PARKERSBURG - A number of new exhibits will open at the Parkersburg Art Center on Friday, with the evening also serving as a fundraiser for the center and the Children's Home Society of West Virginia-Parkersburg and the opening of its annual holiday Christmas tree display.

The activities will begin at 5:30 p.m., with admission for the evening priced at $5 for art center members and $10 for non-members, with no admission charge for children under age 12.

Three artists will open exhibits Friday, with the displays running through Dec. 31 at the art center at 725 Market St. in Parkersburg, said center director Abby Hayhurst.

On display in the Main Gallery will be a retrospective of the work of the late Dorothy Horne Decker of Vienna. Decker was well known in the local area as a portraitist and art teacher.

Decker's works are in the highest halls of government, Hayhurst said. Her portraits of many of West Virginia's governors are in the Statehouse in Charleston and her miniatures of U.S. presidents from Eisenhower through George Bush are in the Butler Institute of Art.

The art center's exhibit will be comprised of a number of portraits borrowed from area institutions and individuals, as well as some of the artist's rarer landscapes. Working with the art center to assemble the exhibit are Julie Decker Weaver, daughter of the artist, and the Compleinaire Painting Society, a group of area artists.

A highlight of the opening will be the presentation of a Decker portrait of the late Vienna Mayor Curtis Uhl, which has been donated to the art center's permanent collection by Uhl's wife, Hayhurst said.

The evening also marks the opening of "Gary Pettigrew: Strong Light," an oils exhibit by Athens artist and art educator Gary Pettigrew. Pettigrew's works are highly realistic and the artist is known for his ability to create light in a painting, Hayhurst said. This display will be located in the Esbenshade Gallery.

Pettigrew has had exhibits in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia and Las Vegas, and one of his award-winning paintings was featured on the cover of an international art magazine. He is retired from the faculty of Ohio University, where he was professor of art.

The third opening features the exhibit "Handmade by Simona," with works by Ohio botanical artist Simona Aizicovici on display in the art center's Mezzanine Gallery. Aizicovici uses no paint in her creations, but instead "paints" with flower petals, leaves and other dried flora, Hayhurst said.

As a special event on Friday, the art center is holding "Make it Right for the Kids Night," with live and silent auctions of Christmas stockings donated to the Children's Home Society and works by the three featured artists. The live auction will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be conducted by Col. Chris Daniels.

Beginning at 6 p.m., music will be provided by the Parkersburg South High School Madrigal Choir.

Proceeds from both auctions will benefit the Children's Home Society's programs, such as foster care, health initiatives, emergency shelter, adoption, tutoring and child advocacy. Proceeds will also benefit the art center's education programs for young people in a seven-county area, Hayhurst said.

Hayhurst said Friday will also feature the debut of the art center's annual "Artist-Tree" display. Each holiday season, the center displays Christmas trees decorated and trimmed as homages to famous artists and their works.

This year's featured artists include Mark Rothko, Alexander Calder, Diego Rivera, Salvador Dali, Vincent van Gogh and others. The trees are trimmed by volunteers and several area student groups, including the Youth Advantage Program and the Shine Home-School Co-op.

One of the new trees this season will pay tribute to CM Coolidge's infamous "Dogs Playing Poker" series of paintings, which were initially painted as cigar advertisements, but have now gained iconic status on TV.

Another upcoming event is "The Holiday Market," a craft fair produced by the art center and the Junior League of Parkersburg on Dec. 4 and 5 at the art center. Vendors interested in entering the fair should call the art center at (304) 485-3859.