The Visual Arts Center had a celebratory reception in the historic building on Saturday, Sept. 14 from 5-8 p.m. The event had food, auctions and student-made art spread throughout the facility.

“Marshall is the heartbeat of the city, and the fact of the matter is this is the power plant that is driving it,” Mayor Steve Williams said in a speech during the Visual Arts Center’s 10-year anniversary celebration in downtown Huntington.

In WIlliams’ speech, he spoke about the potential of the VAC when it first opened in 2014.

“When we were out front having the dedication of the building, I made a remark that this is figuratively our new power plant that is being installed in downtown Huntington, and we needed to figure out how to plug into it,” he said.

Brad Smith, the president of Marshall University, described the building as, “a beacon for creativity and expression.”

“It helps enrich the downtown community and inspires the next generation of artists,” he said.

Mark Zanter, the director of the School of Art & Design, spoke on the students’ dedication to the building, all the art that has been created in the VAC and the changes in the art studios over the past 10 years.

“Students have been working so hard in those spaces, and you can see their work and feel the change of the studios over time,” he said.

Courtney Chapman, the gallery director and Visual Arts Center facilities coordinator, spoke about the building of the facility.

“The thought that you could take a former department store and renovate it and turn it into a world-class, first-class art and design facility is a testament to what we can do,” she said.

The Visual Arts Center’s galleries are open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Jordan Ooten can bae contacted at [email protected]