The Charleston Invitational: A Rizo/Bullock Pop-Up Art Show Comes to West Charleston
Four weekends of live music, food, drinks, and the Capital City's finest artists — 313 Washington Street W, March 20–28
The Charleston Invitational
A Rizo/Bullock Pop-Up Art Show is proud to present The Charleston Invitational — a curated collection of the Capital City's most renowned artists, coming to 313 Washington Street W, Charleston, WV for four unforgettable evenings in March.
This is the first time celebrated show curator Jose L. Rizo has brought his acclaimed pop-up format to West Charleston, and he's doing it in style. Every night is an opening night — with live music, food, drinks, and walls lined with exceptional art. Admission is $15, and each evening runs from 6:00–8:00 PM.
Featured Artists
The show spotlights 10 of Charleston's most celebrated local artists alongside 30 historic works from The Rizo Collection:
- Fred Hays
- Sharon Harms
- Michael Teel
- Henry Riffe
- Lynn Payne
- Ellie Schaul
- Barrie Kaufman
- Anthony Peyton Young
- Vivian Reynolds
- Dick Allowatt
Show Schedule
| Date | Sponsor | Music |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, March 20 | Aronfield Agency | Jordan Dyer & Philip Summers |
| Sat, March 21 | Bullock Distillery | Spencer Elliott |
| Fri, March 27 | Folklore Music Exchange | Justin & Jodie Puett |
| Sat, March 28 | El Mariachi, Beckley | Christian Ray Tanzey & Archibald Johnson |
About the Curator: Jose L. Rizo
Jose L. Rizo is a nearly 30-year resident of southern West Virginia, born in Mexico. His family moved to Southern California in the late 1980s and then to WV in 1993. He and his family own El Mariachi Mexican Restaurant in Beaver, WV, and Tazewell, VA.
Jose has long loved art, dreaming as a child of becoming a comic book artist and cartoon illustrator. An avid collector, he owns over 2,000 works in The Rizo Collection, focusing on early 1900s American art — especially Depression Era and Ashcan School pieces. He has curated more than a dozen exhibitions of his collection and contemporary art in Beckley, Princeton, and Parkersburg — and now, for the first time, Charleston.
Beyond collecting and curating, Jose brings art projects to life: he authored the book Rescued From Oblivion: Meyer Matzkin, Last of the Great Master Painters; co-produced the documentary A Promise Kept: The Friendship of Outlaw Artist Billy Foster and Benny Dunfee; and developed the ArtFinder app, which helps users discover museums, galleries, statues, and murals through GPS-enabled maps.
A Special Thank You to Tighe Crawford Bullock
"We want to thank Tighe Crawford Bullock for generously allowing us to use his space for The Charleston Invitational. If you are anywhere near the Charleston area, you know how important he has been to the revitalization of the West Side. Bullock Properties has restored approximately 15 buildings in the Elk City Historic District. We are honored to work with you on this project."
— Jose Rizo
Not a single-minded redeveloper but a lover of community, art, distilling, and other varying interests, Bullock — with his family — commissioned the beloved West Side Wonder Mural by Charly Jupiter Hamilton on one of his buildings in 2014. The mural became an instant landmark that has filled the city with pride ever since.
Special thanks to our sponsors: Aronfield Agency, Bullock Distillery, Folklore Music Exchange, and El Mariachi/Beaver.
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