Last updated: 10/14/2022
Monroe, Georgia
Street Address
205 South Broad Street
Monroe, GA 30655
Mailing Address
P O Box 125
Monroe, GA 30655
phone: 770-207-8937
e-mail: mag@monroeartguild.org
web: monroewaltonarts.org

Hours

Sunday
1 PM - 5 PM
Monday
11 AM - 4 PM
Tuesday - Thursday
11 AM - 5 PM
Friday - Saturday
10 AM - 5 PM

Admissions

There is no admission for any of our shows or events.

Museum Type(s)

Art

Staff

Hope Reese
phone: 770-207-8937
Barbara Barth
phone: 770-207-8937
Zach Coffman
phone: 770-207-8937
Description

Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts. We’re so much more than a place to view fabulous (mostly local!) art. We’re your new favorite destination for shopping for the perfect unique artisan-made gift. We’re your creativity stretching place at classes taught by talented artists for all ages and abilities. Find inspiration for your home or your soul. Art for you and Art for All in the heart on Monroe.

Mission

Our mission is to create a thriving arts community through education, outreach and opportunities to ensure all people in Walton County have access to the benefits of the arts. We strive to create beauty and vibrancy while supporting the vital work of local artists and ​crafts people in Walton County.

History

The Monroe Walton Center for the Arts was founded in 1993 as the Monroe Art Guild. A group of local artists discovered each other as a result of a severe weather downburst which did significant damage to downtown Monroe. The community came together to make restorations through various fundraising events and activities. A benefit art show was among these efforts organized to help raise funds to repair the damage to downtown. It provided the seed for the group of artists to come together and form a guild.

Volunteers contacted the City about renovating of the downtown post office which had been vacant for a period of time to convert it into an art gallery and classroom facility. Diligent in their efforts, the group raised money and went to work painting, scraping and sprucing up the space. These efforts occurred largely between 1993 and 1997. Period shows, lectures, etc. were held during the renovation phase for the public.

Today, as a community art center, MWCA houses a gallery, gift shop, and pottery studio. There are classes throughout the week for all ages and various arts.

Artifact Collections

MWCA hosts approximately 9 shows a year. In 2022, artifacts from the Monroe Museum were displayed in the gallery. We hope to partner with the museum in the future.

Educational Programs

Here at MWCA, our goal is to give adults and children the tools to enjoy a lifetime of art.

We are a technique-based teaching arts center. Classes are taught by master artists who are also experienced teachers. Students leave our courses, not just with a painting or a bowl, but with the knowledge and skills to continue a lifetime of life-enriching (and stress-reducing!) creativity! We offer dozens of classes each month in drawing, painting, fiber, wood, writing, digital, and resin.

Facilities

Our building was built in 1931 as a part of the Hoover Administration's Public Works Projects and served Monroe as a United States Post Office from 1932 until 1970. In 1972, the building re-opened to serve as our community's library. In 1993, the City of Monroe made it available to its artist community, and it has served as an artist guild and community art center ever since.

Governance

The Monroe-Walton Center for the arts is governed by a Board of Directors and a full-time Executive Director.

Publications

Monroe-Walton Center for the Arts, Inc. publishes a monthly newsletter by email to its members available at https://www.monroewaltonarts.org/members-memo and an Impact Report available at https://www.monroewaltonarts.org/our-mission--history.html

Newsletter - monthly
Impact Report - annual
Services

MWCA serves its community through no or low cost classes for differently-abled neighbors, free ArtMD activity kits for children and adults in stressful situations, free art therapy for children suffering trauma.

In addition the art center supports local artists by providing art shows in the gallery, changing approximately every month, and a gift shop in front.

Classes are ongoing for children and adults - see class list on the website. The lovely space is available for birthday parties/classes, graduation parties, and receptions.

Our Gift Shop is a Local Destination

We have three separate areas to display varied forms of art: Our Main Gallery, the Sculpture Garden and our fabulous Artists Market Gift Shop is filled with locally-produced (by our members) one-of-a-kind gifts. And don't forget our Book Nook with local authors' books. Please drop by to see some great works!

Our Gift Gallery is yet another opportunity for you to enjoy our Members' works. You can shop for home décor, jewelry, candles, pottery, soap, photography, books by local authors, fine art supplies and more in our shop. We feature more than 65 artists -- everything is original, unique and hand-made.

Gift Shop
Special Event Rental
ADA

The building, built in 1931, has a ramp in front, a restroom on the main floor, and parking behind the building and on the street in front. There is no elevator, so the upstairs classrooms and downstairs pottery studio are not accessible.

Wheelchair Accessible
Parking
Restrooms
Exhibitions
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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

February 5 - 7, 2025

Milledgeville, Georgia

Georgia Association of Museums 2025 Conference

Wednesday, February 5 - Friday, February 7, 2025

Ina Dillard Russell Library Georgia College & State University

Milledgeville, Georgia

Hosted by: Georgia Association of Museums

The Whole Story Is The Meanin

“For the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, because it is an experience, not an abstraction.”― Flannery O'Connor, Mystery and Manners: Occasional Pros

Join us in Milledgeville, Georgia, for the annual Georgia Association of Museums conference as we explore the profound wisdom of Milledgeville author Flannery O'Connor’s words. In a world where narratives intersect and perspectives diverge, this theme invites proposals that delve into the essence of storytelling within museums and cultural institutions. Our work in the museum field requires us to look at stories from as many angles and perspectives as possible so that we might do our best to tell the “whole story.

Through thought-provoking discussions, interactive workshops, and engaging presentations, we will uncover the layers of meaning embedded within every artifact, exhibition, and historical account. Just as O’Connor masterfully crafted narratives that resonate with universal truths, museums hold the power to illuminate the whole story behind many objects, artworks, and cultural phenomena

We will examine how museums can embrace inclusivity, diversity, and authenticity in their storytelling practices. By acknowledging multiple perspectives and amplifying marginalized voices, we can enrich our understanding of the past and present, fostering empathy and connection within our communities.

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

February 17 - 19, 2025

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Small Museum Association 41st Annual Conference 2025

Monday, February 17 - Wednesday, February 19, 2025

Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center

Gaithersburg, Maryland

Hosted by: Small Museum Association

The annual SMA conference attracts more than 300 museum professionals, board members, and volunteers from a wide variety of small museums. They attend sessions on topics ranging from collections and education to staffing and board issues.

We offer a large Museum Resource Hall and plenty of informal networking opportunities for you to talk with (and get ideas from!) other small museum professionals and volunteers

Theme for 2025: Make It Happen!!!

Is there an exhibit, program, or fundraiser that you've been talking about doing for years? Do you feel stuck because of procrastination, lack of board support, or insufficient funds? It's time to take action

At SMA 2025, small museum professionals will share their tips and tricks of how they made it happen!

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

February 18 - 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

2025 California Association of Museums Conference

Tuesday, February 18 - Saturday, February 22, 2025

San Fransico, California

Hosted by: California Association of Museums

CAM is hard at work planning for the 2025 conference, set to take place from February 18–22, 2025 in San Francisco. We look forward to highlighting best practices and innovative ideas from California's museum community

The California Association of Museums is excited to continue offering in-person programming for 2025. We will not be requiring proof of COVID vaccination/s, but highly encourage vaccination and boosters. For the health and safety of our colleagues, masks are also encouraged (but not required). Capacity and spaces will be thoughtfully considered in the planning of this event.

For more information, please email programs@calmuseums.org.

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

March 15 - 18, 2025

Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Association of Museum's 2025 Annual Conference!

Saturday, March 15 - Tuesday, March 18, 2025

The Inn at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, Virginia

Hosted by: Virginia Association of Museums

2025 Conference Theme: Looking Back to the Future For the past several years, many museums have been deeply involved in planning programs and events to observe the 250th birthday of the United States of America. While this is certainly an occasion to celebrate, this anniversary also forces us as a society to reckon with ongoing inequities and challenges within the US that go back to its inception. As museums ask their audiences to look to the past to understand the present and shape a better future, perhaps now is a good moment in time for Virginia’s museum community to take pause and look back at its own history. We are excited to see you in Blacksburg in March 2025 as we take a moment in our hectic schedules to take pause and visit our diverse pasts. Let’s uncover and share our histories to build a more resilient Virginia museum community.

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

September 10 - 13, 2025

Cincinnati, Ohio

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

Wednesday, September 10 - Saturday, September 13, 2025

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

Hosted by: American Association for State and Local History

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.

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