Did you know that, when you shop at Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate to Franklin County Arts Guild? It's true! This supports our goal of making our scholarship fund endowment self-suffient for perpetuity. 

To participate with your own purchases at Amazon, it's necessary to start out at www.amazonsmile.com each time you shop; here's how it works. 

Of course, an even better way to support the arts in our community is to shop at the Artisan Depot in Cowan. Local artists and craft artisans offer an eclectic collection of creative and hand-made goods in every price range. But if you're going to buy something at Amazon, you might as well let them send us a little donation as well.

Many years ago, my Aunt Elise Seal told me about the Circuit Rider’s Quilt. In frontier days, preachers were scarce and many would ride from settlement to settlement or town to town. Most Sundays there was not a preacher but, depending on where your little town or settlement was on the preacher’s circuit, the town could depend on the preacher to show up for certain Sundays, Wednesdays, and dinners on the ground.

There were no inns or hotels in those days, so the circuit riding preacher stayed with someone in the community where they were preaching. Most folks didn’t have a room, or a bed, or even bedding to spare. So, the ladies in each community would make a square or two for a quilt and, eventually, the squares would be tied togethe,r sometimes with buttons attached as decoration, or perhaps even quilted, maybe at a quilting bee. The finished quilt would be given to the preacher so he could carry his own bedding from community to community.
~ Margie Gallagher, Secretary, Franklin County Arts Guild

Margie's memories of her Aunt Elsie Seal sparked an idea for a group art project during the Fall Heritage Festival in Cowan, TN. The event is September 15 through 17; click here for more info. The Franklin County Arts Guild is hosting a "mob art" project at its gallery, the Artisan Depot, in which the public is invited to create pieces that evoke the circuit rider's quilt. Weather permitting, Guild members will be in the courtyard to help with the project, and there will be bits and pieces of art materials from the gallery's new Art Supply Corner. Please make plans to stop by.

​On September 6, a major milestone in the history of the Franklin County Arts Guild was reached: we officially created the Endowment Scholarship Fund of the Franklin County Arts Guild with the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT). Members of the board of directors turned over a check for $10,000 to CFMT, beginning the process of making the Guild's scholarship fund self-sustaining for the future. CFMT will also administer the management of the application process.

According to Anna Kathryn Anderson, one of the longest standing members of the Franklin County Arts Guild, this is a 30-year dream in the making.

In 1986, after having been in the Guild for about 15 yrs, Anderson insisted that a scholarship fund be started for the children of the families in Franklin County. "Arts education was just so important to me," said Anderson. She continued, "Art has always been a part of my life, and the children of Franklin County should have the opportunity to have an education in art if they choose."

So in 1986, the first scholarship fund of $200 was given to a student in Franklin County. By 2017, the grant has grown to $2,000 grant, with $1,000 awarded to each of two students. 

Last Wednesday, Anderson and the Arts Guild met to celebrate this event and to honor Anderson, celebrating her nomination for the 2017 Governor’s Arts Leadership Award. Pat Cole of the Community Fund of Middle Tennessee was there to accept the check. Cole said they would do the best they could to follow the criteria the Guild has set up. An added benefit of having CFMT manage the application process is that, once a child has an application the pipeline, he or she may also apply for other grants from the Middle Tennessee area. 

Anderson added, "I want to say that the people of the Arts Guild have been the best people to work with. I appreciate all that you have given from your heart all these years to help our children. Now I can be assured that this will continue when I'm not here any longer."

Interested applicants among high school seniors who plan to major in art or arts education in college should start the application process at the CFMT website when the process begins in January. 

For more information about the Guild, click here or visit our Facebook page. The Guild is the parent organization of the Artisan Depot Gallery & Gift Shop in Cowan. 

The artists of the Artisan Depot in Cowan, Tennessee, begin the offering of art workshops with three classes by popular local artists: Cathy Norrell, Frances Perea, and Carol Vandenbosch. The public is invited to sign up, and beginners are especially welcome. Class sizes will be small; participants are encouraged to sign up early. The workshop subjects include:

Mask Making by Cathy Norrell | September 30 | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
The instructor fee is $25; there is no materials fee but students may select items from the Artisan Depot's Art Supply Corner for a small donation. Masks will be created with recycled paper and other materials; a materials list will be provided when students sign up. Class size is limited to a minimum of four students, maximum of eight. Students may bring a lunch. The $25 fee deadline is September 23. Please make checks out to Cathy Norrell and mail to Franklin County Arts Guild, Post Office Box 545, Cowan, TN 37318. For more information, contact Cathy Norrell at 423-242-5775.

​Brush Doll Collage Mini-Workshop by Frances Perea | October 7 | 10:00 am to Noon
The instructor fee is $20; most materials provided but students may select additional items from the Art Supply Corner for a small donation. Students will create a doll with a paint brush and a variety of collaged papers, recycled trims, beads, buttons and found objects. Class size is limited to a minimum of four students, maximum of eight; no experience necessary. The$20 fee deadline is September 30. Please make checks out to Frances Perea and mail to Franklin County Arts Guild, Post Office Box 545, Cowan, TN 37318. Contact Frances at 931-308-9510 with questions, or email her at mail [email protected].

​Mosaic Class for Beginners by Carol Vandenbosch (two sessions)
October 14 | 9:00 am to 3:00 pm & October 21 | 9:00 am 
In this two-part workshop, students will create a mosaic wall hanging (with or without a mirror) or a stepping stone. The instructor Fee: $65 and includes all materials. The class size is limited to 12 students. The $25 deposit deadline is October 7. Please make checks out to Carol Vandenbosch and mail to Franklin County Arts Guild, Post Office Box 545, Cowan, TN 37318. Contact Carol at 931-925-3041 or [email protected] with questions.

The Artisan Depot is the gallery of the Franklin County Arts Guild. For information about membership, click here. A list of shows is here.