5th Annual Southwest Iowa Art Tour: Connecting Communities Through Art

By Tina Bakehouse, Outreach & Communication Coordinator Golden Hills RC&D 

Five years ago a group of rural artists and Golden Hills RC&D, a Southwest Iowa nonprofit, had a vision.  They wanted people to visit small town Iowa to promote art.  Thus, in 2014, the Southwest Iowa Art Tour initiated its inaugural debut.  The tour is celebrating its 5th year and has grown.  The first tour featured nine community stops with 30 artists. The event has grown to include fourteen unique stops with more than 85 artists.
                                                                                                                                                                    
Southwest Iowa has become a creative hub of artists. 
 
This self-guided tour allows participants to come and go from location to location at their leisure, exploring diverse art forms, including metal, sculpture, quilting, paint, jewelry, and more from more than 85 artists. 
 
This event will be held Saturday, September 15 from 10:00-5:00 pm and Sunday, September 16 from noon-4:00 pm, which includes 11 unique stops in the following Southwest Iowa towns:  Glenwood, Macedonia, Malvern, Red Oak, Harlan, Shenandoah, Tabor, Avoca, Neola, Sidney, and Council Bluffs.
 
The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is coordinated by Golden Hills and supported by local artists from throughout the region who collaborate to provide opportunities for the public to view and purchase their work.  Funding to support this free event has been provided by the Iowa Arts Council, Art Works, the National Endowment for the Arts, and numerous local businesses. 
 
The Southwest Iowa Art Tour wants to connect rural communities through visual art.   Paul Koch, potter from Painted Camel in Macedonia, said, “The Southwest Iowa Art Tour celebrates the talents of artists living in rural communities and brings people to gathering places who may not have experienced the beauty and charm of these smaller towns.”  By promoting and educating rural art, the art tour assists in the viability, recognition, and support of artists to cultivate visual arts appreciation and celebrate the traditional and contemporary arts. 
 
For more information be sure to check the “Southwest Iowa Art” Tour Facebook page, visit their website:  www.swiarttour.com, or contact Tina Bakehouse at 712.482.3029 or tina@goldenhillsrcd.org. Come support our artists in Southwest Iowa, and be a part of “connecting communities through art.”
 
Golden Hills RC&D is a nonprofit organization with a mission “to develop and promote sustainable cultural and conservation projects that enhance the quality of life and preserve the assets of rural western Iowa.” It takes the financial support of southwest Iowa organizations and community members for Golden Hills RC&D to continue offering projects in arts, culture, and conservation.  For more information about Golden Hills RC&D visit www.goldenhillsrcd.org.  Support Golden Hills RC&D and your community.  Together, we can help make rural towns vibrant.