The Owensboro Art Guild has been honored with a 2025 Governor’s Award in the Arts, the most prestigious recognition for arts contributions in Kentucky. The Guild was selected for its decades-long impact on arts education, regional exhibitions, and volunteer service.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced the awards on November 24 alongside arts and tourism leaders from across the state. Guild President Jim Barr called the award “a kind of lifetime achievement honor” for the organization.
“This is something the Kentucky Arts Council coordinates for the governor,” Barr said. “There were seven awards presented this year, most to individual artists — but ours was specifically for community organizations. It’s rare they see a volunteer group like ours with such a long and active history.”
The Governor’s Awards in the Arts recognize individuals and organizations who strengthen Kentucky’s $6.9 billion arts industry, which supports more than 51,000 jobs across the state. The Owensboro Art Guild, founded in the 1960s, was recognized for both its longevity and community outreach.
Each spring, the Guild hosts a regional juried exhibition that draws 80 to 100 entries and remains one of the most attended events at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. The exhibition regularly includes artists from as far away as Louisville and southern Indiana.
“It’s a huge honor for artists to have their work selected,” Barr said. “The museum tells us it’s one of their most well-attended exhibitions each year, because of its strong local and regional draw.”
In recent years, the Guild has expanded its programming to include a juried high school exhibition, introducing young artists to a professional-level showcase. This year, invitations have gone out to high schools in surrounding counties, including Hancock, McLean, and Henderson.
“It gives students a real taste of what it means to be a working artist — exhibiting in a museum space, competing for prizes, and being part of something bigger,” Barr said. “We award around $3,000 in scholarships or prizes to students, which is about half of what we award adults.”
Though the Guild is an independent nonprofit with no paid staff or office space, it maintains a strong partnership with the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art. The museum hosts most of the Guild’s major events and recently invited Guild members to contribute to its Holiday Forest by designing and decorating a Christmas tree for the exhibit.
Guild member Jamie Mifflin, a retired florist with more than 30 years of experience, led the tree’s design. The Guild also hosts a popular annual holiday party and “Dirty Santa” art exchange, where members trade original artwork in a festive gift-swapping game.
The Guild has also collaborated with the museum and community partners on public art projects, including painting a panel for the Kendall-Perkins Park Black History mural.
In addition to exhibitions, the Guild supports plein air painting events each summer at the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden and a downtown Fine Art Fair — now moved to the fall to avoid summer heat. The plein air event allows the public to watch artists create works on-site and purchase completed paintings that are framed and ready to hang.
Many Guild members are current or retired art educators, and education remains a major part of the group’s mission. Members regularly participate in children’s art workshops hosted by the museum, helping introduce youth to the visual arts.
“We’ve built something special — a nonprofit group of artists who volunteer their time, educate others, and produce quality events year-round,” Barr said. “We don’t have paid staff or fancy offices. What we do have is a shared love of art and a strong sense of community.”
Barr said the Governor’s Award was a meaningful validation of the Guild’s grassroots efforts.
“I’m grateful for the recognition,” he said. “But more importantly, I’m proud of what we’ve been able to build together over the past six decades — and excited for what’s still to come.”
