61st Annual Bath County Art Show Opens June 27, Honors Lifelong Artist Perlista Henry

61st Annual Bath County Art Show Opens June 27, Honors Lifelong Artist Perlista Henry

By Danny Cardwell

The Bath County Art Show returns for its 61st year beginning June 27, bringing more than 1,000 pieces of art from over 300 artists to the Bath County High School gymnasium — and this year’s show carries special meaning, as it honors an artist who has entered every show since the very first one.

Sage Tanguay, executive director of The Bear (Bath County Arts Association), and Perlista Henry, this year’s show honoree, joined Allegheny Mountain Radio to talk about what visitors can expect — and about Henry’s six-decade history with the event.

“Everything I’ve seen so far has been beautiful,” Tanguay said of this year’s submissions, noting the show will include painting, sculpture, and a range of media beyond what’s typically expected from a county art show.

For Henry, known to many in the community as P.Y., art has been a constant since childhood. “Art is one thing in my life that I have control over,” she said. While her early entries were primarily acrylic, she found her preferred medium over time. “Just sort of develop more love for the watercolor medium,” she said.

Henry traces her artistic instinct back through her family. “I think it’s in the genes,” she said, pointing to relatives who worked as quilters and blacksmiths — and to a cousin, sculptor Manuelita Brown, who was born in Bath County before moving to the D.C. area as a child and has gone on to a decades-long career in bronze figurative sculpture on the West Coast.

Tanguay said honoring Henry this year was an easy decision. “She has been a part of the art show for so long and has entered in almost every art show since,” Tanguay said, calling her record “an unrivaled set of bona fides.” A selection of Henry’s past work will be displayed both at the high school and at The Bear gallery in downtown Hot Springs throughout the show’s run.

Henry’s work currently appears in multiple venues at once — she recently contributed five pieces to a separate Juneteenth-themed exhibit currently on display in Clifton Forge.

The show’s growth — from its original home at Valley Elementary School to its current space at the high school gymnasium — reflects a broader ambition for Bath County’s arts scene, Tanguay said. “Something we talk a lot about in the Arts Association is how to make Bath County a destination for the arts,” she said, pointing to existing draws like the Garth Newel Music Center and the county’s plein air painting festivals, organized in past years by Barbara Buhr.

The 61st Annual Bath County Art Show runs June 27 through July 5 at Bath County High School. Admission is free.

• Saturday–Monday: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Tuesday & Wednesday: Closed
• Thursday, July 2 (Community Night): 11 a.m.–4 p.m., with Community Night running 4–8 p.m.
• Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
• Final day, Sunday, July 5: 10 a.m.–12 p.m.

Community Night — Thursday, July 2, 4–8 p.m.

This free, family-friendly evening includes live music from Fishcake, food from Love All BBQ and The Pour Mare Coffee Truck, and activities including face painting, balloon animals, fire juggling, and stilt walking. A youth show for students sixth grade and up will also be on display.

Looking ahead, The Bear is partnering with Bath County Parks and Recreation, downtown Hot Springs businesses, and the Hot Springs Fire Department for a community celebration marking the nation’s 250th anniversary. The event runs from roughly 4:30 p.m. until dark on July 4th, with a DJ at Bacova Beer Company, outdoor games from Parks and Rec, and grilling from the fire department, leading into fireworks at the Homestead.

Want to hear the full conversation with Sage Tanguay and Perlista Henry? Listen to the complete interview by clicking the link below.