The Butler County Arts Guild was recently awarded the Governor’s Award in the Arts “Community Arts” award! This means that our hard work and dedication to promoting the arts in our community has been validated and recognized. It will also bring attention to the City of Morgantown and Butler County, whose governments have helped support our cause for several years. This publicity is also a plus for the entire area! Since our beginning in 2013, we have been chosen “Non-Profit of the Year” twice by our local Chamber of Commerce and once by the City of Morgantown. As thrilled as we are with those awards, to be recognized by the state we love is a special honor we have only dreamed about. We are proud and grateful rolled into one.
We offer painting classes, guitar and fiddle classes, a writing group, open mic nights and more, along with presenting exhibits created by local artists and those sponsored by the state. We also have a Junior Arts Guild for middle and high school students. Once a year, we participate in the “Side by Side” program, which offers the chance for kids with special needs to work one-on-one with a professional artist. Additionally, we host an outdoor Chalk Art Festival, which started six years ago and continues to grow in popularity. Since we believe creativity has no price tag and no one should be deprived of a chance to create because of an inability to pay, these events are all free.
In 2020, we were honored to become part of the WoodSongs Music Coffeehouse series, which is an offshoot of the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, created and hosted by folksinger Michael Johnathon. This popular radio show is broadcast around the world. After a break because of the pandemic, we are pleased to announce that our WoodSongs Music Coffeehouse returns on July 15! We are honored to present award-winning Kentucky musician Alonzo Pennington at this free, family-friendly event. And, on October 21, make plans to attend our fall coffeehouse, as Mr. WoodSongs himself, Michael Johnathon, graces our stage!
The Butler County Arts Guild is rapidly becoming a regional facility, as we have many members and participants from the entire South Central Kentucky area. This is our mantra: A thriving arts community benefits us all in countless ways. The arts can help members of a community mentally, emotionally and physically. We believe lives can be changed with art and through art, opening up worlds and possibilities some may have never known existed. The arts help counties and cities fiscally, as well, by creating commerce and tourism, which in turn creates more commerce.
In these days of loss, worry and anger caused by the pandemic and the divisiveness in our country, creating beautiful things – be it a poem, a play, a photograph or a painting – is more important than ever. We in the Butler County Arts Guild strive to do just that. Join us in our mission!
-submitted by Butler County Arts Guild
