The 24th annual Extremely Spectacular Arts Festival for students with unique requirements was held Tuesday at the new Discovery Planet on Marketplace, which will hold a grand opening on April two. The festival is sponsored by Artsbridge. (Photo Supplied)

PARKERSBURG — Artsbridge celebrated its 24th annual Extremely Spectacular Arts Festival for students with unique requirements on Tuesday at the new Discovery Planet on Marketplace.

The new collaboration provided the students an exclusive private day at Discovery Planet on Marketplace Street and have been the initial group of youngsters to get to encounter the new interactive museum.

“I had by no means skilled Extremely Spectacular Arts prior to taking on my function of executive director,” Artsbridge Executive Director Lyndsay Dennis mentioned. “To strategy an occasion I’d by no means skilled, added to the modify of venue, was a one of a kind difficulty. Nonetheless, we powered by means of with the greatest interests of the students in the forefront of our minds.”

About 340 students from Wood, Wirt, Washington, Tyler, Ritchie, Pleasants and Doddridge counties registered to attend the occasion, which is sponsored by the PM Corporation by means of a Spirit of Providing Grant, Dennis mentioned. Although climate kept all from attending, about 285 students have been in a position to attend the festival.

Artsbridge set up 4 Art Project stations all through the venue on Tuesday.

“Students made critters of diverse mediums, which lined up with the theme of the basement level, as properly as masks, necklaces, collage and more” mentioned Mary Smith, Artsbridge plan co-coordinator who planned all of the art projects for the students.

Wood County Society and its Art Beat Studio provided a fifth art project station with a huge-scale collaborative painting on canvas as properly as paper butterflies.

Brandon Gress, executive director of the Wood County Society, with employees and volunteers have been excited to be element of the Artsbridge Extremely Spectacular Arts Festival.

“Events such as this 1 are a big undertaking and devoid of the assistance of our neighborhood and volunteers, it merely couldn’t be performed,” Dennis mentioned.

The Parkersburg South National Honor Society and Parkersburg Catholic college offered student volunteers and the ARC of the Mid-Ohio Valley, Yvonne Santin and Wood County Schools, Artsbridge Board Members and the festival committee also offered volunteers.

Michael “Moon” Mullen, a musician and former mayor of Marietta, entertained students for the duration of lunch time.

Lunch for the volunteers was donated by Napolis, Mister Bee Potato Chips in Parkersburg and Marietta Workplace Provide. Artsbridge also cited employees at Discovery Planet on Marketplace which includes Wendy Shriver and Tres Ross.

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