An artist paints a landscape during the Great Outdoor Art Contest at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. Photo by Rodney Margison

An artist paints a landscape during the Great Outdoor Art Contest at T.C. Steele State Historic Site. Photo by Rodney Margison

BY RACHEL GLAGO

The Brown County Art Guild was established by a group of artists more than a half-century ago. Now, with more than 40 regional artist members, the guild features the artwork of its members in shows throughout the year, and each fall collaborates with other community groups to host the Brown County Art Colony Weekend. This year the weekend will be held September 7–9.

Art Colony Weekend is a recognition of the area’s art history, bringing the community, local organizations, and artists together for a weekend celebration in downtown Nashville, Indiana. Brown County has been a destination for artists since the 1870s, becoming an established art colony in 1907 when painter T.C. Steele arrived.

“What better way to cultivate art appreciation than to have a communitywide celebration of art with a lot of different organizations involved?” says Rachel DiGregorio, the guild’s office support manager. “This is the fourth Art Colony Weekend, and we have more community organizations involved this year than ever before.”

The weekend’s activities include:

  • Prelude pARTy at the Brown County Public Library
  • AGAIN, a festival of new art made with reused materials
  • 30th annual Great Outdoor Art Contest at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site
  • Community Paint Together
  • Villagescape Plein Air Paint Out

Other events include performances at the Brown County Playhouse, gallery exhibitions, and an auction fundraiser for the Brown County Art Guild.

“One of the coolest things during the weekend is the Community Paint Together at the Tilton Corner of Village Green,” DiGregorio says.

At the Community Paint Together, locals and visitors are encouraged to contribute their representations of Brown County to a 4-foot-by-8-foot mural. Paints and brushes will be provided, and the mural will be exhibited at different venues throughout the fall.

This year’s Art Colony Weekend will also feature Bloomfield, Indiana, artist Wyatt LeGrand. LeGrand won the 2017 Paint Out and received the first-place Rob O’Dell Memorial Award with his oil painting titled Thoroughfare.

For a complete listing of Art Colony Weekend activities, admission costs, and more, visit browncountyartguild.org.