2021 High School Student Art Contest
A featured edition celebrating art made by high school students from across the region.
Discuss the Contest
Stories from the Highlands
News & Features
Explore student art, artist spotlights, and stories about the cultural life of the West Virginia Highlands.
From the community
Local art, made visible
Mountain Arts District features the people and creative traditions that give the region’s galleries, studios, and community spaces a distinct sense of place.
2020 High School Student Art Contest
A look at the 2020 student contest and the creative work recognized by the program.
Share Your Work
Art of Seth Thomas, WV
Meet Seth Thomas, a featured artist from Thomas, West Virginia, and explore his place in the local arts community.
Explore the DirectoryThe Mountain Arts District gathers the artistic life of the West Virginia Highlands into a single, welcoming place. Galleries, studios, shops, and performance venues cluster in Elkins and the surrounding towns, forming a district where visitors can walk from one maker's door to the next and discover work in wood, clay, fiber, glass, and metal. This news and features page gathers stories from that community, offering a closer look at the people whose daily practice defines the region's creative character.
Local art, made visible, is the guiding idea behind the district's features. Artist spotlights introduce potters, painters, printmakers, jewelers, basketmakers, broom makers, and instrument builders, describing the techniques and traditions that shape their work. Rather than a single institution, the district is a network of independent makers and shared spaces, so these stories help connect the studios, community centers, and venues where visitors encounter that art firsthand.
Annual high school student art contests form a recurring theme in the district's coverage, celebrating emerging artists from schools across the region. Entries in painting, sculpture, photography, ceramics, mixed media, and illustration are recognized and displayed, giving young creators a public platform and an audience beyond their classrooms. The contest features also reflect a broader commitment to keeping craft traditions alive by encouraging the next generation of makers to participate in them.
Beyond contests and profiles, the district shares news about performances, musical events, seasonal markets, gallery openings, and the many creative traditions that give the Highlands its distinct sense of place. Writers, poets, and storytellers appear alongside visual artists and performing musicians, underscoring the range of voices present. For visitors planning a trip to Elkins and neighboring communities, these features offer a map of where to go, what to see, and whom to meet along the way.
Artist spotlight
The artists of the Highlands
From Elkins to Thomas and Richwood, the Mountain Arts District directory brings together creators working across basketry, jewelry, glass, musical instruments, pottery, painting, photography, and more.
- Artist profiles from throughout the region
- Features on the venues and organizations that support them
- Coverage of regional festivals and cultural heritage
Keep exploring
Stories are only the beginning
Visit the events calendar for regional gatherings, connect with MAD, or continue through the directory to discover artists, galleries, shops, and venues across the West Virginia Highlands.
Have a local story, artist, or community event to share with the Mountain Arts District?
High School Student Art Contest
MAD has documented the 2020 and 2021 editions of its annual High School Student Art Contest, highlighting student creativity in the region.