ARTS make us THINK about the reality around us

2009 -FAST co-sponsored two songwriting contests with the Morgan Arts Council, the Morgan County Library and the WVU Extension Service. The spring event invited songs about “Social Justice” and made three awards from 17 entries. The November event invited songs about “Morgan County Life” and made three awards from 10 song entries. A travel grant supported participation in the National Association of Teachers of Singing annual contest, and another grant went to the Community Band to purchase sheet music. Other grants helped support an art program for home-schoolers plus a special piano concert by Peter Basquin. FAST co-sponsored (with the Morgan Arts Council and the WVU Extension Service) workshops to help people learn art and technology useful in making novel, informative videos. The Very Short Video Contest at the County Fair had 22 entries receiving over $1,300 in awards in arts, sciences, technologies and social studies.

2008 -FAST gave three tuition grant awards for training in arts-related activity. It also supported Morgan Arts Council’s scholarship fund and awarded a grant to the Community Band to purchase sheet music. FAST made a grant to assemble equipment to create and perform “electronica”. Also three awards were made for the Arts category in the County Fair Exhibit Contest plus special awards for an exhibit displaying concepts of "Sound Bytes and Music” and for a handmade novel musical instrument.

2007 -FAST sponsored development and printing of the program booklet for the WV Symphony orchestra concert about music of the Romantic Period (compared to present styles of music). A special award was made for an exhibit displaying concepts of "Sound Bytes and Music". A grant was made to develop an "Empowered Actor" project with technological aspects of community communication arts. Three tuition grant awards were made for training in arts-related activity. Also, FAST supported the Morgan Arts Council’s scholarship fund and awarded a grant to the Community Band to purchase sheet music. The Fair Exhibit Contest gave three awards in the Arts category.

2006 -FAST sponsored an evening recital by Morgan Harmison and combined various donations to make a travel award for her advanced training. A seminar by Tom Brooks discussed various techniques and styles used by Shakespeare. Three awards were made for Arts category in the County Fair Exhibit Contest. The 2006 County Fair again had 25 exhibits in the “Hands-On Room” made with donations and help from volunteers.

2005 -FAST co-sponsored development of an expert-staffed computer-aided piano laboratory program (P. Springer) for use by County citizens of all ages. FAST gave grants to the New Bath Repertory Theater for the production of Candida, to the Visual Arts Camp and to Adopt-a-School and Virtual Universe Enterprises for Nikola Tesla: Let The Sparks Fly. FAST funded calendar handouts for programs of the Berkeley Springs Coalition of Performing Arts. The 2005 County Fair had 25 exhibits in the “Hands-On Room” made with donations and help from 29 volunteers. Three awards were made in the Arts category in the Fair Exhibit Contest. FAST co-sponsored with P.Springer development of a computer-aided piano laboratory program that could serve County citizens of all ages and assisting in preparing grant applications for further funding sources.

Please contact FAST if you have questions or suggestions for more activities.