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West Pasco Art Guild Oldest Art Organization In Area

From West Pasco Art Guild

The West Pasco Art Guild, which owns the building on the corner of Jefferson Street and Missouri Avenue, in New Port Richey, was once the home to St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.

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By Scott E. Smith | The Suncoast News

Published: September 6, 2008

Once upon a time West Pasco was a called a cultural wasteland by fine art lovers and a group of individuals associated with Suncoast Richey Theatre, which at that time was called the Meighan Theatre.

With the encouragement of Kathleen Strode and Elaine Girouard and a few other artists and crafters would meet on Wednesday morning to capture Sims Park and the nature that surrounded the area in 1959. The group organized two art shows a year, one occurring in the spring and the other in the fall.

As the "crafters" stopped attending the weekly meetings they unofficially formed The Richey Painters. Later, under the direction of Perle Schmidt the small group organized and became the West Pasco Art Guild.

The guild held its first meeting in 1963, at what was then Florida Power Building, on Sunset Road. Subsequent meetings continued at the Civic Building then in Sims Park.

In 1964 the group exhibited at Chasco Fiesta for first time on the lawn of the Hacienda Hotel and began fundraising events at Old City Hall with entertainment, dancing, poetry and singing.

Schmidt, who was the first president, resigned and the vice president of the group, Elaine Girourd, took the reins and vowed to have continuous art displays throughout the area with the first continuous art exhibit being held in Tarpon Springs.

That same year the first art classes were offered at the Recreation Center that was located on Main Street. The classes were advanced studies with the student having to submit three pieces of artwork to gain entrance.

In 1965 the guild was chartered and incorporated as a nonprofit corporation engaged in the promotion of fine art. Its membership had reached 95 people.

Also that year the guild made another move, from Old City Hall-Firehouse Building to what documents of the time refer to as The Inn or the Kentucky Inn, on what is now called Grand Boulevard. The New Port Richey city manager of the time convinced the City Council to allow the guild to rent the vacant building for a $1 a month.

By 1967 the group had grown to 137 members and was aggressively fundraising. They continued to paint in Sims Park until 1969.

The guild produced its first calendar in 1970. The calendar was the brain child of Carl Haag, who in 1968, while guild president, had died.

A total of 1,500 copies of the calendar were printed. It was illustrated withlocal landscapes created by guild members.

After its lease on the inn expired in 1971, the guild purchased the Bonnie Barracks World War I Auxiliary, on the corner of Jefferson Street and Missouri Avenue. It bought the building from the Homemakers Extension, which could no longer financially maintain the building.

Built in 1926, the building originally was the home of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, the first Episcopalian congregation in New Port Richey. The building was situated on two lots and offered a "modern kitchen, community room, and sanctuary," which now houses the guilds art exhibits.

The new guild location became the site for classes, exhibitions and other cultural activities.

During this time the guild started a library consisting of art-related books that now includes out-of-print editions. The library was organized under the Dewey decimal classification according to the guild's librarian, Jean Metzenthin, and is available only to members.

Two years later, the guild held a mortgage on the building after placing a $5,000 down payment on the property.

"The guild has definitely worked hard and is constantly looking for ways to improve itself and progress West Pasco's culture," Helen Olsen, the guild's president and an art instructor, declared in 1973. The quote comes from "20 Year Pictorial History 1963-83," by Walter J. Musial, guild president in 1983.

After the sanctuary was remodeled the organization touted itself as the first permanent art exhibit in West Pasco and held a grand opening 1977 with more than 300 guests in attendance.

The organization is now self-sufficient and maintains itself without any state or federal funding. It survives strictly on membership dues, workshop fees and donations.

Current WPAG President, Beverly Heller commented "the guild strives to continue building its membership, and promoting the arts to the general public by continually hosting art exhibits at their facility as well as public buildings."

Heller also commented "we will continue to offer art classes to both members and nonmembers very reasonable fees."

The guild owns its building and maintains the property through a maintenance fund that was established in 2005 by Heller. Heller is in her third term as president and has made the upkeep of the building a priority.

More recently, the building has been re-sided and has survived vandalism throughout the years.

There are 135 members who reside from Clearwater, Dunedin, Tarpon Springs, Odessa and Land O' Lakes, as well as West Pasco. Five members volunteer their time to offer classes.

For more photos regarding the history of The West Pasco Art Guild visit the href=http://www.suncoastnews.com> Suncoast News Web site, keyword: Art Guild History.

For more information on the West Pasco Art Guild visit its href=http://www.pascoartguild.com> Web site.

Scott E. Smith can be reached at 727-815-1063 or ssmith@suncoastnews.com.

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