Special
Archives February 2004
Sally
McCue Love and the Snow Shoe Institute
Sally McCue Love |
By Pat Lawrence
Sally McCue Love is a celebrant of human endeavors and an unabashed
advocate for West Virginia. In a rare fusion of time, place, vision
and the right woman, she has initiated and developed the richly textured,
annual showcase of West Virginia's best thinkers, artists and performers,
the Snowshoe Institute.
Several years ago, Sally attended the nationally renowned Chautauqua
Institution in New York, a summer destination of celebrities, intellectuals
and international artists for more than a century. She was
intrigued and delighted, and immediately realized that such an event
could and should be adapted for West Virginia.
After that, it was just a matter of time, organization and many, many
phone calls and letters. Sally has degrees from WVU and MU, and
serves on the Marshall University Graduate College Foundation Board.
"With affiliations in both schools I thought it would be a wonderful
opportunity to unite the Universities in the effort to create the Institute."
Soon the Presidents of WVU and MU and the deans of the Colleges of Fine
Arts, Arts and Sciences and Creative Arts of both schools were engaged
in the plans.
Four months later, Sally held her first Snowshoe Institute Board meeting.
They wanted a site for their project that took advantage of West Virginia's
beauty, yet with capacity for performance venues and housing. "Snowshoe
Resort had the infrastructure to support the kind of programs we wanted,
with open areas and enclosed spaces, a European style village and condo's
that could be rented."
It took 30 months to prepare for the first event. "We started
with the board of directors, then created a program board, calling on
directors of art museums and agencies across the state and chairmen
of the Universities' drama and music departments. We had
lists and lists of ideas for performances and presentations! The
purpose of the Snowshoe Institute is to showcase the best in the state,
so we depend a lot on the colleges and experts in a variety of fields
from across the nation."
She says programs are designed to appeal to mind, body and spirit.
"We begin each day with meditation and yoga. Then there are multiple,
simultaneous presentations -lectures on history, economics, science,
and the arts as well as performances of music, dance or theatre.
We have a sculpture tour each morning. At lunch, guests ride the lift
to the lake for a musical performance. Dance troupes range from classical
ballet to Celtic groups. At night, there's a major performance like
last year's A Night on Broadway with Mark McVay or the West Virginia
Symphony."
The Snowshoe scope includes politics, culture and the humanities. Historical
portrayals have included Booker T. Washington, Pearl Buck and Jude Binder's
exquisite dance depiction of the Trail of Tears. Presentations
range from astrology to wine making. With magic shows and puppet
theatre, interests for all ages are represented.
Sally is no dilettante. Snowshoe Institute is a full time job,
every day, every month. The first year, she raised $200,000 for
the project. She's still active in fundraising along with handling
record keeping, grant writing, advertising, and speaking to organizations
about the Snowshoe Institute.
The Parkersburg native graduated from PHS in 1961, attended WVU, taught
Senior English and Great Books and wrote freelance while she raised
her three sons. She has lived in Charleston for 38 years, restoring
and decorating a 1920's home with her collection of art and antiques.
With a master's degree in Humanities and 30 hours of art history, she
has a solid background and a vested interest in the kind of programming
Snowshoe Institute offers.
"I have a deep and abiding commitment to having West Virginia
recognized for its contributions and creativity, resources and assets."
The seeds she sowed have flowered and multiplied. Over 700 people
attended last year's Snowshoe gathering.
The consuming project has proved Sally a force of nature in her own
right. In the nineties, health issues depleted her energy and lowered
her spirits. She discovered stamina and strength she didn't know she
had. She says simply, "There were several years that were
hard."
The legacy of those hard years has been a driving passion "To do
all that I can to make our world a better place, a place where culture
and education can be appreciated and enjoyed and experienced."
Snowshoe Institute is Sally Love's baby. The fledgling celebration
of art, science, music and knowledge that she nurtured and tended, has
taken flight, with wings that reach to every corner of the state and
beyond.
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