Melanie Myhre is a multidisciplinary artist working in both photography and painting, guided by intuition, emotion, and a deep reverence for the unseen beauty of the natural world. Her creative process draws heavily from dreams, memories, and inner landscapes. She believes magic is everywhere if we know how to look, and her work seeks to reveal the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary. As a photographer, she prefers to capture images in camera rather than creating composites, using thoughtful post‑processing to craft images that feel dreamlike and immersive while remaining true to life. Often featuring women in nature, her photographs explore the interplay between femininity, strength, and the environment, frequently reflecting her own childhood adventures through prairies, forests, and quiet wild spaces. In contrast, her paintings are entirely memory‑ and imagination‑based. She intentionally avoids using reference photos to keep her painting practice separate from photography. Instead, she enters a flow state, allowing imagery to emerge organically on the canvas. Her paintings are deeply personal, rooted in archetypal stories, recurring dreams, and the emotional textures of lived experience. Together, these two mediums allow her to express the world not just as it is, but as it feels—layered, symbolic, and quietly alive. Her work has been featured in numerous publications and industry blogs, including Sony Alpha Universe and Sigma Corporation. She has contributed to two books sold on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and has earned multiple awards for her work, including the Sony Alpha Female Micro Grant. In her spare time, Melanie enjoys reading, gardening, watching sci‑fi and fantasy movies, playing pickleball, hiking, traveling with her husband, and learning Japanese.

Lee Ann Billups Blevins is a native of Kenova, West Virginia. She graduated from Marshall University with a degree in art education in 1987. She is a retired art educator of over 30 years in Cabell County, WV, is a current member of Allied Artists of WV, Tri-State Arts Association of WV, and Tamarack Artisans of WV. She specializes in portraits of people and pets, but also loves painting landscapes and seascapes. Her work has been included in shows at Huntington Museum of Art, Gallery Eleven of Charleston, Grayson Gallery in Grayson, Kentucky, Parkersburg Art Center, Mathena Center in Princeton, WV, and Tamarack. She most enjoys working in oils, creating portraits that capture the true spirit of her commissioned subjects and bringing them to life on canvas. Several of her wildlife paintings have been included in the WV Department of Natural Wildlife Calendars and her painting, “Blue Ribbon Winner”, was chosen as the official poster of the 2023 WV State Fair. Her paintings were accepted into the Tri-State Artists of WV 2024 juried exhibition, the 16th Annual Best of WV Open Juried Exhibition, and her painting, “Bella”, was awarded Best of Show in the 2024 Allied Artists of WV 73rd Juried Exhibition. In addition to her paintings, she was given the opportunity to carve the giant pumpkin at the famous Kenova Pumpkin House in 2022 and 2023! When she isn’t creating art, Lee Ann has a passion for nature, travel, and adventure. She enjoys kayaking, has rappelled off the New River Gorge Bridge, snorkeled Australia's Great Barrier Reef, and climbed Mt. Fuji in Japan. Lee Ann strives to create art that will be meaningful and thought provoking to the viewer. Artistic Statement Lee Ann strives to make art that will be both enjoyable and meaningful to the viewer. Lee Ann describes her art as, "A way to create a place that is inviting and beautiful, thought provoking. That's my goal as a painter."

My BA is in Studio Art from the University of Maryland; my MA is in Media from California State University Long Beach. I worked as an art director at Northrop Aircraft, Advertising Art Director for The Washington Post, and as VP Communications & Marketing for West Point, USMA. While my career was spent in the commercial application of art and publishing, I have always done artwork on my own and exhibited in the different states where I've lived. I exhibited in various galleries in both northern and southern California when I lived there in my 20s and 30s; most of these galleries no longer exist. I did not start exhibiting again (on the east coast) until my children were grown. My art has evolved over the years and I have several different styles depending on the medium I'm using. While I originally painted strictly in acrylics, I now also work in mixed media after experimentation led to developing a unique way of combining materials. Artistic Statement I enjoy working with color, textures and vintage materials to portray a concept that has evolved in my mind until it is ready to become a physical piece of artwork.

Carly Thaw is a visual artist and illustrator living in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Carly’s studio practice is informed by the science and math at the core of ecology and Earth’s animate systems. She uses intricate mark making inspired by the patterns found in nature to create dynamic illustrations. Carly employs a variety of media and original drawing and painting techniques to build color and pattern to create optical vibration and an energetic, sensory, and sometimes immersive viewing experience. Her work incorporates the science that dictates the structure and appearance of patterns in nature, as well as human relationships to nature and ecological time, particularly in the face of the current climate crisis. Her work has been shown in West Virginia, Montana, Washington, and British Columbia, CA. Carly also maintains a published illustration practice with an emphasis on science communication and narrative illustration. Carly holds an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design (2025), and a BA in Graphic Design from American University (2018).

Originally known as the Lewisburg Academy, the school was founded around 1812 by Presbyterian pastor Dr. John McElhenney as a co-educational institution. After the Civil War, the Lewisburg Academy separated into two schools, the Greenbrier Military School (GMS) and the Lewisburg Female Institute (LFI). On December 16, 1901, a fire destroyed the original buildings of the Institute. Classes were held at City Hall and The Greenbrier for the remainder of the year. In search of funding, the Rev. Dr. R. L. Telford, who was President of the Institute from 1892-1911, wrote to James Betram, private secretary to Andrew Carnegie. Known for his philanthropy, Carnegie initially donated $20,000 for the new building and contributed another $6,750 for the completion of the auditorium. Carnegie asked the local community to contribute $10,000. The total cost of construction would be a little over $1 million in today's dollars. Carnegie Hall is a critical building in the Lewisburg Historic District. Carnegie Hall, Inc. continues to preserve the historic character of the building and promote the historic significance of the hall. Since 1983, Carnegie Hall staff and volunteers have worked diligently to maintain the building and grounds, including repointing the exterior brick walls, replacing the roof, and repairing the stone wall along Church Street. Carnegie Hall, Inc. also provides world-class performances and year-round arts education and programming for youth and adults in Southern West Virginia. The Hall continues to be the heart of the arts in the heart of Lewisburg as it has been for more than 100 years.

The Kellar Art Studio is located on the third floor and is filled with sun from a wonderful sky light. The art on the walls are works of the Greenbrier Artists, a special group that has been a force within the area for more than 50 years. Starting in 1974, the group has evolved into a community that meets at Carnegie to paint and support each other.