OUR HISTORY

The Guthrie County Arts Council began in late spring of 2011 with visionary parties from communities within Guthrie County representing the visual arts and performing arts. From these initial meetings, the Arts Council gathered local artists to display their work at an inaugural art show in the fall of 2011 at the Mary Barnett Library in Guthrie Center. The event proved to be a success, by the attendance of both  artists and patrons; we were encouraged to press on.

 

In 2012, we hosted a second art show, called Art in the Village, at the Guthrie County Historical Village in Panora, as well as made our Fall Festival an annual event. We also hosted the Iowa National Guard Military Band for a summer concert in Stuart, and Duffy Hudson, a Broadway performer, for a presentation of “A Christmas Carol” in the winter. ​

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Today, the Guthrie County Arts Council continues to organize two annual art shows (Art in the Village and Fall Festival), hosts and sponsors various other performance events (such as the Valentine Day's dinner concert), and coordinates a volunteer-ran artisan gallery called Art on State in Guthrie Center. 

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We continue to meet on the second Tuesday of each month to plan events, manage the member artist gallery, and find new ways to bring artistic ventures to our countywide community. Meetings are held at Art on State, 320 State Street in Guthrie Center, at 6:30 pm. 

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Funding for our events come through patronage of our members, community partners, non-profit grant opportunities and fund raising events. 

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