The Artisans Village Guild

The Artisans Village Guild has close to two hundred paid members from all over Lake Country and beyond and is the only active artist guild in the area.  Guild members have many opportunities to sign up for various activities, exhibitions, Plein air painting excursions, classes, workshops, festivals, and field trips.

Joining the guild provides many different ways to get involved with the arts, sell/display artwork, grow, expand and share skills and techniques, and connect with like-minded art enthusiasts.  The Artisans Village Guild is part of The Artisans Village, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was created in 2015 to enhance economic development across the Lake Country through the visual arts.  See below for more details on the different activities the Guild provides.  Click here to join the guild or renew your membership!

Guild Meetings:  The guild meets ten months out of the year on the second Friday of each month except July and August. The meeting place is the Peoples Bank, Lake Oconee branch, at 10:00 a.m. There is a speaker or activity at every meeting on a wide variety of topics. The meetings include a social time starting at 9:30 a.m. and again after the meeting to meet new art friends.  For more information about upcoming meetings, locations, and topics visit our GUILD Page.

The Artisans Village Guild sponsors three or more major exhibitions each year:

• The BIG little Project: We had so much fun with this joint creative activity last winter, we brought it back this year. There is no limit on the number of Guild members who can participate!  BIG FUN. BIG CREATIVITY. little 6″x6″ art with a little price tag.  Selection reception on Thurs., March 21.  Learn more >
• Eatonton One Day Paint Out:   On Saturday, April 27, 2024, join us for a full day of workshops and plein air painting. We start the day with two three-hour workshops taught by award-winning plein air artists. In the afternoon, try your hand at a four-hour paint out judged by our instructors. Register NOW! Cash prizes are awarded. For a peek at the event from last year, visit our 2023 Eatonton One Day Paint Out page. 
• Lake Country Juried Art Show offers over $1,600 in awards to the best area and regional artists who would like to enter.  Applications are now open for the 8th Annual Lake Country Juried Art Show.  A seasoned and professional judge or educator is hired as our juror each year.  The show is now on display at The Artisans Village through early July.
• Dual Vision: Art through Different Eyes is a collaboration between The Artisans Village Guild and Associated Photographers of Lake Oconee (APLO). Members of the photography club bring their best photos to a guild meeting and each guild member gets to pick up to two of them to transform into any medium of art of their choosing. This event is open to all members of the Guild and results in a beautiful side-by-side show at the TAV Gallery in Eatonton. Here’s a look back at our 2023 event!

• Multi-Day Workshops: The Artisans Village Guild sponsors two multi-day workshops per year, usually one in the spring and one in the fall. Artists from outside the area are brought in to supplement the excellent teachers we have locally.
• The Artisans Village art class series: Guild members and others teach three-hour classes on a wide array of art mediums at The Artisans Village Art Gallery 110 West Marion Street, Eatonton Georgia 31024.  Click here to see our current class list>

Display and sell artwork:

Guild members may take the opportunity to be juried into The Artisans Village Gallery.  Complete an application here on our website if you are interested in selling artwork at The Artisans Village Art Gallery.

Member opportunities to show and sell artwork are at the Guild’s booth at Greensboro Southland Jubilee Festival in April and through the Putnam County Library’s Artist of the Month program.

The Artisans Village Guild – Board of Directors

Under the Guild Bylaws, The guild has five elected board positions. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Publicity. Elections occur in January after the slate of officers running is announced in December. A member can serve any one position for two years.

2024 Guild Board Officer Slate
Pictured left to right: Michele Hartung — Treasurer; Karen Arthur — Secretary; Debbie Payne — President; Betsy Jenniges — Member at Large; Chris Sims — Publicity; not pictured Karin Gould — Vice President.