Ушел из жизни президент и генеральный директор Центра искусств и наук «Клей» Мункит аль-Наджар

Al Najjar, president and CEO of the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences, talks about a model of the planet Saturn and its rings on Monday, March 24, 2025. The model was to be hung up for an exhibit on the planets, which opens Sunday. Most Charleston residents greatly appreciate the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences of West Virginia and realize the city is lucky to have such a facility. Many West Virginians beyond the Kanawha Valley and those in bordering states feel the same way. The Clay Center not only brings world class performances and artists from across the globe to a small town in a rural state, but also offers so much in the realm of education in science and the arts for children in a way that is engaging and entertaining. For those reasons and more, it was heartbreaking to learn Clay Center president and CEO Munkith Al Najjar died late last week. A statement from the organization listed neither a cause of death nor Najjar's age, though Clay Center Board of Directors Chairman Rob Aliff told the Gazette-Mail Najjar was in his 60s. Najjar had previously spent more than two decades working at science and children's museums. When his hire was announced in late 2014, Najjar said he was attracted to the job because it is "really rare to find a place that understands and appreciates the connectedness between the sciences, the performing arts the visual arts and to bring it together in one place as the Clay Center has done." He went on to say that "All great thinkers, inventors, scientists and artists have curiosities and passions beyond their narrow fields. Instead, they think of the world around them as one large puzzle and creative endeavor." The Clay Center made great strides under Najjar's leadership, including adding the Ashton's Climbing Sculpture — one of the biggest draws for children that allows them to safely climb from the bottom floor of the facility to near its top — along with the Space Lab Exhibit and the Avampato Discovery Museum Renovations for the My Town Exhibit, Water Works Exhibit, Maier Foundation Music Studio Exhibit and the Healthy Me Exhibit. Those are but a few examples. Najjar didn't do any of this by himself, nor would he have claimed to. The dedicated staff at the Clay Center along with board members, donors, artists and volunteers all worked together to make the facility what it is today. But Najjar's leadership was key and he will be missed. As Aliff told the Gazette-Mail, Najjar "always saw the best in people," and "I really view this as a loss for the entire state of West Virginia."