Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences of West Virginia

The 240,000 square foot Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences of West Virginia opened on July 12, 2003. The Center houses performing arts, visual arts and the sciences under one roof - one of the few centers of its kind in the country. Located in the state's capital city of Charleston, the facility is home to the recently renovated Avampato Discovery Museum, Caperton Planetarium and Theater, and Juliet Art Museum and the Maier Foundation Performance Hall, a 1,883 seat theatre that is also home of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The Clay Center is one of the most ambitious economic, cultural and educational undertakings in the state's history The Center not only enhances the region's quality of life, but enriches the lives of all West Virginians.

Our vision is to be a leader in arts and science learning and a catalyst for enhancing the quality o

Goal One: Engage & serve communities throughout West Virginia. To accomplish this goal, initiatives include the creation of mobile traveling exhibits & outreach programs so that all 55 WV counties are served.

Goal Two: Create exciting, engaging, & educational museum programming. We will offer diverse, meaningful visual art exhibitions, science programs, & performing arts experiences to engage guests of all ages.

Goal Three: Strengthen organizational resources. We will maintain and strengthen the Clay Center’s financial resources, staff, board, and infrastructure to ensure our continued success.

In September, Clay Center staff members Morgan Robinson, Vice President of Museum and Marketing, Thaddeus Papke, Director of Education, and Zack Merritt, Education Specialist, represented the Center at the Association of Science and Technology Centers annual conference in Pittsburgh, PA. The ASTC Annual Conference is one of the premier annual events for science-engagement professionals and leaders in science and technology centers and museums as well as allied organizations across North America and around the world.

The Clay Center continues to implement virtual programming that was introduced during the height of the pandemic. To reach a larger audience, which includes constituents who may not be able to visit due to distance, the Clay Center presents virtual exhibit tours in the Juliet Art Museum, field trips, and educational programs, such as “Notes from the Field”. This social media campaign documented the Center’s Director of Education’s experience with an excavation team in Sardinia. Photos and notes were shared throughout his time in Italy of the team’s progress excavating a Bronze Age site from the Nuragic culture. In response to feedback received from guest surveys over the last year, the Center introduced more robust adult programming. Murder Mystery events invite guests ages 21 and older to explore the museum, interview suspects, and use deductive reasoning to guess ‘whodunnit’. Visual art workshops engage teens and adults in hands-on programming. The focus of recent workshops, which have been selling out, includes rug hooking, mask-making, beginner/intermediate watercolor, and art quilting. Efforts have also been made to enhance the visual arts offerings at the Center as part of a larger, ongoing visual arts initiative within our community. These efforts include a more balanced approach to the exhibition schedule so that local, regional, and national artists are featured in the museum. Additionally, special attention is being given to the Center’s Susan Runyan Maier Sculpture Garden. This transformed outdoor space opened in June 2021. Since then, two sculptures have been added to the space, in addition to the sculpture that was unveiled at the Garden’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, and a commission is underway for another. Through workshops, tours, and free events, like the monthly Art After Dark program, the Clay Center is helping to make the visual arts more accessible to West Virginians.