Whitley County is home to an array of talented visual artists. They include, but are not limited to, photographers, painters, potters, woodworkers, and sculptors. With the abundance of visual art being created in Whitley County there has been, in the past, an issue of a lack of venues for artists to display their work for others to see and enjoy. Along with this there has been no venue, aside from the Whitley County Farmers Market and a market store, where artists can sell their work.

With input from the Fine Arts Council, the Whitley County Fine Arts Agent created a program titled ‘Artist of the Month’ that would provide a much needed space for showcasing art for the purposes of enjoyment and sales. In the past, the Extension Community Art Center would host traveling art exhibits and local art exhibits that would be displayed throughout the entirety of the art center and be on display for 3-6 months. The ‘Artist of the Month’ program provided a space for artists to display their work for one month. The one-month period was enough time for people to view the art and since it was shorter than 3-6 months allowed for more artists to display their works. For each artist, the art center provided a reception for the community to come and talk with the artist.

The ‘Artist of the Month’ program not only provides a space for economic opportunity but also provides the artist a space for conversation, feedback, critique, and inspiration. For some artists this was the first time they ever exhibited their work, so they learned some of the professional skills such as pricing, creating labels for their work, properly displaying their art, and interacting with the public and articulating their creative process during an event held for them.

Increasing the opportunity for the public to witness visual arts through the ‘Artist of the Month’ program has also resulted in art sales totaling $1,830.00. And since the art center does not take a sales commission, which is often 40%, one artist donated 20% of their sales to a local homeless shelter.

The ‘Artist of the Month’ program was featured on regional television and also has contributed to the vibrancy of downtown Williamsburg. These factors not only increased the appreciation for local arts but has expanded peoples notions of what constitutes a work of art.