Founded in the early 1960s by a group of artists and educators seeking connection and shared purpose, the Owensboro Art Guild began with a simple idea: to support one another and to present high-quality art to the public. That vision gave rise to its first juried exhibition in 1963, held in a vacant house on Griffith Avenue, which remains the longest-running juried art show in Kentucky.
“The Owensboro Art Guild has a remarkable legacy of encouraging the creation of art which catalogs, records, and enriches cultural values. The contributions of this guild of artists to ensure a record of the nuances of history as it is experienced daily is of inestimable value. They do it, and have done it, with steady commitment and energy. OAG members are advocates. They are advocates for their communities and certainly for the young citizens they mentor to creativity. Their consistency in providing support, goals, material, and opportunity ensures an ongoing legacy for the commonwealth.” — James F. Naas, Ph.D., Chair Board of Directors, Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
“Members of the Guild have held positions of leadership in both the for-profit and non-profit worlds, often as business and civic leaders. The organization and its individual members are often active in civic engagement, addressing various community concerns using the arts as a bridge to express ideas.” — Jason Edward Hayden, Executive Director Owensboro Museum of Fine Art