July 24–26, 2026 @ William King Museum of Art
As Virginia celebrates its 250th anniversary, William King Museum of Art is celebrating the Abingdon’s symbolic wolf. Under the title of "Unleashing the Wolf," WKMAisholding a multi-day event with the unveiling of a long-term exhibition of contemporary outdoor sculptures —all themed after wolves. "Unleashing the Wolf" takes place July 24-26, coinciding with the 77th Annual Virginia Highlands Festival.
July 24, experience the public unveiling of Unleashing the Wolf on WKMA’s South Terrace. See the sculptures, learn the Legend of Wolf Hills as told by Betsy White, meet the artistsand enjoy a curator-moderated presentation showing how each sculpture was made — presented by the artists themselves.
During the three-day event there will also be dance performances by Southern Appalachian Dance Collective, a professional non-profit dance company located in Abingdon, Virginia. Guests can visit Youth and Family Education on Level 1 of the museum to contribute to a community wolf drawing. There will also be a self-serve table with everything guests need to make a wolf shadow puppet.
According to Russell Facemire, curator of Fine Art & Worrell Collection of Wildlife Art at WKMA, “Our three-year exhibition, Unleashing the Wolf is not only representative of the excellence achieved in contemporary sculpture, but is also a way for WKMA to offer its visitors a more hands-on experience of art. Our commissioned artists have created works of art which are not only durable, but are also made to be interacted with — once they have been placed on our new grounds, they will be available for in-the-round viewing and close-up experiences. We hope that Unleashing the Wolf will become a triennial tradition in the future, and will allow us to offer exciting new sculptural experiences and celebrate the heritage and symbols of the town of Abingdon.”
Unleashing the Wolf is a VA250 event and supported by the Town of Abingdon.