HAEC seek key players in Historic Art Guild

The ​HAEC​ announces immediate inquiry for any information and artistic artifacts related to the Huntington Arts Guild. ​The Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center​ (HAEC), located at 32 E. Franklin Street, hopes to tell the story of this group of creatives, from the past, in a future exhibit.

The Guild has been non-operational for several years, but there are traces of the group’s artistic efforts displayed around the city. Therefore, the HAEC calls on all past members, the family of past participants or friends of artists who were a part of the Huntington Arts Guild to share their art collection or account of experiences with the Guild in a new exhibit at the Arts Included Gallery.

“As it is important to place a modern stamp on the growing arts and culture scene in Huntington, it is essential to honor the creative efforts of the past,” ​said​ Katy Strass, Director ​at​ ​HAEC​.

The Arts Included Gallery plans to exhibit the works and stories in the fall of 2023. In addition, a collection of works from Frances Hudson, a former Huntington Arts Guild member, is on the exhibition roster. The Gallery hopes to add to this collection to display a variety of art produced by guild members or even old paint sets and gear used by Guild members.

The gallery has been in communication with artist Susan Taylor whose mother, Frances Hudson, played a significant role in the Huntington Arts Guild. Hudson held gatherings at her home and often assembled artists to various sites to participate in plein air painting.

Members of the group would pack up their gear, including cases of paint, easels and palettes to bring on-site and paint outdoor scenes. Many of the members were women artists who painted in oil and watercolor. The Guild’s main contribution to community art is the wall painting of the ballroom at the LaFontaine Center, formally the historic Hotel LaFontaine.

“There were so many unnamed artists who contributed to the LaFontaine Center project,” ​said​ Taylor. “If we get a response, it will be fantastic to recognize some of them in this new show.”

​​The Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center​ is committed to celebrating arts and culture by exhibiting fine arts in the Arts Included Gallery. The Gallery emphasizes humanities and community by showing work from local, regional and national artists. The arts are a gateway to conversation and interaction as they connect relationships between various subjects to ideas and human behavior. As the name suggests, the Gallery and HAEC offer an inclusive environment for artists, entrepreneurs and visitors from all walks of life. ​The Huntington Arts & Entrepreneurial Center​ offers a wide variety of services. For more information, visit www.artsincluded.org, or for questions, please reach out to us at (260) 358-0055 or info@artsincluded.org.