The Huntington Museum of Art in Huntington, W.Va., will be hosting an opening reception for a collection of work titled “Macy’s Presents American Artists of Color” and an exhibit titled “Elaine Blue: The Performance” from 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 6 at the museum. Admission is free.

“Macy’s Presents American Artists of Color” opened on Jan. 15, 2011, and features more than 15,000 pieces of work from the museum’s permanent collection by African-American, Asian-American and Hispanic-American artists, according to Jenine Culligan, senior curator.

“Every year we do something in conjunction with Black History Month, and this year we decided to expand it a little bit and expand the show,” Culligan said. “In the last 10 years, we have kind of emphasized collecting work from artists of color and women artists and this was a good time to showcase some of the recent acquisitions.”

“Elaine Blue: The Performance” opened on Dec. 18, 2010, and is a collection of 32 paintings by Elaine Blue, a Clarksburg, W.Va., native who now resides in Huntington, W.Va.

“We decided to do a small, one-person exhibit of her visual art,” Culligan said. “She has had an interesting background. She has worked a lot with children and young teens. She has been director of the local housing authority, worked with a childcare agency, was an elementary teacher and worked with the homeless. A lot of her inspiration comes from people she has met on these jobs.

“She works in more of an expressive style, rather than realism, so you get her mood in her art,” Culligan said. “Her work is very colorful.”

Blue, now 69, has been painting since grade school and described her paintings.

“They’re a story — that’s why it’s called ‘The Performance,’” Blue said. “There’s a story with each one of them.

“I kind of leave it open for everyone to find their own way in the story. I can look at it and get something out of it and you can look at it get something different. You’re not just caged in. You can tell your own story behind it. It’s not just one story. It’s a lot of people’s stories.”

Blue is also known for her poetry. At the opening reception, selections of her poetry will be read by Carolyn Thomas, an actress, writer and director.

She described her poetry as rough.

“What I’m trying to do is get someone’s attention,” Blue said. “A lot of times I can’t say it, but I can paint it or write it, and if I’m really lucky, I can recite it.”

Culligan said the event is good for all ages, and describes it as cross-generational.

Both collections will be shown through April 10.