By Emily Wall
As so many things do, Arti Gras started as an idea—an idea that took years to blossom.
The idea to create an arts and music event for St. Albans, WV, came from local resident, musician and artist William Gambill. Gambill works for the state of West Virginia and has been creating music and art his entire life. He has passed his love of music down to his two sons and wanted to see his hometown, the town his sons grew up in, embrace this passion as well. Gambill researched various events around the country and put together a proposal, hoping the City of St. Albans would welcome the idea.
The idea struck a chord with St. Albans Mayor Dick Calloway, but there wasn’t an obvious path to push it forward until the launch of What’s Next, St. Albans? Part of What’s Next, West Virginia?, an effort organized by the West Virginia Center for Civic Live and the West Virginia Community Development Hub, What’s Next, St. Albans? was a series of conversations led by local residents and city employees that included questions such as: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? These public discussions soon highlighted a common desire among the citizens of St. Albans to have more things to do and to showcase the town’s unique attributes.
Calloway called a meeting with a few residents, volunteers and business owners to review the outcome of these discussions and how to make some of the ideas a reality. It was during that meeting that he was able to dust off the proposal Gambill had submitted to him years prior. The proposal was passed around the table, and everyone seemed to agree that it held potential.
With the backing of the city, a small committee was formed that included Valerie Little, who at the time worked for the St. Albans Chamber of Commerce; Adam Bryan, the managing director of the Alban Arts Center; and Gambill. Calls were made to those who could help the event gain support: artists, musicians, local business owners and residents. A website, www.artigraswv.com, was built solely from volunteer support, and an idea that had been brewing for years became a reality with the first Arti Gras event taking place in September 2015. The event included a trolley ride around town, a scavenger hunt, artists and musicians showcasing their talents at many local businesses, a pop-up art gallery, multiple vendors and a kids’ art contest. Since then, there have been two Arti Gras events a year, each a little different and a little quirky, just like the original idea.
The latest Arti Gras event was a combined effort between the City of St. Albans, the Coal River Group and Fall Y’all to create a new recreational festival, Yak Fest. St. Albans’ new mayor, Scott James, pulled together a group to produce this new town festival. The Arti Gras team was asked to plan the Friday night portion of the weekend event, built around the annual Tour de Coal. Voted the best outdoor festival in West Virginia by StepOutside.org, Yak Fest was truly a success.
Arti Gras continues to find new and interesting ways to showcase local artists while promoting the local community. The newest endeavor is a public art initiative to work with local business owners to beautify the city by creating murals.
From one man’s idea to an established organization that is now being asked to help with other city events and initiatives, Arti Gras has become the champion for arts that St. Albans needed.
About the Author
Emily Wall grew up in Gauley Bridge, WV, and attended WVU Tech to obtain her degree in civil and mechanical engineering. She has worked for Live Nation Entertainment for more than 19 years in various roles, traveling both domestically and internationally for her role in global compliance. Wall loves giving back to the community and serves as a board member for FestivALL Charleston, a founding member of Arti Gras and on committees in Charleston and St. Albans. She has always loved to paint, draw and sculpt and recently began expanding her style.
