Member Gatherings
NOTICE: In accordance with its Bylaws, Bartow Art Guild, Inc. will hold its annual board election on Monday, March 11, 2024 at the gallery (1242 E Main St, Bartow, FL). The meeting will begin at 6pm; a reception will follow. Several slight adjustments to the current Bylaws will also be made at that time. Each membership is entitled to one vote and members must be present to vote. An email containing details will be sent to each current member. Notice date: 11 Feb 2024
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Bartow Art Guild members gather to meet, mingle, share ideas, expand their knowledge, open art exhibits, and find new inspiration for their creativity. Gatherings are held on the second Monday of each month. Members often start arriving at around 6:00 so they can mix, mingle, and socialize before our monthly reception and gallery presentation starts at 6:30.
The public is welcome to join us!
December 11, 2023 - Our December gathering featured the fabulous art of Sheri Fox, whose works graced the gallery for the month. The show was hung in groupings that illustrated the many acrylic painting techniques Sheri has studied over the years. A collection of aquatic animals came to life in a blue-green sea, while a large grouping of belly dancers swirled and twisted in colorful costumes.
November 13, 2023 - Our November gathering featured a Silent Auction and launched the month’s Flash Art Sale fundraiser with 80 pieces of original artwork. Members donated 50% of the proceeds from their sales to the guild. It was truly a mix-and-mingle event, with some auction bidding adding to the fun!
October 16. 2023 - A second October gathering took place at the Bartow Public Library for an awards reception honoring the works of those who submitted original artwork for the annual Cornucopia Members’ Art Competition. Top awards went to Gary Wieser, Tony Guin, and Martha Post. Honorable Mentions went to Sheri Fox, Terisa Glover, Wes Reed, Lindsay School, Kimberly Smith, and Bruce Nickens; Peoples’ Choice was awarded to Christy Jervis.
October 9, 2023 - October attendees were treated to a Steampunk fantasy land, complete with a full-sized replica of The Time Machine from the movie by the same name. Awards were presented for Best Work Without Gears, Best Functional Work, Best 2D Imagery, and Peoples’ Choice.This exhibit challenged members to stretch beyond their normal range of work to include the Steampunk theme, and the results were pretty impressive! Award winners were Carol Zeman, Heather Duncan, Peggy Gallaher, and Ellen Simms, plus several Honorary Mention ribbons added to the festivities. Members who were intrigued by this theme are encouraged to begin working towards next year’s Steampunk exhibit.
September 11, 2023 - Our September gathering featured the fabulous photography of Tony Guinn, whose works graced the exhibit area for the month. His artist talk focused on several unique techniques employed in his work and he provided attendees with information on what can be achieved photographically with the megapixels in various cameras.
August 14, 2023 - Our August gathering was truly for Every1, our annual exhibit in which every member is invited to bring one piece of original artwork for display. More than 60 people attended the gathering and reception, and we surprised our displaying artists with award ribbons for recognition by the Board of Directors.
May 8, 2023 - Our May member gathering was held in the 2nd floor gallery at the Bartow Public Library. Light snacks were served before Daryl Ward, Executive Director of the Polk Arts and Culture Alliance, formally installed our Board of Directors. Then our President, Marcia Morse Mullins, gave a short acceptance on behalf of the board and spoke about the importance of calculated change as a means of keeping an organization vital and fresh. Our distinguished judge, Patricia Lamb, announced awards for the Spring Members’ Show, The Beauty of Polk.
April 10, 2023 - Meeting was held at the Art Center and members were given the opportunity to fill Board vacancies through the annual election by the membership, as required by our Bylaws. Sheri Fox was elected to Vice President, Bruce Nickens was elected to Treasurer, and Terisa Glover was elected as Director. All three terms are for 2 years. An opening reception followed the member gathering and Wayne Chunat gave a gallery talk about his work. He also introduced the other Plein Air artists he had invited to share the gallery space with him. Approximately 50 people attended the reception.
March 13, 2023 - Meeting was held at the Art Center and featured an education session about Art in the Parks, presented by Polk County’s Senior Park Planner, Tracy Mullins.
February 13, 2023 - Meeting was held at the Art Center and featured a gallery talk by Peggy Gallaher, Lindsay Tozier-School, and Sandy Lamielle Henry about the current exhibit, Three Amigas: One World, Three Views. A discussion followed about Bloomin’ Arts Festival and other local opportunities for building social capital through volunteerism.
January 9, 2023 - Meeting was held at the Art Center and featured both an education session and a gallery talk by Stephen Koury. Educational session covered framing art, with tips and tricks from Stephen Koury. Stephen also answered several questions about the works in his solo exhibit in the gallery. An opening reception followed the member gathering, with approximately 50 people in attendance.
December 12, 2022 - Meeting was held at the Art Center and featured an educational session by Stephen Koury about how to photograph your work. Marcia Morse Mullins presented a gallery talk about some of the techniques utilized in her fiber art works featured in the gallery. A video presentation gave members a personal view of what is involved when selecting and harvesting a black ash tree growing in a northern cedar swamp, as well as the process of preparing weaving splint from its wood.
November 14, 2022 - This event was held at the Bartow Public Library. Beginning with a reception to honor the artists whose work is on display in the Pamplin Art Gallery, our educational session featured distinguished Cornucopia judge, Alex Rich. PhD (Executive Director of the Polk Museum of Art). After a compelling critique of the works in this exhibit, Alex presented award ribbons and cash prizes.
October 10, 2022 - Meeting was originally scheduled in conjunction with Cornucopia at the Bartow Public Library, but Hurricane Ian had other plans! We easily relocated to our Art Center for a compelling Gallery Talk by Kimberly Smith about her processes involved with producing canvases that begin as a conceptual sketch and culminate in a painted stitching canvas upon which students use advanced stitching techniques to complete the artwork.
September 12, 2022 - Meeting was held at the Art Center with roundtable discussion of desired member benefits, educational topics, etc., which will power the board’s strategic planning sessions. Several Calls for Entries were discussed and members had the opportunity to join our Working Artist program and/or sign up for a one-person or two-person exhibit in our new gallery space.