The Lakeland Art Guild History goes back to the early 1950's. The trio of founders included Mary Carter, Winnie Shelheimer, and Murray Goldsborough. There was no permanent home for the guild, so the members shifted from place to place.
Winnie's neighbor was Joker Marchant, who was then the City Recreation Director, and namesake of the Detroit Tiger's Stadium, here in Lakeland. Winnie asked Marchant if he would find a permanent place for the newly formed LAG to meet. He located a place for us in Tigertown. In 1956, the guild was incorporated, it's official seal was created and the Lakeland Art Guild became official.
As an art education organization, the group petitioned the city for a place and time to display the results of these classes. The city responded by awarding the guild the use of Lake Mirror Center for two dates, the first weekend in November and the first weekend in March. In November of 2007, Lakeland Art Guild celebrated it's 50th year anniversary with the annual Fall Member Show in the Lake Mirror Center.
In the 1960's, Polk County Commissioners were petitioned and approved the establishment of a facility to house the Lakeland Art Guild. But a real home has been elusive. The guild, however, has remained focused on bringing art education to Polk County. Guild members petitioned the county school board and were awarded the opportunity to teach art in middle schools throughout the county.
Nationally recognized artists taught guild workshops throughout those early years. Artists like Helen Van Wyke were among those individuals. We still have many award winning fine artist's who are members and/or demonstrator's of the guild...Dr. Gene Scruggs, Edwin Ryan Bailey, Carol Frye, Lynne Hughes, Joan Nixon to name a few.
In the early 1970's, John Streetman, director of the Polk Museum, initiated the annual LAG juried shows. As a professionally judged show, monetary awards were made and the People's Choice Award was initiated. During this time, the guild obtained a 501c3 designation by the IRS as an arts education organization. John Hartweg's design was selected as the official guild logo, it remains to this day.
By 1975, we needed a new venue for a juried show, MaryLou Hartweg talked to Donna Stoddard, then the head of the art department at FSC. It was a success and in May of 2007, we celebrated our 37th LAG Annual Open Show.
The next major event for the Lakeland Art Guild was the formation of Arts on the Park (AOP). Priscilla Whippo, then president, asked Dick Sargent if the guild could use his vacant storefront for a sales gallery and a meeting place until it was rented. He agreed to an annual payment of $1.00 per year. That was short lived however, when the guild split over hiring a director a couple of years later. But we began the first of three outdoor shows at Sears Town, now Town Center on the east side. The Polk Community College premiered the LAG members art in their new gallery. The opening of the Lakeland Civic Center enabled the LAG to bring the art guilds in Lakeland, Bartow and Winter Haven together for an opening exhition.
When the original buildings at Tigertown were razed, the guild moved to the Magnolia building at Lake Mirror. This is where they currently have their demonstrations and monthly meetings and the classes are currently taught at the Peggy Brown Building. Twenty-six scrapbooks housed at the Main Public Library, special collections room tell the story of the 50+ year old organization. Still waiting for a permanent home still are the guilds library, donated paintings, and studio equipment, stored in a public space. But the LAG keeps marching on with it's meetings and classes and shows and most importantly it's dedicated artists, whose unquenchable spirit live on...
