The Parkersburg Art Center's facilities are better protected from fire thanks to a $9,000 PACF grant, which helped the Art Center install a fire suppression system in their building at 713 Market Street.

The building now houses a market where area artists can sell their work. The market has become the new home for Riverside Artists, a long-standing artists' co-op in Marietta, who lost the lease on their shop in December 2021. Co-op members were seeking a place to sell their art, and the Parkersburg Art Center's new market was a perfect fit.

“Riverside’s closure was sad but it was so fortuitous that the Art Center Artists' Market was about to open at that time,” said Virginia Killian, founding member of the Riverside Artist Gallery. “We’ve had so many great artists show their work at Riverside. I am happy that we have a wonderful new home where we can exhibit and sell."

This grant was made possible by the:

• Dan and Sharon Wharton Parkersburg Art Center Fund
• Dennie G. Wolfe and Marie R. Wolfe Fund
• Walter E. and Marie Ausenheimer Memorial Fund
• Okey and Wanda Bennett Memorial Fund
• Mr. and Mrs. Gilmer S. Wharton Anniversary Fund