It is their golden year—2017 will be a year of celebration for the patrons and faculty of the Guilford Art Center as it marks 50 years of supporting the arts and arts education in Guilford.

The center is a non-profit school, shop, and gallery. Founded in 1967, the center—originally known as the Guilford Handcraft Center—stemmed from the Handcraft Expo, which premiered in town 10 years prior in 1957. According to the center’s website www.guilfordartcenter.org, “The center seeks to preserve craft traditions and foster innovation by providing an environment where artists can gather, practice, exhibit, teach, and exchange ideas.”

Since its founding, the Guilford Art Center has grown and now annually serves more than 2,000 students of all ages, offering approximately 350 classes, including ceramics, drawing and painting, blacksmithing, and stone carving.

To celebrate 50 years, Executive Director Maureen Belden said many of the center’s regular events, including the annual gala in June, will be anniversary themed

“Everything that we have—we have all kinds of events throughout the year—we plan to brand everything this year with our 50th anniversary logo,” she said. “We are getting ready for a calendar year’s worth of celebrations for 50 years. For us it is a very exciting milestone and an opportunity to let people know more about what we do going forward.”

In addition there will be a series of free workshops open to the public starting in April thanks to a grant from the Guilford Foundation. While anniversary celebrations are ongoing, Belden said the center is looking for any memories or stories people want to share about their experience at the center.

“Basically we are looking for any kind of anecdote or story or photographs, remembrances that people might have had over the years when they were taking classes at the arts center,” she said.

Belden said the Guilford Art Center is also looking for information on its founders: Dorothy Wells Black, Charlotte Thurston, and G. Benjamin Weissman.

“We may compile [the information] in some small ways,” she said. “We don’t have plans to put together a book or anything, but we can put things on our website...We would love to be able to do something with photos.”

Anyone wishing to share information on the Guilford Art Center should contact Maureen Belden at 203-453-5947 or mbelden@guilfordartcenter.org. To learn more about the Guilford Art Center, visit www.guilfordartcenter.org.