The Parkersburg Art Center’s gift shop lifts up local and regional artists

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - WTAP takes a look at The Parkersburg Art Center’s gift shop for this week’s This is Home feature.

Most of the art you’ll find at The Parkersburg Art Center’s gift shop, whether it’s locally or regionally made, is from West Virginia.

The art center’s Managing Director Jessie Siefert said, “It’s on a commission basis and an artist can sell their things here and they get 70% of the sales.”

Siefert said the goal is to boost the local economy and community.

“It’s nice to know that you’re keeping that local economy going but also you’re supporting your friends, your neighbors, and their friends and neighbors,” she said.

And that support can mean giving hope to someone’s dream.

“When you’re buying from a local artist, you’re supporting an entrepreneur,” Siefert said.

The gift shop was there to fill a hole when Marietta’s Riverside Artists Gallery shut down.

“..., when that closed, that closed December of 2021, a lot of those artists came and joined us here,” Siefert said.

The gift shop isn’t just about gifts. The art center hosts classes too.

“We hope that they have something that they can use for the rest of their lives that brings them joy and they can share with others,” Siefert said.

The art that happens here happens locally.

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