Culture News Blog

Construction on the new State Museum is on schedule and West Virginia Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith says they have some of the best craftsmen and designers in the world working on the project.

Reid-Smith says the drywall is nearly finished in the basement of the Cultural Center where the Museum is located. That will be done within two weeks when a Virginia company called Design and Production, or DNP, arrives to start the fabrication process.

"Their work is incredible,” Reid-Smith tells MetroNews. “They have eight installations at the Smithsonian Institute of Natural History. They did the Hope Diamond."

Reid-Smith says, besides the company's commitment to craftsmanship, their workers are excited to get started on the State Museum. He says 30% of the company’s workforce is from the Mountain State.

DNP has subcontracted the installation work to Florida-based Theme Works. Reid-Smith says that company is also known worldwide for its work. He says he took several of Theme Work’s employees overseeing the Museum project on a tour of eight different sites in West Virginia to give them a better idea of the landmarks they'll be copying.

From the New River Gorge to the Memorial Tunnel, the Keith Albee Theatre to the Philippi Covered Bridge, Reid-Smith says he's anxious for them to get to work. "I can't wait to see what they've come up with,” he said.

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