Brown County
Art Renaissance Weekend

This year celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the Brown County Art Renaissance Weekend. The original event, organized in September of 1993, was the brainchild of the late Margaret Colglazier, former Director of the Brown County Art Guild.

At the time, several separate art events occurred in the fall. Ms. Colglazier convened a meeting at her house to discuss the possibility of collaboration. Charles Keefe, Pat Blevins and Rachel Perry met with Ms. Colglazier several times to initiate the “Brown County Art Renaissance” by scheduling the art events on the same weekend and producing a brochure for marketing purposes.

Charles Keefe, then Director of the Brown County Art Gallery, had successfully organized two consecutive “Collector’s Showcase” fund-raising exhibitions of historical Brown County art from private collections. Pat Blevins represented Indiana Heritage Arts, Inc. and Rachel Perry, the Assistant Curator of the T.C. Steele State Historic Site, was in charge of organizing the Fifth Annual “Great Outdoor Art Contest.”

The first Art Renaissance weekend, in addition to the established T.C. Steele and Brown County Art Gallery events, also featured an historical video-lecture of “100 Years of Art and Artists in Indiana” and a lecture by Joanne Nesbit, editor of The Brown County Art Colony—The Early Years, at the Brown County Art Guild; an exhibition of paintings depicting scenes of Nashville by contemporary artists at the Onya La Tour Center; Brown County Public Library guided walking tours (or self-guided with a map) to studios marked with permanent historic studio signs sponsored by the Brown County Historical Society; and a Town Meeting for Art in the Artist Colony Inn to give long-time Brown County residents the opportunity to share entertaining stories about the early years in the county.

The Tenth Art Renaissance Weekend in Brown County will feature the following not-for-profit events:

The Peaceful Valley Chamber Players

at the Brown County Art Guild the evening of Friday, September 12 beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The annual Great Outdoor Art Contest

at the T.C. Steele State Historic Site from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13.

“The Artist Colony Today”

A special exhibition of paintings by Brown County residents at the Brown County Art Gallery Saturday and Sunday, September 13 and 14. In addition, a large floral painting by Cynthia Richards will be raffled.

“The Authorship of Painting: Foundational Truths”

Presented by the Indiana Heritage Arts, a lecture/slide presentation by artist C. W. Mundy from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 13 at the Artist Colony Inn.

In addition, the many studios and galleries in the Nashville area will be open for art enthusiasts to enjoy.