Campaign for the Brown County Art Guild ~by Julia Pearson
T
he Brown County Art Guild is a portal to the artist colony that flourished during the early part of the last century. With a mission to preserve, exhibit, and encourage fine art, 17 original artists that include Marie Goth, V.J. Cariani, Carl Graf, Genevieve Goth Graf, C. Curry Bohn, Dale Bessire, and Georges LaChance formed the Brown County Art Guild in 1954. The Historic Minor House, constructed in 1857 and located in the heart of downtown Nashville, was chosen as the site to serve as home to the Guild. Now a non-profit organization, the Guild preserves 1,100 historic paintings of the Marie Goth Estate Collection. Goth painted portraits of most of the early artists of Brown County in the 1930s, providing an invaluable historical record that is part of this priceless collection. There are also over 100 pieces that have been gifted by contemporary artists. Today over 45 member artists continue the rich tradition of artistic expression embodied by the original art colony. Each has won juried
50 Our Brown County • Nov./Dec. 2023
competitions and prizes, joining the Guild after a stringent application process. They exhibit and sell their paintings through the Guild’s gallery. Three times per year, new exhibits are opened. Annually, over 11,000 visitors—collectors, artists, students, and tourists—are drawn to the gallery and museum and the events it sponsors. Executive Director Andra Walters noted that next year will mark 70 years of the Minor House housing the Guild. In 1975, a generous bequest by Marie Goth allowed expansion of the museum and gallery, which was completed in the spring of 1977. She also left her historic collection of pieces from original members which became the nucleus of its permanent collection. There have been no significant changes to the building itself since that time, deferring maintenance and updating the preservation facilities to accepted modern standards for the permanent collection. To address these issues, the board endorsed a strategic plan in 2020. It led to a capital
photo by Cindy Steele
The Guild ReEnvisioned
