26201: ART26201 is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “celebrate and promote the creative and inspirational opportunities in the Buckhannon community.” For more information about ART26201 projects, and for ways to provide financial or volunteer support, email info@ART26201.com or visit their website at www.ART26201.com.