Mountain Artists Guild is Committed to Supporting Art as a Resource for Community

Since its inception on October 28, 1949, the former Prescott Art League, now The Mountain Artists Guild (MAG), has been an integral partner for the arts in Prescott and the Quad Cities.

Well-known “cowboy artist” George Phippen was a founding member, and when the first Plaza Art Show took place on the Courthouse Plaza on September 23, 1950, Helon Hendrix was president of the Business and Professional Women, which sponsored the event.

The MAG Fine Arts Festival has taken place the second weekend of August on the town square ever since.

73 years is a long and rich history, but MAG is just getting started! Its pillars are education, advocacy, and fellowship. Looking forward, its focus will be on broadening community endeavors and deepening fellowship to heal and grow through collective artistic expressions.

Artists and art organizations are significant resources on the route to cultivating stronger connections. Experiencing the arts more thoroughly in our lives enriches each of us and participating in the arts brings individuals together and nurtures the community. Each of us has the capacity to make our community stronger and even more vital.

MAG’s Executive Director, Andre M. Lewis, is a Marine who is deeply committed to expanding veteran art classes by joining forces with the Veterans Affairs and local Legion chapters. Thanks to these partnerships, MAG offers free art classes to more of our veterans than ever before.

A staunch supporter of youth art, MAG offers scholarships, after-school art classes, and summer art camps. The people at MAG believe giving youth the opportunity for creative expression is a worthwhile investment in everyone’s future.

Primarily a volunteer organization, MAG is committed to emerging artists, with educational programs, open studios, and a gallery to feature members’ artistic talents. The gallery provides a place for emerging artists of all media to display and sell their work in a fine art gallery setting. Membership benefits include learning such necessary skills as quality matting and framing and display and presentation of fine art and artisanship in continually changing exhibitions.

The Guild continues its mission as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing education, support, and training in all aspects of the visual arts through exhibits, workshops, scholarships, seminars, and practical experience in the creation of artistic works. It serves as a charitable vehicle through which artists and members may associate with others of similar interests, offering support and encouragement for the development of their artistic talents.

Mountain Artists Guild is open 10 a.m.– 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is located at 228 N. Alarcon in Prescott. For more information, call 928.445.2510, visit the Mountain Artists Guild website at mountainartistsguild.org, or email [email protected].