I am the Director of a non-profit arts organization in Bluefield, WV.
We are Gary Bowling House of Art, and we provide resources to Appalachian artists and arts experiences to our community. We provide these resources without regard to age, race, gender, or financial standing. Southern West Virginia suffers from long-standing economic depression, but creativity flourishes here. The House of Art exists as a place to gather, network, display, browse, and be immersed in the arts. Being from Appalachia is not a handicap, and we strive to provide a venue that welcomes and celebrates the myriad avenues of creativity and originality that exist here.