SW Iowa Art Tour doubles in size from its start

The third annual Southwest Iowa Arts Tour is this Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17-18.
This event takes place in communities throughout southwest Iowa, showcasing local artists and galleries.
This year, the event has doubled from the inaugural year to 12 communities with over 100 local artists representing diverse media such as metal work, painting, pottery and jewelry.
Tour stops
Communities hosting stops on the tour include: Council Bluffs, Woodbine, Glenwood, Malvern, Macedonia, Oakland, Avoca, Marne, Shenandoah, Red Oak, Corning and Winterset. The communities of Council Bluffs, Malvern and Red Oak will include multiple gallery and gathering place stops for participants.
The self-guided event is free and open to the public and will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17 and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18. Maps located at stops on the tour. The Red Oak Express has a limited supply of maps. There is an interactive map at http://goo.gl/hNFBdN.
Stops include the Avoca Main Street; Corning Center for Fine Arts; Dixie Quicks/RNG Gallery in Council Bluffs; Harvester Lofts at the Pottawattamie Arts Culture & Entertainment in Council Bluffs; Mary Sneed’s Fine Art & Framing, Glenwood; Arnie’s Artworks, Marne; Phyllis Bruce Studio, rural Malvern; The Painted Camel, Macedonia; Project Art Church, Malvern; Fine Arts on Fifth, Malvern; Oakland Community Building in Oakland; Wilson Performing Arts Center, Red Oak; The Jade Dog Studio, Red Oak; Country Flavor Gallery, Red Oak; Wabash Wine Company, Shenandoah; Madhaus Gallery, Winterset; and Heavy Metal Renaissance, Woodbine.
Birth of an idea
An intrepid bunch of artists and volunteers hunkered down for a meeting at Project Art Church in Malvern in 2014 to bring to life an idea for a rural art tour to showcase and promote area artists. That group would eventually organize as the Southwest Iowa Arts Council and hosted the first Southwest Iowa Art Tour in September 2014. The group has conducted visioning for future activities and events to promote the arts - and perhaps most importantly, forged networks with other artists, communities and patrons.
The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is coordinated by the Southwest Iowa Arts Council’s volunteer board of directors with support from Golden Hills RC&D. Funding support for the event has been provided by the Red Oak City Council hotel/motel grant, the USDA Rural Community Development Initiative, the Iowa West Foundation and the University of Iowa. The Southwest Iowa Art Tour, hosted by the Southwest Iowa Arts Council, represents a group of artists from throughout the region who collaborate to provide opportunities for the public to view and purchase their work.
Mission and goals
The Southwest Iowa Arts Council’s mission is to “Connect rural communities in Southwest Iowa through contemporary and traditional visual arts promotion and education.” Goals of the group are to promote artists in southwest Iowa and assist in their viability, recognition and support; to cultivate visual arts appreciation and patronage through education and outreach; to provide learning opportunities for youth and adults to foster an interest in the visual arts; and to create and promote events in southwest Iowa that celebrate the traditional and contemporary arts. The Southwest Iowa Arts Council is a nonprofit organization. For more information, please visit swiarttour.com.