March 18, 2024 • 23 mins
Send us a textEver wish you could experience world - class art, captivating science exhibits, and a stunning symphony hall all in one place? Then take a trip with us to the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences of West Virginia! In this episode, we delve into this unique cultural hub in Charleston, West Virginia. We will talk about the Avampato Discovery Museum, the Juliet Art Museum, and the Maier Foundation Performance Hall. So buckle up, art lovers, science enthusiasts, and music aficionados - this episode is for you!Support the show
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi everyone, We're back. It's the latest episode of West
Virginia Talk. But James and Jerry.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm James and I'm Jerry.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Seems like eons since we've done this.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
That has been our Burgotti broke down and so we
had to go to something a little more feasible. With
economics and the economic cardships that are going on, we
had to go to the side by side. So it's
taking us a lot longer to travel the state.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Well, how have you been.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I've been doing good yourself, busy, a lot of activity
going on.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know, I do football, I do basketball, So for me,
basketball is done, so thank goodness. High six months until
football starts. So we're going to talk about the Clay Center.
But first, Jerry, Now, because I did, I did a
little check on the stats. Now we've been downloaded in
(00:53):
all fifty states. Thanks North Dakota, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It just took them a little longer than everybody.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Late than ever. We've been downloaded in forty two countries,
six continents. Come on, Antarctica, pick it up. And we've
been downloaded in well over one thousand cities all over
the world.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Just pretty good.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
About two and a half years we've been doing this.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, and that's pretty good. That's not bad.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Oh, we haven't done this for about a half a year.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Right, well, And to be honest, we really don't have
a lot period, you know what I mean, because between
our lives being as busy as they are where they're
trying to find the time to record and do justice
to whatever it is we're covering. It's been hard, but
we enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
And just a reminder, all of our other episodes are
available for streaming and download, so check it out wherever
you like to get your podcasts. We're on everything, all
the platforms. So today we're gonna be talking about the
Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, one of my favorite
places in the state. Were just two hundred and fifty
(02:01):
thousand square foot facility. They just celebrated their twentieth anniversary recently.
It's all under one roof. You'll find visual arts, performing arts,
and sciences. It's one of a handful of places like
that in our country. It took them four years to build.
When did they start building this, Jerry, what was that
(02:23):
ninety nine? Right, nineteen ninety nine. They opened in two
thousand and three. It was named after philanthropist Buckner and
Lyell Clay.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You mean it's not because it's made of clay.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
No, if you have a name like Clay, Lyel really
spicing that name up. Indeed, Buckner Clay. So, like I said,
there's visual arts, performing arts, sciences. It's kind of hard
to picture all that under one roof. So let's start
with the art, the visual art. It's the Juliet Art Museum.
(02:59):
Visual arts not my thing. I like art in the
form of architecture. I'm a I'm a lover of different
building styles, like homes, the salt box. I love the
salt box house.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I love I love visual art. I love going to
museums that are displaying art. Yeah, but I'm very particular
about what art. I find it interesting. You know, they
can be world famous and I could care less. There's
just certain certain pictures just draw you in, and some don't.
(03:33):
Some speak to you in.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Some don't like Warhol and Picasso, and I just don't
get that stuff, you know, I can't look at it
and you know, pick it apart.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I don't like the Mona Lisa, Yeah, why is it
so famous? She's ugly? As I'll get out the smile.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I guess, I don't know. I mean, da Vinci's great, but.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Maybe if they did paint her as a blonde.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know if that would have spliced
it up enough for me. But so if visual archer
thing this, this art exhibits great. They have the permanent
displays and then they have a rotating exhibit and they
just finished up one. It was the room Are Bearden exhibit.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
That kind of coincided with black history Mond.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Right, right, Yeah, he was an artist that was making
a name for himself during the Harlem Renaissance. He put
a lot of emphasis on civil change and on his canvases.
So they had, you know, a big collection of watercolor
screen prints, posters done by his hand. Really cool exhibit.
(04:42):
Sorry I missed it, but it's gone. Not exactly sure
what they're gonna have next, but the Clay Center has
many other collections, including the Ann Shreve collection, a lot
of West Virginia artists and so on and so on.
So very large art exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And they interact with different art companies across the nation,
across the world. So things get put on loan for
a couple of months at a time, and it's always
going to be different, but there's always gonna be something
that's very well known and very educational. Uh, to to
go and see.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Right, right, So Juliet Art Museum not my cup of tea,
but the Avian Pado Discovery Museum. I really enjoyed that. Now.
We went there with our kids when they were little,
and they had a blast, but so did my wife
and I. You know, Uh, it's it's meant for kids,
(05:43):
but a lot of adults love it too.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Its hands on science.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yes, it's interactive, yes, and when the kids it's a
it's a place that you can just let the kids
run loose so they can have fun. But the kids
also can't see you having fun. Two And this place
is really big. It's three floors, twelve thousand square feet.
They have a thing in the middle of it called
(06:07):
the Ashton's Climbing Sculpture. They didn't have that there when
I was there. The Ashton's Climbing Sculptures things massive, three stories.
Kids can climb on it, but don't worry. It's safe.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Can adults climb on it?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I don't know, because if anyone's going to climb it
as an adult, my wife will do it. She is
absolute daredevil, but it's all safe. It's all netted in
and everything. They can't fall. But it's really cool because
you get to climb it all through each level of
the museum. Everything's hands on. My kids had a blast
doing it, and your kids will too, and you probably.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Will probably, Like I mean, they deal with sound, so
there's different things you can interact with, whether it's strings
or pushing buttons on the wall that'll put out a
certain sound. They got this little splash zone where the
kids interact with water. Yeah, you know, so they get
to learn about out the way that water moves things
or lifts things.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
They had they had this thing you got on. It
was like a bike and you pedaled it and it
propelled you upwards like on a oh really like a
Pulley system.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Uh huh.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
But after I got a couple of feet off the ground,
I'm like, man, this is too much like work. I'm done.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Did it drop you like as soon as you stopped
or is it a slow gradual gravity? Fellos, it's low,
Thank goodness. That'd be something if you got like so
far up and then all of a sudden you like
get a leg cramp. I could see that happening and
somebody having to stop and then if.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Oh no, you don't have to keep it up to
like stay up okay, no no, no, no, no, huh no.
If that was the case, I'd never kind of on
there because I know my legs would have gave out eventually.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So that's the avam Podo Discovery Museum. Tons of fun
for everybody.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Aving Poto. I'm curious how he got that name. I
sure I don't know, but that what a strange.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And I'm sure it's been pronounced half a dozen different
ways or more.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
That's speaking of the Ivan Pado. I hope I said
that right. That took the place of a different museum.
Is that correct, the Sunrise Museum, right? Yeah? I believe
it was originally and then whenever they built the Clay Center,
Sunrise was done with.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, it was in the Sunrise Mansion. I remember being
I don't remember being in it when I was a kid.
I remember being outside of it. But what they did
was they just consolidated a bunch of different I guess
points of interest in a museum, put it all together.
So that kind of made the Sunrise Museum obsolete. I mean,
(08:40):
it was an older building anyway, Clay Center telling you
a big, beautiful building you'll want to go in. And
I'm really surprised you've never been there.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
There's a lot of places that I unfortunately have not
traveled to. I have lately spent more time traveling further
off than I have staying within the state. You weren't
even in the country, Yeah, well it was a territory.
I was in the US, the continental right, yeah, forty.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Eight Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
That was an amazing experience. You know what was funny
about being down there, it was like being in West Virginia,
but West Virginia. I know it sounds strange that I know.
I didn't either when I left here. Well, we were
on Saint Thomas St. Thomas, okay, But it was like
the virgin Islands really look like West Virginia flooded, you
(09:34):
know what I mean. It's just the top of the
mountain ranges sticking up out of the water. The roads
are identical to our state, especially the back roads, so
no lines, incredibly sharp s curves that you're thinking, why
would you even have designed it this way? You didn't
have a choice because of terrain, But it's just very
(09:59):
much resembled West Virginia as far as the rock that
lay out of the mountain top. You know, the island
itself just looked like a mountain.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well, if you live in West Virginia, I'm sure you
can picture what Jerry's saying, because you've seen a flood
or two life in this state.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And you've been on the back roads of West Virginia
and you know there are no lines and a lot
of times you don't feel like two vehicles to go by,
but they do.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yes. Oh side note. We were at New River Gorge
Bridge two weeks ago last month, nice last month, and
I was kind of worried because you know the situation
my daughter's in. Yes, she was in a car accident
in June and she really really messed her leg up.
She's been through a couple of surgery, She's gonna have
to have a couple more. And I knew that the staircases,
(10:49):
the flights and flights of stairs were going to be
an issue. But since i'd been there last they opened
up a new observation deck at the top that you
didn't have to go down the other ones to.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You didn't have to go down the five thousand stairs
to get to the original observation. Y.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Yes, and it's great because you know, I don't remember
it when I was at their last but and I wondered,
what are we going to do with her? It's a
lot of stairs for her, I mean she's walking, but
it's difficult, and I thought, well, what do they do
for people wheelchairs? Well, this was the answer to that.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
It's a ramp at first, and then if you want
to go down farther below the arch, it's there. Anyway,
I'm off track here, All right, let's go back to
the Clay Center. My favorite part of the Clay Center
is the Caperton Planetarium and Theater. And of course Caperton
was one of our previous governors, Gaston Caperton. And it's
not your ordinary planetarium. The technology in this thing is
(11:50):
mind boggling. And if you're lucky, if you're there for
the actual planetarium, you'll experience it with like a six
or eight piece orchestra plane. Oh wow, while they're doing
their their show. I like going there. I mean, planetaritariums
are great, but I love movies and they show movies
on the screen. Also, is it an imax, It's not
(12:13):
called imax. I want to call I want to say.
It's called the Electric Sky Theater. It's large format like Imax, Okay,
but it's not Imax, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So it'll take in ninety percent of your visual capabilities.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, and see that's the thing that Imax theaters have
popped up all over the country now. But it's not
like the one I remember at the Smithsonian because it
actually wrapped around the sides of your eyes, and a
lot of these new IMAX screens don't do that. They
are curved, but they're smaller now. With them showing a
movie on a planetarium screen, it's all around you, and
(12:56):
it's it. It tricks your mind into thinking that whatever
you're watching, you're doing it, so it immerses you in
the totally and you wound up catching yourself grabbing onto
the arm rest even though it's a movie, because your
body senses like, I'm afraid of heights. And we did
(13:16):
one that was about caving.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Okay, so when they were.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Repelling down into this giant cave in Mexico, I was
hanging on for dear life, even though it's a movie,
you know what I mean. So a couple of times
you're like wait, wait, wait, it's just a movie, but
your body tells your mind you're really doing it, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So we're not talking about scary enough that we're going
to peel ourselves, right.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
If you're afraid of heights, Yeah, it's possible. I didn't
do it for sure, but it's.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Possible for somebody to be scared that.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
If your blatter's weak.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
We did one for caving and we did one for
space and it was neat because they had one of
the cameras at the launch pad and when it took
off that stuff like it looked like it was going
to hit you in the face and I was like
shielding my eyes. Nice, yeah, because all this dust is
coming at the camera lens. So really really cool. I
(14:12):
love that And next time I go to the Clay Center,
I'm definitely doing that. Love that place.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Now. Is there other exhibits of the planets themselves within
the planetarium?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, yeah, Like what other fixtures or staples would you
recommend looking at?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
They do want on constellations, because if you've ever looked
into the sky, you you recognize the Big Dipper right,
and sometimes you can see O'Ryan's belt. But the other
ones you're like, I don't know which constellation that is.
So what they do is they'll show you the constellation
and then they'll put an image of what it is
(14:51):
over it, and you're like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. So
it helps if you never did that before, it helps
you learn it, but it also helps refresh your memory
if you kind of got away from that. I think
that's cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I love space. I love everything to do with it.
I love going up on the mountaintops in the area
that I live and you get away from the city lights.
That's what I was going to say, see the Milky
Way in a way that a lot of the country
does not get to enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, for you people that live in New York or
DC or Philly, some of our top download cities. If
you get into West Virginia a lot of places. Of course,
there are exceptions like Charleston or Huntington or whatever. Morgantown
it's busting at that seems. But if you New River
(15:44):
Gorge or something like that, Seneca Rocks, which we're going
to do one on Seneca Rocks one day, but if
you get into you will it'll blow your mind how
many stars there actually are that you can see. Light
pollution does not do our constellations justice, right, So I
know in my home I look up in the sky,
I can see most of it. I have a little
(16:05):
bit of light pollution. Plus there's always planes flying overhead.
So uh but yeah, check out the capron and Planetary
Planetarium and theater. Great great place to go. And then
the next one it is the the concert hall. They
have It is a big, beautiful opera house type layout
(16:26):
there where they have the second and the they call
it the orchestra level second tier. They have the the
box seats and all that on the sides. Oh yeah,
it's it's great. So it's not just it's the home
of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. There's two in the state,
but that's the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. But it's not
(16:50):
just for that kind of thing. It's for actual concerts
for uh, solo artists.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Or groups that you like, like who.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Recently they had zs Top there, Jason Moraz that was
a big show, Faith Hill and Tim mcgrawl. It's always
a big draw. Absolutely not a fan of country music,
but I liked him in eighteen eighty two, Love That Show,
Love it the Duttons and then last year they had
(17:19):
William Shatner there.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
He's not as do what.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
And I'll get into some of that later, but he
I don't know why he does this. He's not a singer,
but he did a little Q and A with Star
Trek and that kind of thing. But he also does
these songs covers, but he does spoken word. It's not singing, okay,
(17:47):
And he, as far as I know, he's the only
one that does this stuff. Thank god. I never understood
the draw for that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So maybe that comes with being out in deep space
for so long and a little bit of mental impairment occurs. Ah.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I think that rug's a little too tight on his head.
Maybe maybe I never was a Star Trek fan. No
offense to anyone who is. But if you could imagine
like Black Sabbaths paranoid and him just doing it, just talking. Yeah,
it's not even set. I don't know. It's just really weird.
(18:26):
So some concerts coming up the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra,
they're performing Louis Armstrong and Friends, Like, uh, what's that
famous song he did?
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You got me?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
What a wonderful world?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Hey, listen, terrible work music.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
What a wonderful world.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
You know, I know the song everyone. I cann't tell
you the artist or the name of a song if
my life depended on it.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So if you like contemporary stuff, they're gonna have casting
crowns there. They're huge right now. They're on the twentieth
ina Verse. They're gonna have Amy Grant coming up, Bonnie Rate,
the Magic of Motown, just to name a few. Plus
they'll have musicals and plays coming up, including The Little
Mermaid and Pretty Woman the musical.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Is this a place where they do Disney on Ice?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
No?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
No, no, this isn't it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
No, Well they do that at the Charleston Civic Center.
Ye yeah, okay, yeah, we'll do an episode on that
one too. Like that place too. We did Disney on
Ice one year. Really cool. Be careful if you go
to Disney on Ice anywhere, be careful with these guys
walking around with trays of snacks or drinks, because by
(19:44):
the time your kids get a hold of it, it's
too late. And then he'll ask you for the money,
and it's gonna be a lot more than you expected
to pay. But by the time he asked for the money,
your kids are already eating it or drinking it and
it's too late. So just to ask first, how much
is it it made deter you from making that purchase, So.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That that's the But when we were talking about the
the symphony section, was that the Meyer Meyer Foundation Performance Hall.
I believe that's what it's called.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah, I just know it's the concert hall. That's how
I call it. I couldn't remember what that was called.
But I mean they do just more than plays musicals concerts.
They also do lectures on stuff like you're like a
lecture on what you know, like a college lecture. No
coming up soon, they have a lecture on the psychology
(20:42):
of serial.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Killers, which I think that actually intrigues me.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That'd be really cool. It's with a renowned psychologist and
criminal expert named doctor Rachel Toles. That is so neat.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
At some point in time they ought to bring in
the guys from the TV show CSI to.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know what, though, I think if you if you
have Netflix, there is a show called mind Hunter. Love
that show, which, by the way, one of the actors
is from West Virginia and I want.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
To line him up one of these days.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I can't remember his name on the show he's kind
of like the one that the answer to completely smooth
bald head. He's actually like a Broadway actor. He's from Huntington,
the Huntington area. I can't remember his name, but love
that show. It's about the infancy of FBI and profiling
serial killers. You know, before we knew why these serial
(21:39):
killers did what they did. So this lecture is going
to be about that kind of thing, you know what
I mean? Because these FBI and agents they interviewed Manson
and son of Sam and and things like that so
they could prop so they could get these cases and
try to figure out the patterns so they can narrow
(22:02):
down the suspects.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Because while they were trying to figure out this stuff,
there was a serial killer in Atlanta killing young black
boys and they were trying to figure out who would
do that thing, and it wound up being a guy
that had a recording studio and he was going out
and saying, hey, you got a great voice, once you
come back to my studio, and then they would disappear. Wow,
(22:25):
So Mine Hunter, great show, and this lecture is going
to be a lot like Mindhunter. If you like that show.
Once again, it's the psychology Serial Killers with doctor Rachel Toles.
So for the Clay Centers, that pretty much does it
for the Clay Center. For ticket prices, check out the
Clay Center online, check out the events calendar while you're there.
(22:45):
The Clay Center is just one of many places to
visit in Charleston, but it's one of my favorites and
it will be one of yours as well. Definitely.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Well, you know, that's the beauty of Charleston being the
largest city in our state is that there is a
little bit more to do than you're gonna find anywhere
else within the state. That's not nature driven.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Right now, We're not taking away from Huntington or Wheeling
or Morgantown, right Beckley, Where's there's plenty.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
To do that good stuff to do, just not as much.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
But uh, if you're going to Charleston, put this at
the top of your list, you know, put it on
your must do list for this fine city Clay Center
in Charleston, West Virginia. Well that's gonna do it for us.
We hope you've enjoyed listening to this as much as
we enjoyed making it. Because some of this has scripted,
but some of It's.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
A lot of it today, wasn't It's off hand.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah, we went off tangents, but uh, you know, we
haven't done this for a while, so we're doing a
lot of catching up and we're glad you're catching up
with us as well, so that's going to do it
for us. Thanks for listening to everyone.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I'm James and Iry.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
This has been West Virginia Talk a Jay and Jay
Production Audios
Hi everyone, We're back. It's the latest episode of West
Virginia Talk. But James and Jerry.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
I'm James and I'm Jerry.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Seems like eons since we've done this.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
That has been our Burgotti broke down and so we
had to go to something a little more feasible. With
economics and the economic cardships that are going on, we
had to go to the side by side. So it's
taking us a lot longer to travel the state.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Well, how have you been.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
I've been doing good yourself, busy, a lot of activity
going on.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
You know, I do football, I do basketball, So for me,
basketball is done, so thank goodness. High six months until
football starts. So we're going to talk about the Clay Center.
But first, Jerry, Now, because I did, I did a
little check on the stats. Now we've been downloaded in
(00:53):
all fifty states. Thanks North Dakota, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
It just took them a little longer than everybody.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
Late than ever. We've been downloaded in forty two countries,
six continents. Come on, Antarctica, pick it up. And we've
been downloaded in well over one thousand cities all over
the world.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Just pretty good.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
About two and a half years we've been doing this.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Yeah, and that's pretty good. That's not bad.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
Oh, we haven't done this for about a half a year.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Right, well, And to be honest, we really don't have
a lot period, you know what I mean, because between
our lives being as busy as they are where they're
trying to find the time to record and do justice
to whatever it is we're covering. It's been hard, but
we enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
And just a reminder, all of our other episodes are
available for streaming and download, so check it out wherever
you like to get your podcasts. We're on everything, all
the platforms. So today we're gonna be talking about the
Clay Center in Charleston, West Virginia, one of my favorite
places in the state. Were just two hundred and fifty
(02:01):
thousand square foot facility. They just celebrated their twentieth anniversary recently.
It's all under one roof. You'll find visual arts, performing arts,
and sciences. It's one of a handful of places like
that in our country. It took them four years to build.
When did they start building this, Jerry, what was that
(02:23):
ninety nine? Right, nineteen ninety nine. They opened in two
thousand and three. It was named after philanthropist Buckner and
Lyell Clay.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
You mean it's not because it's made of clay.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
No, if you have a name like Clay, Lyel really
spicing that name up. Indeed, Buckner Clay. So, like I said,
there's visual arts, performing arts, sciences. It's kind of hard
to picture all that under one roof. So let's start
with the art, the visual art. It's the Juliet Art Museum.
(02:59):
Visual arts not my thing. I like art in the
form of architecture. I'm a I'm a lover of different
building styles, like homes, the salt box. I love the
salt box house.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
I love I love visual art. I love going to
museums that are displaying art. Yeah, but I'm very particular
about what art. I find it interesting. You know, they
can be world famous and I could care less. There's
just certain certain pictures just draw you in, and some don't.
(03:33):
Some speak to you in.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
Some don't like Warhol and Picasso, and I just don't
get that stuff, you know, I can't look at it
and you know, pick it apart.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
I don't like the Mona Lisa, Yeah, why is it
so famous? She's ugly? As I'll get out the smile.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I guess, I don't know. I mean, da Vinci's great, but.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
Maybe if they did paint her as a blonde.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, yeah, I don't know if that would have spliced
it up enough for me. But so if visual archer
thing this, this art exhibits great. They have the permanent
displays and then they have a rotating exhibit and they
just finished up one. It was the room Are Bearden exhibit.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
That kind of coincided with black history Mond.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Right, right, Yeah, he was an artist that was making
a name for himself during the Harlem Renaissance. He put
a lot of emphasis on civil change and on his canvases.
So they had, you know, a big collection of watercolor
screen prints, posters done by his hand. Really cool exhibit.
(04:42):
Sorry I missed it, but it's gone. Not exactly sure
what they're gonna have next, but the Clay Center has
many other collections, including the Ann Shreve collection, a lot
of West Virginia artists and so on and so on.
So very large art exhibit.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
And they interact with different art companies across the nation,
across the world. So things get put on loan for
a couple of months at a time, and it's always
going to be different, but there's always gonna be something
that's very well known and very educational. Uh, to to
go and see.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Right, right, So Juliet Art Museum not my cup of tea,
but the Avian Pado Discovery Museum. I really enjoyed that. Now.
We went there with our kids when they were little,
and they had a blast, but so did my wife
and I. You know, Uh, it's it's meant for kids,
(05:43):
but a lot of adults love it too.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Its hands on science.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
Yes, it's interactive, yes, and when the kids it's a
it's a place that you can just let the kids
run loose so they can have fun. But the kids
also can't see you having fun. Two And this place
is really big. It's three floors, twelve thousand square feet.
They have a thing in the middle of it called
(06:07):
the Ashton's Climbing Sculpture. They didn't have that there when
I was there. The Ashton's Climbing Sculptures things massive, three stories.
Kids can climb on it, but don't worry. It's safe.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Can adults climb on it?
Speaker 1 (06:21):
I don't know, because if anyone's going to climb it
as an adult, my wife will do it. She is
absolute daredevil, but it's all safe. It's all netted in
and everything. They can't fall. But it's really cool because
you get to climb it all through each level of
the museum. Everything's hands on. My kids had a blast
doing it, and your kids will too, and you probably.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
Will probably, Like I mean, they deal with sound, so
there's different things you can interact with, whether it's strings
or pushing buttons on the wall that'll put out a
certain sound. They got this little splash zone where the
kids interact with water. Yeah, you know, so they get
to learn about out the way that water moves things
or lifts things.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
They had they had this thing you got on. It
was like a bike and you pedaled it and it
propelled you upwards like on a oh really like a
Pulley system.
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Uh huh.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
But after I got a couple of feet off the ground,
I'm like, man, this is too much like work. I'm done.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Did it drop you like as soon as you stopped
or is it a slow gradual gravity? Fellos, it's low,
Thank goodness. That'd be something if you got like so
far up and then all of a sudden you like
get a leg cramp. I could see that happening and
somebody having to stop and then if.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
Oh no, you don't have to keep it up to
like stay up okay, no no, no, no, no, huh no.
If that was the case, I'd never kind of on
there because I know my legs would have gave out eventually.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
So that's the avam Podo Discovery Museum. Tons of fun
for everybody.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Aving Poto. I'm curious how he got that name. I
sure I don't know, but that what a strange.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
And I'm sure it's been pronounced half a dozen different
ways or more.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
That's speaking of the Ivan Pado. I hope I said
that right. That took the place of a different museum.
Is that correct, the Sunrise Museum, right? Yeah? I believe
it was originally and then whenever they built the Clay Center,
Sunrise was done with.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, it was in the Sunrise Mansion. I remember being
I don't remember being in it when I was a kid.
I remember being outside of it. But what they did
was they just consolidated a bunch of different I guess
points of interest in a museum, put it all together.
So that kind of made the Sunrise Museum obsolete. I mean,
(08:40):
it was an older building anyway, Clay Center telling you
a big, beautiful building you'll want to go in. And
I'm really surprised you've never been there.
Speaker 2 (08:50):
There's a lot of places that I unfortunately have not
traveled to. I have lately spent more time traveling further
off than I have staying within the state. You weren't
even in the country, Yeah, well it was a territory.
I was in the US, the continental right, yeah, forty.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Eight Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
That was an amazing experience. You know what was funny
about being down there, it was like being in West Virginia,
but West Virginia. I know it sounds strange that I know.
I didn't either when I left here. Well, we were
on Saint Thomas St. Thomas, okay, But it was like
the virgin Islands really look like West Virginia flooded, you
(09:34):
know what I mean. It's just the top of the
mountain ranges sticking up out of the water. The roads
are identical to our state, especially the back roads, so
no lines, incredibly sharp s curves that you're thinking, why
would you even have designed it this way? You didn't
have a choice because of terrain, But it's just very
(09:59):
much resembled West Virginia as far as the rock that
lay out of the mountain top. You know, the island
itself just looked like a mountain.
Speaker 1 (10:10):
Well, if you live in West Virginia, I'm sure you
can picture what Jerry's saying, because you've seen a flood
or two life in this state.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
And you've been on the back roads of West Virginia
and you know there are no lines and a lot
of times you don't feel like two vehicles to go by,
but they do.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yes. Oh side note. We were at New River Gorge
Bridge two weeks ago last month, nice last month, and
I was kind of worried because you know the situation
my daughter's in. Yes, she was in a car accident
in June and she really really messed her leg up.
She's been through a couple of surgery, She's gonna have
to have a couple more. And I knew that the staircases,
(10:49):
the flights and flights of stairs were going to be
an issue. But since i'd been there last they opened
up a new observation deck at the top that you
didn't have to go down the other ones to.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
You didn't have to go down the five thousand stairs
to get to the original observation. Y.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
Yes, and it's great because you know, I don't remember
it when I was at their last but and I wondered,
what are we going to do with her? It's a
lot of stairs for her, I mean she's walking, but
it's difficult, and I thought, well, what do they do
for people wheelchairs? Well, this was the answer to that.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
It's a ramp at first, and then if you want
to go down farther below the arch, it's there. Anyway,
I'm off track here, All right, let's go back to
the Clay Center. My favorite part of the Clay Center
is the Caperton Planetarium and Theater. And of course Caperton
was one of our previous governors, Gaston Caperton. And it's
not your ordinary planetarium. The technology in this thing is
(11:50):
mind boggling. And if you're lucky, if you're there for
the actual planetarium, you'll experience it with like a six
or eight piece orchestra plane. Oh wow, while they're doing
their their show. I like going there. I mean, planetaritariums
are great, but I love movies and they show movies
on the screen. Also, is it an imax, It's not
(12:13):
called imax. I want to call I want to say.
It's called the Electric Sky Theater. It's large format like Imax, Okay,
but it's not Imax, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
So it'll take in ninety percent of your visual capabilities.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Yeah, and see that's the thing that Imax theaters have
popped up all over the country now. But it's not
like the one I remember at the Smithsonian because it
actually wrapped around the sides of your eyes, and a
lot of these new IMAX screens don't do that. They
are curved, but they're smaller now. With them showing a
movie on a planetarium screen, it's all around you, and
(12:56):
it's it. It tricks your mind into thinking that whatever
you're watching, you're doing it, so it immerses you in
the totally and you wound up catching yourself grabbing onto
the arm rest even though it's a movie, because your
body senses like, I'm afraid of heights. And we did
(13:16):
one that was about caving.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
Okay, so when they were.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Repelling down into this giant cave in Mexico, I was
hanging on for dear life, even though it's a movie,
you know what I mean. So a couple of times
you're like wait, wait, wait, it's just a movie, but
your body tells your mind you're really doing it, you know.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
So we're not talking about scary enough that we're going
to peel ourselves, right.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
If you're afraid of heights, Yeah, it's possible. I didn't
do it for sure, but it's.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Possible for somebody to be scared that.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
If your blatter's weak.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
We did one for caving and we did one for
space and it was neat because they had one of
the cameras at the launch pad and when it took
off that stuff like it looked like it was going
to hit you in the face and I was like
shielding my eyes. Nice, yeah, because all this dust is
coming at the camera lens. So really really cool. I
(14:12):
love that And next time I go to the Clay Center,
I'm definitely doing that. Love that place.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Now. Is there other exhibits of the planets themselves within
the planetarium?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Yeah, yeah, Like what other fixtures or staples would you
recommend looking at?
Speaker 1 (14:31):
They do want on constellations, because if you've ever looked
into the sky, you you recognize the Big Dipper right,
and sometimes you can see O'Ryan's belt. But the other
ones you're like, I don't know which constellation that is.
So what they do is they'll show you the constellation
and then they'll put an image of what it is
(14:51):
over it, and you're like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. So
it helps if you never did that before, it helps
you learn it, but it also helps refresh your memory
if you kind of got away from that. I think
that's cool stuff.
Speaker 2 (15:03):
I love space. I love everything to do with it.
I love going up on the mountaintops in the area
that I live and you get away from the city lights.
That's what I was going to say, see the Milky
Way in a way that a lot of the country
does not get to enjoy it.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Yeah, for you people that live in New York or
DC or Philly, some of our top download cities. If
you get into West Virginia a lot of places. Of course,
there are exceptions like Charleston or Huntington or whatever. Morgantown
it's busting at that seems. But if you New River
(15:44):
Gorge or something like that, Seneca Rocks, which we're going
to do one on Seneca Rocks one day, but if
you get into you will it'll blow your mind how
many stars there actually are that you can see. Light
pollution does not do our constellations justice, right, So I
know in my home I look up in the sky,
I can see most of it. I have a little
(16:05):
bit of light pollution. Plus there's always planes flying overhead.
So uh but yeah, check out the capron and Planetary
Planetarium and theater. Great great place to go. And then
the next one it is the the concert hall. They
have It is a big, beautiful opera house type layout
(16:26):
there where they have the second and the they call
it the orchestra level second tier. They have the the
box seats and all that on the sides. Oh yeah,
it's it's great. So it's not just it's the home
of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. There's two in the state,
but that's the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. But it's not
(16:50):
just for that kind of thing. It's for actual concerts
for uh, solo artists.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Or groups that you like, like who.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
Recently they had zs Top there, Jason Moraz that was
a big show, Faith Hill and Tim mcgrawl. It's always
a big draw. Absolutely not a fan of country music,
but I liked him in eighteen eighty two, Love That Show,
Love it the Duttons and then last year they had
(17:19):
William Shatner there.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
He's not as do what.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
And I'll get into some of that later, but he
I don't know why he does this. He's not a singer,
but he did a little Q and A with Star
Trek and that kind of thing. But he also does
these songs covers, but he does spoken word. It's not singing, okay,
(17:47):
And he, as far as I know, he's the only
one that does this stuff. Thank god. I never understood
the draw for that.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
So maybe that comes with being out in deep space
for so long and a little bit of mental impairment occurs. Ah.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
I think that rug's a little too tight on his head.
Maybe maybe I never was a Star Trek fan. No
offense to anyone who is. But if you could imagine
like Black Sabbaths paranoid and him just doing it, just talking. Yeah,
it's not even set. I don't know. It's just really weird.
(18:26):
So some concerts coming up the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra,
they're performing Louis Armstrong and Friends, Like, uh, what's that
famous song he did?
Speaker 2 (18:38):
You got me?
Speaker 1 (18:40):
What a wonderful world?
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Hey, listen, terrible work music.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
What a wonderful world.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
You know, I know the song everyone. I cann't tell
you the artist or the name of a song if
my life depended on it.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
So if you like contemporary stuff, they're gonna have casting
crowns there. They're huge right now. They're on the twentieth
ina Verse. They're gonna have Amy Grant coming up, Bonnie Rate,
the Magic of Motown, just to name a few. Plus
they'll have musicals and plays coming up, including The Little
Mermaid and Pretty Woman the musical.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Is this a place where they do Disney on Ice?
Speaker 1 (19:16):
No?
Speaker 2 (19:16):
No, no, this isn't it.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
No, Well they do that at the Charleston Civic Center.
Ye yeah, okay, yeah, we'll do an episode on that
one too. Like that place too. We did Disney on
Ice one year. Really cool. Be careful if you go
to Disney on Ice anywhere, be careful with these guys
walking around with trays of snacks or drinks, because by
(19:44):
the time your kids get a hold of it, it's
too late. And then he'll ask you for the money,
and it's gonna be a lot more than you expected
to pay. But by the time he asked for the money,
your kids are already eating it or drinking it and
it's too late. So just to ask first, how much
is it it made deter you from making that purchase, So.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
That that's the But when we were talking about the
the symphony section, was that the Meyer Meyer Foundation Performance Hall.
I believe that's what it's called.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah, I just know it's the concert hall. That's how
I call it. I couldn't remember what that was called.
But I mean they do just more than plays musicals concerts.
They also do lectures on stuff like you're like a
lecture on what you know, like a college lecture. No
coming up soon, they have a lecture on the psychology
(20:42):
of serial.
Speaker 2 (20:43):
Killers, which I think that actually intrigues me.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That'd be really cool. It's with a renowned psychologist and
criminal expert named doctor Rachel Toles. That is so neat.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
At some point in time they ought to bring in
the guys from the TV show CSI to.
Speaker 1 (21:00):
You know what, though, I think if you if you
have Netflix, there is a show called mind Hunter. Love
that show, which, by the way, one of the actors
is from West Virginia and I want.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
To line him up one of these days.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
I can't remember his name on the show he's kind
of like the one that the answer to completely smooth
bald head. He's actually like a Broadway actor. He's from Huntington,
the Huntington area. I can't remember his name, but love
that show. It's about the infancy of FBI and profiling
serial killers. You know, before we knew why these serial
(21:39):
killers did what they did. So this lecture is going
to be about that kind of thing, you know what
I mean? Because these FBI and agents they interviewed Manson
and son of Sam and and things like that so
they could prop so they could get these cases and
try to figure out the patterns so they can narrow
(22:02):
down the suspects.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
You know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Because while they were trying to figure out this stuff,
there was a serial killer in Atlanta killing young black
boys and they were trying to figure out who would
do that thing, and it wound up being a guy
that had a recording studio and he was going out
and saying, hey, you got a great voice, once you
come back to my studio, and then they would disappear. Wow,
(22:25):
So Mine Hunter, great show, and this lecture is going
to be a lot like Mindhunter. If you like that show.
Once again, it's the psychology Serial Killers with doctor Rachel Toles.
So for the Clay Centers, that pretty much does it
for the Clay Center. For ticket prices, check out the
Clay Center online, check out the events calendar while you're there.
(22:45):
The Clay Center is just one of many places to
visit in Charleston, but it's one of my favorites and
it will be one of yours as well. Definitely.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Well, you know, that's the beauty of Charleston being the
largest city in our state is that there is a
little bit more to do than you're gonna find anywhere
else within the state. That's not nature driven.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Right now, We're not taking away from Huntington or Wheeling
or Morgantown, right Beckley, Where's there's plenty.
Speaker 2 (23:13):
To do that good stuff to do, just not as much.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
But uh, if you're going to Charleston, put this at
the top of your list, you know, put it on
your must do list for this fine city Clay Center
in Charleston, West Virginia. Well that's gonna do it for us.
We hope you've enjoyed listening to this as much as
we enjoyed making it. Because some of this has scripted,
but some of It's.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
A lot of it today, wasn't It's off hand.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Yeah, we went off tangents, but uh, you know, we
haven't done this for a while, so we're doing a
lot of catching up and we're glad you're catching up
with us as well, so that's going to do it
for us. Thanks for listening to everyone.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I'm James and Iry.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
This has been West Virginia Talk a Jay and Jay
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