A League of their Own

The Art League of Montgomery County’s Annual Art Show is now on display at the Mary Bishop Memorial Gallery at the Crawfordsville District Public Library.

The show will be available for public viewing now through the end of September during the library’s normal hours of operation.

This year’s show contains a variety of mediums created by several league members. A limited amount of artwork will be for sale during the exhibition through the Circulation department. The library will receive 20% of the price for each piece sold.

Members of the Art League of Montgomery County worked cooperatively with the gallery staff to install this show. This year’s show includes more than 100 hundred items created by current members.

Visitors will find fiber arts by Marilyn Smith; watercolors by Leslie Warren, Karen Patton and Carol Baird; oil and acrylic works by Mary Lou Dawald, Alice Harpel, Kathy Houghton and Lu Johnson; clay creations by Mary Lou Dawald; jewelry by Anne Sipahimalani; Sailor Valentines by Linda Cherry; creative paper crafting by Ruth Burkhart; psansky eggs by Karen Paton; faux stained glass by Mary Lou Dawald and Karen Patton; and photography by John Zimmerman and Kathy Steele.

The Art League has had an active presence in the community for more than a century. The organization now known as the Art League of Montgomery County was founded in 1896 by a group of women with an interest in art history, needlework and socialization. The founding premise of beautifying the community through benevolence and stewardship has remained constant. The Art League’s activities and focus have varied over the years to reflect this community’s social climate and available talents.

The league continues to work with local organizations to ensure the arts remain a vital part of the community’s traditions. The Montgomery County Community Foundation sponsored the league’s conservation project last year. The award was used for the preservation of historical artworks by local artists. This year, the league solely funded the reframing of two paintings in their collection by Jody Franklin and Peg Shearer. These works can be see at the library which currently houses the permanent art collection of the league and proudly displays these works alongside its own collection.

Artwork by local artists, past and present, can be viewed primarily on the second floor. The collection also includes the Bicentennial Quilt which hangs in the first floor reading room. The quilt has 42 hand-stitched squares based on our community’s history and our colorful lore, and it was gifted to our community by the league in 1976. The league members have dedicated their lives to the arts and educational freedom for generations.

“The Art League of Montgomery County is open to anyone in our community who appreciates and enjoys art,” said league president Kathy Steele. “You do not need to be an artist.”

If you want to become a member or learn more, send your name and contact information to the Art League of Montgomery County, P.O. Box 2, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, or pick up a membership brochure at the library. After the membership committee receives your information, you will be contacted by a representative.

Stop by show during the annual Art Walk, sponsored by the Art League of Montgomery County. The Art Walk encourages participants to view art in local business windows along Washington, Main, Green and Market streets as well as at the Carnegie Museum, Athens Arts Gallery, Green Street Gallery and Wabash College. Brochures and maps will be available Sept. 22-23 in all locations that have art. Red balloons will mark the locations from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 23.

For more information about CDPL’s hours of operation, visit online at http://www.cdpl.lib.in.us/.

If you are an artist or a member of an artists’ group and are interested in displaying your work at the Mary Bishop Memorial Gallery in 2024 or 2025, contact Toni Ridgway-Woodall, gallery coordinator, at 765-362-2242 for more details.