West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Sleeth Gallery will host an exhibit in April from an artist who found inspiration in Appalachia. The exhibit, “Exploring West Virginia: Sketches, Studies and Finished Works” by the late Carl Gaertner will run through May 3 in Sleeth Gallery.
Carl Gaertner was born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 18, 1898. He attended the Cleveland School of Art, now known as the Cleveland Institute of Art, from 1920 to 1922. He then taught at the Cleveland School of Art from 1925 until his death in 1952, where he was highly respected and influential. While his early work focused on his surroundings in Cleveland, he soon began to travel and gained interest and inspiration from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Cape Cod, and New York. Though he garnered much attention for his industrial landscapes, he has also captured the hard work of agriculture with sloping, mountainous backgrounds, demonstrating Appalachian beauty and the labor of the people living there at that time. He died unexpectedly on Nov. 4, 1952 at his home in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Exploring West Virginia: Sketches, Studies, and Finished Works” reflects on Gaertner’s work documenting Appalachian life and landscapes. As an outsider, it can be difficult to capture the essence of the Appalachian people, but Gaertner was able to do so with empathy, understanding, and grace that felt more comforting than critical.
Gaertner visited West Virginia a few times throughout his life, including an extended visit in the summer of 1933, teaching with William Grauer and the Art Colony at The Greenbrier. The first retrospective show in 25 years was exhibited at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, West Virginia earlier this year, and we are now happy to share it with West Virginia Wesleyan College at Sleeth Gallery. Carl Gaertner’s granddaughter, Erin Gaertner ’08, has worked to preserve and exhibit Gaertner’s art to share with those who are familiar fans and those who are receiving their first introduction. She has curated this collection to demonstrate his connection to Appalachia with pieces that focus on West Virginia and surrounding areas.
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Katy Whitlow ’08 has assisted in research and archival work.
The West Virginia Mountaineers (10-3) welcome the Maryland Terrapins (10-5) to Kendrick Family Ballpark Tuesday afternoon the first encounter between the two programs since 2023 and the first meeting in Morgantown since 2018. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m. EST and the action will stream on ESPN+.
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The Mountaineers captured their fourth consecutive series of the season after taking two of the three games from Columbia over the weekend. West Virginia sophomore Matt Ineich and senior Brodie Kresser both blasted grand slams during the series. Ineich lifted WVU in game two with a walk-off grand slam in the 10th in game two, and Kresser ignited a 16-1 rout, capping a six-run second inning in the series finale.
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Gavin Kelly leads West Virginia at the plate with a .436 batting average with a Big 12 leading nine doubles. Ineich and senior Paul Schoenfeld has raked in a team-leading 16 RBI apiece, while senior Matthew Graveline has clubbed a team-high three home runs.
On the mound, West Virginia is expected to start sophomore David Hagen. The right-hander has made four appearances on the season, including one start. He last started in the home-opener against Ohio where he pitched two scoreless innings and recorded a strikeout to collect his first win of the season. He holds a 1.00 ERA with five strikeouts on the season.
After starting 3-4, Maryland is 7-1 in its last eight games. The Terrapins won two of three at UNC Wilmington in the season opening series, followed by a midweek win against Georgetown before getting swept at Louisiana. The Terps bounced back with a pair of midweek wins versus Delaware and swept a one-win Wagner team.
Junior Brayden Martin is batting a team-best .443 to go with four doubles and 12 RBI. Redshirt freshman Ryan Costello leads the Terps in home runs (9) and RBI (21) and is third in batting average at .328, while freshman Ty Kaunus has a team-high seven doubles and has .269 batting average.
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Maryland is scheduled to start freshman Nic Morlang. The right-hander has four appearances on the season, including four starts. He allowed five earned runs in his appearances, coinciding with his two starts, in six innings of work. In his last two appearances in relief, He’s allowed one earned run on five hits.
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West Virginia leads the all-time series 8-5, including a five-game winning streak over Maryland.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to a series of parties in Morgantown over the weekend.
Morgantown police officers, West Virginia University Police and state police responded to reports of overcrowded parties, underage drinking, physical altercations and multiple injuries.
Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffie said several citations were issued for open containers and underage consumption.
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Two large parties were dispersed and six arrests were made without incident.
None of the reported injuries are believed to be serious or life-threatening.
The Morgantown Fire Department assisted in the operations.
Hancock County, WV — A Weir High School senior has been recognized as the 2026 West Virginia Student Journalist of the Year.
Hailey Hans was selected for the statewide honor after building a journalism portfolio since her freshman year. She also serves as the staff manager of Weir Student Media, where she oversees articles and is in charge of deadlines.
“When I was a freshman I was placed in the journalism one class, and I actually tried to get pulled from the class. But, then after I sat in the class and I learned a little bit, that’s where my love grew and then from there I continued to take classes, I helped pass a law, and I got to these national conventions. Where it just lit a fire inside me,” Hans said.
Hans is planning to attend West Liberty University in the fall to study education with a minor in journalism, with the goal of becoming a journalism teacher. She will now submit her portfolio for the national-level contest.
