- 2 years ago
Gov. Jim Justice (R-WV) delivered remarks at the dedication ceremony for new murals in the state capitol.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
00:07What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
00:14Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
00:21O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
00:29And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
00:36Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
00:59Ladies and gentlemen, please make welcome from the 1st Congressional District of the State of West Virginia,
01:13my personal Congresswoman, Carol Miller.
01:17Good morning, everyone, and happy birthday, West Virginia. Isn't that awesome?
01:32I'm so thrilled to be here on this beautiful day to celebrate with you all
01:45an incredible opportunity to witness these beautiful col-lute-nets.
01:52That was a new term to me. But for 100 years, we've been waiting for this to happen.
01:58And I want to give a very special thanks to our wonderful governor
02:03and my dear, dear friend, Secretary Randall Reed, for doing what needed to be done
02:10and getting this started. You know, our history is an old history,
02:16but particularly wrapped around the war, the Civil War that happened.
02:21And so to be able to express our part and our participation in our country
02:28is a blessing for all of us. And people come from all over the world to see this beautiful capital.
02:35And I was here for 12 years serving you all, and I never, ever got over the glory
02:43and the beauty of what we have here in West Virginia.
02:47And so I'm just thrilled to be a small part of this wonderful celebration.
02:52Again, happy birthday, West Virginia, and God bless everyone.
02:56Please be seated.
03:06Ladies and gentlemen, please make welcome to the piano, from Barbersville, West Virginia,
03:18the incomparable Brody Hammers.
03:48© transcript Emily Beynon
04:18© transcript Emily Beynon
04:48© transcript Emily Beynon
05:18© transcript Emily Beynon
05:48© transcript Emily Beynon
06:18© transcript Emily Beynon
06:48I can't think of any better way to introduce to you
07:04the 36th Governor of the great state of West Virginia.
07:09And I will add this, today as we dedicate these murals,
07:14they would have never happened without Governor Jim Justice.
07:18He is our hero of the arts, and Governor, it is my honor,
07:22probably the greatest honor of my life, to work with you.
07:25Ladies and gentlemen, please make welcome Governor Jim Justice
07:30and First Lady Kathy Justice.
08:01Tell me this is not unflat believable.
08:06Tell me that the celebration of the birthday of this state
08:14is not phenomenal beyond belief and doesn't touch your heart.
08:20You know, all these young rascals here, it's unbelievable.
08:27But I want to tell you this.
08:30What Brody just gave to all of us, it brings big tears down my face.
08:38And that's tough to get me to do.
08:42But absolutely, I just think about you, these little fellas, our family,
08:53all the absolute opportunities that we've had to serve
08:58and the honor that you've given me and Kathy and all of us.
09:05You know, Brody, to me, just absolutely puts it all in a capsule.
09:14It's basically just saying just this.
09:18West Virginia, you, how great you really are.
09:25It's unbelievable to me.
09:28And it touches my heart in every way.
09:31Absolutely, I want to do one other thing.
09:34I've got to get baby dog out here.
09:37Come on, baby.
09:40Come on, baby.
09:52Come on now, get up in your chair.
09:58She's got to be airlifted just a little bit.
10:04You know, I think about this little rascal here.
10:08Kay and Jill on Christmas Eve just reached her over my shoulder.
10:15And I thought, uh-oh, this thing's really going to probably grow
10:19into that 60-pound brown watermelon that I talked about.
10:23And she sure did.
10:25But you know what else she did?
10:28And surely by accident rather than anything else,
10:33but she made you smile at a time that was really tough
10:38all through the COVID experience that touched every last one of us.
10:43And the other thing she did that absolutely I tell people so often
10:47is she loves everybody.
10:50She's not supposed to do that.
10:53She's a bulldog.
10:56But absolutely she does.
10:59And so how can the message be better?
11:02How can the message be better if we can make others smile
11:07and absolutely we loved everybody?
11:11It didn't matter if you were black or white or rich or poor,
11:15a kid or an adult, or God forbid, a Republican or a Democrat.
11:21She loves everybody.
11:24Now with all that being said, she's made a real contribution to this state.
11:31She made you smile.
11:34And that was really important.
11:37I would end by just saying just this.
11:41Today we're going to unveil some murals.
11:45And with all of that, I want you to just always remember one thing.
11:53There was a time, there was a time on my first days
11:59that it was really discussed that we really needed to get rid of our,
12:05you know, history and culture and arts
12:08because we didn't have the money to fund it,
12:11even though it was crumbs, just crumbs.
12:18I would say just this one simple thing.
12:23That's our soul.
12:26That's who we are.
12:29Do you really get that?
12:31When we give up our identity of who we are, we're giving up our soul.
12:40Absolutely.
12:42Our history, our culture, our arts,
12:47they return so much to us in money it's unbelievable.
12:53We can never give up our soul.
12:57You're the greatest.
12:59Don't ever forget that.
13:02You're the best state, the very best people, the best craftsmen.
13:08You're low crime.
13:09You're faith-based.
13:10You're the greatest.
13:13And all of you, we want you to just have an opportunity to stay here,
13:20to grow up here, to absolutely flourish here.
13:25You're the greatest.
13:27So for our First Lady and baby dog and all my family, I thank you.
13:35I thank you for the honor that you've given me
13:38and bestowed upon me beyond belief.
13:42Absolutely keep it going, West Virginia.
13:45We got it really going right now.
13:48We don't want to blow our own legs off.
13:50I mean, for crying out loud, keep it going, West Virginia,
13:53because one thing, we're worth it.
14:00Remember that.
14:02We're worth it.
14:04All these young people, all my family, baby dog, me, Kathy, we're worth it.
14:11Every last one of you.
14:15Keep it going, West Virginia.
14:17And thank you so much for giving me the honor of my life to be your governor.
14:23God bless you.
14:24Thank you.
14:34You don't need to be standing up.
14:35Sit down.
14:43Let me tell you a very brief story.
14:47When the fourth Capitol building burned down back in 1921,
14:54they formed a Capitol Building Commission,
14:56and they built this beautiful, beautiful Capitol building,
15:02ranked always every year one of the top ten most beautiful capitals in the country.
15:09They started the West Wing in 1924.
15:12They started the East Wing in 1926.
15:15In 1928, they started the front of the building.
15:19And in 1929, the Great Depression hit.
15:24And we were reading a letter from Cass Gilbert to Governor Conley,
15:30and there were several things that were not included in the original price tag.
15:37It was going to be basically a shell, no windows, no light fixtures,
15:41no HVAC, no monuments, and no murals.
15:47His intention for murals were to be historical and allegorical.
15:53And today we're going to dedicate the first four of our eight murals that are historical.
16:01Back in 2009, we had eight companies taking interest in doing this.
16:06We invited four to visit us.
16:09John Canning and Company from Connecticut received the bid,
16:13and I have Mr. Canning with me here today.
16:16He is one of the most known authorities, not only in our country,
16:21on decorative art and historic preservation of decorative art,
16:25but in the entire nation and country and world.
16:28So please make welcome, from Connecticut via Scotland, our good friend John Canning.
16:36Well, thank you very much, Randall Reid.
16:50Thank you very much, Randall Reid, for that introduction.
16:54Oh, you're welcome.
16:56So, first of all, on behalf of Governor Justice, First Lady, are we still not getting this right?
17:13I wish I was an opera singer. I could project this.
17:16Well, somebody blogged about me that I like to tell people where to stand and everything,
17:21but that's just part of my job, Governor.
17:24Okay, very good.
17:26Well, Governor Justice, First Lady, and baby dog, members of the Art, Culture, and History Committee,
17:38ladies and gentlemen, West Virginians,
17:42first of all, on behalf of David Riccio, who is the president of our company,
17:48and Henry Poshbushowski, the lead artist of our team,
17:52I thank you for giving the John Canning Company the opportunity to work on these historic murals
17:59depicting the rich history and culture of West Virginia.
18:06As a preservationist, I find the history of this Capitol building
18:11and the vision of the architect Cass Gilbert particularly important.
18:16Having worked on other buildings designed by Gilbert, we are familiar with his quote
18:22that he did not consider his buildings complete until such times as they were embellished.
18:30In Gilbert's notes from the construction of this building, he alluded to his vision for its embellishment,
18:38and he even left a rough sketch of the layout of the artwork of these pendentives,
18:44that's these four big blue panels.
18:46He left with us a sketch as to how the composition should be.
18:55On June 20, 1932, at the dedication of the building, for various reasons,
19:02such as Randall had mentioned, the Great Depression and budget constraints,
19:09and can I ask you please, Randall, could you move the microphone over?
19:13I can't see the page.
19:21So anyway, at the dedication of the building in 1932, these embellishments were never materialized.
19:33So here we are, 90 years later, the John Canning Company,
19:37in collaboration with the Office of Art, Culture and History,
19:41has the honor and privilege of picking up the brush, if you will, and fulfilling Cass Gilbert's visions.
19:51The murals are divided, as Randall had said, into two categories, historical and allegorical.
19:58The first phase here includes these four lunettes, which depict the history and culture of West Virginia.
20:06They are on oil and canvas and executed in our studio,
20:12and brought to the rotunda where they were marlaflaged, meaning they were adhered to the wall with an adhesive.
20:20This is a technique used and passed by all of the artists and muralists who worked on Cass Gilbert's building,
20:28and indeed today, this is the method that we have used.
20:32In studying the artwork of the many artists who embellished Cass Gilbert's buildings,
20:37Henry Pospiashowski, our lead artist, skillfully adopted the style which can best be described as bold,
20:45opaque colors and bold, confident brushstrokes,
20:50understanding the work was going to be viewed from a distance and not at arm's length.
20:57If I had to describe these compositions in one word, it would be atmospheric, with its various meanings.
21:05Looking at the south lunette, the Battle of Philippi,
21:10the Union soldiers have marched all night in the darkness during the storm,
21:15and at daylight emerged through the bridge and surprised the Confederate soldiers who were just wakening up.
21:23This artistically is truly an atmospheric painting.
21:28Likewise, the rest of the lunettes, Seneca Rock lunette with the mountain range,
21:34the statehood lunette with Abraham Lincoln and the first governor of West Virginia, Arthur Borman,
21:40and the Harper's Ferry lunette with a myriad of subjects associated with the site.
21:46I believe with all of this research conducted, we have captured the atmosphere of the mountain state here in this Rotunda.
21:56In closing, let me say that this Capitol building and previous Capitol buildings are a link from the past to the present,
22:05and with the completion of these series of murals this October,
22:10they will be a link from the present into the future of West Virginia.
22:16It has been my personal pleasure and privilege working with everyone involved in this historic project,
22:23and I look forward to the dedication of all of the murals, including the pendentants in October.
22:30We as a company are proud to contribute to the preservation and celebration of West Virginia's rich history.
22:38Thank you.
22:50And now we're going to dedicate the murals, Governor.
22:54We have a plaque, and we're going to dedicate the murals to the state of West Virginia.
22:59I just want to tell you a quick story.
23:01We started this back in 2009.
23:05We ran out of money, and so they were never done.
23:10And I love that the governor's always modest.
23:13He came in, and we were in serious trouble when he came in.
23:17And the way he's turned around the state, we've been able to give to West Virginia what we truly deserve.
23:24I went to the governor about two years ago and explained to him, since 1932,
23:3018 governors, 19 if you count Underwood twice, couldn't do this.
23:35And he said, Randall, what do you need?
23:38So, Governor, aren't they beautiful?
23:40Look at them. They're just gorgeous.
23:42And it really is the icing on the cake of our beautiful, beautiful capital.
23:48So we're going to dedicate them right now.
23:59Thank you.
24:03Secretary Scott.
24:07The West Virginia State Capitol Dome Murals Dedication.
24:10June 20, 2024.
24:13The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History recognizes the contributions of the following individuals
24:19and their entities, their vision, dedication, and commitment to the Dome Murals Project
24:25to ensure that the original designs by Cass Gilbert will continue to be a beacon for all West Virginians.
24:32James C. Justice II, Governor.
24:36The West Virginia State Legislature.
24:39Randall Reed Smith, Cabinet Secretary, West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History,
24:43and State Historic Preservation Officer.
24:45Mark D. Scott, High Secretary.
24:48Mark D. Scott, Cabinet Secretary, West Virginia Department of Administration.
24:52John McHugh, Director, West Virginia General Services.
24:56Charles W. Morris III, Director of the West Virginia State Museums,
25:01the West Virginia State Capitol Building Commission,
25:04and John Canning & Company Limited Decoration and Arts Studio.
25:10Governor, thank you.
25:13Thank you, Governor.
25:37So before we sing happy birthday and have the benediction,
25:40this has been a great day for the arts and a great day for West Virginia.
25:48There's no question about that.
25:50And the Governor gets to do something sometime on his own.
25:56So we're going to sing happy birthday, and then Brody, you've got to play what you played already.
26:04Country Roads, you have to play it again, and you've got to play the whole thing,
26:08and literally we'll sing as best we can with Brody when we're done, okay?
26:16We'll do happy birthday first.
26:18Yes, sir.
26:21To you, happy birthday to you.
26:30Happy birthday, West Virginia.
26:36Happy birthday to you.
26:44Country Roads, Brody.
26:50Happy birthday to you.
26:54Happy birthday, West Virginia.
26:58Happy birthday to you.
27:02Happy birthday, West Virginia.
27:06Happy birthday to you.
27:10Happy birthday to you.
27:14Happy birthday, West Virginia.
27:18Happy birthday to you.
27:22Happy birthday to you.
27:26Happy birthday, West Virginia.
27:30Happy birthday to you.
27:34Happy birthday to you.
27:38Happy birthday, West Virginia.
27:42Happy birthday to you.
27:46Happy birthday to you.
27:50Happy birthday, West Virginia.
27:54Happy birthday to you.
27:58Happy birthday to you.
28:02Happy birthday to you.
28:06Happy birthday to you.
28:10Happy birthday to you.
28:14Happy birthday to you.
28:18Happy birthday to you.
28:22Happy birthday to you.
28:26Happy birthday to you.
28:30Happy birthday to you.
28:34Happy birthday to you.
28:38Happy birthday to you.
28:42Happy birthday to you.
28:46Happy birthday to you.
28:50Happy birthday to you.
28:54Happy birthday to you.
28:58Happy birthday to you.
29:02Happy birthday to you.
29:06Happy birthday to you.
29:10Happy birthday to you.
29:14Happy birthday to you.
29:18Happy birthday to you.
29:22Now just think, the Governor tells Brody, we're gonna have an encore.
29:44He doesn't know anything about that and everything.
29:46He is talented beyond belief.
29:48And what does he do?
29:50Hey, Brody, come over here, I wanna, you know,
29:51shake your hand, give you a hug, whatever.
29:53He walks over here and pets a baby dog.
29:59Good job.
30:04Okay, everybody, we're getting ready to go over
30:07to the Culture Center for the reception.
30:09And the First Lady's contest this year is hot dog sauce.
30:14And you will receive a program that has all the recipes
30:17from the past contests.
30:19We have the black walnut, blueberry cake, blackberry cake,
30:23the punch recipe, which is Mountain Mama's refresher,
30:28and then this year's hot dog sauce
30:30that I can't announce the winner
30:31because the First Lady's gonna do that.
30:34Later this afternoon at 4 p.m.,
30:35the Governor and the First Lady and baby dog
30:37are gonna be in Wheeling to dedicate the first statue
30:41of our first governor, Governor Arthur I. Borman,
30:44dedicated by our now governor, the great Jim Justice.
30:49So we're gonna end with a word of benediction
30:53from Senator Vince Deed from Lewisburg.
30:56Senator.
31:00What a great day this has been, really.
31:03There is nothing that West Virginians cannot do
31:06with a common purpose.
31:07And you can see that in this building,
31:09you can see that in how the Governor has led our state,
31:13and we are so blessed to have each and every one
31:16of you here today.
31:18And let's honor our God in a word of prayer.
31:21Our gracious Heavenly Father, as we gather together today
31:26to celebrate the wonderful history
31:28and the countless victories
31:30of the 161 years of West Virginia,
31:34we humbly request you grant us godly wisdom and discernment
31:39as we reflect on our mountain state's history
31:42and guide us as we look forward to your faithfulness
31:46and the freedoms you bestow upon this great state.
31:50Heavenly Father, may we praise you and honor you
31:53as we witness the beauty of West Virginia,
31:56from its mighty rivers to its windswept mountains.
32:00May we give you, Heavenly Father,
32:02all the glory for creating the mountain state
32:06out of a civil war 161 years ago
32:09and establishing a state which is a beacon,
32:13a beacon of light to our nation and to our world.
32:17For it's in Jesus' precious name we do pray.
32:20Amen.
32:21Amen.
32:25Okay, everybody, if you join us
32:26over at the Culture Center, the Governor and the First Lady,
32:28you'll be there with baby dog.
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