OUR STORY

West Pasco Art Guild was founded in 1963 by a small group of dedicated artists. They wanted to share their passion for art with the town of New Port Richey and West Pasco.

At first, the group was nothing more than a handful of painters who met in Simms Park to capture beauty once a week. With the support of the city and other artists who shared their passion, they became an official non-profit organization in 1965 dedicated to creating, fostering, and sustaining interest in fine arts in West Pasco. The guild does not receive any federal funding and to this day is sustained entirely by membership fees, workshop and class fees, sponsorships and donations.

For a while, they taught classes in the Recreation Center on Main Street and students had to submit a small portfolio in order to be accepted into the classes. The city supported further growth of the guild by allowing them to rent the vacant building of The Kentucky Inn for $1 a month.

In 1971 the guild purchased the historic building on the corner of Jefferson and Missouri which is still its current home. The building has an interesting history stretching back to 1926, having been used as a Homemakers Extension, a World War I Auxiliary, and the first Episcopalian Church of New Port Richey.

The building houses an exhibition space with a gift shop, a workshop and studio space, and a library with thousands of art books - including out of print editions. The guild hosts exhibitions, classes and competitions on a continual basis. See the Calendar tab to find out what is happening.

Our objectives are to:

create, foster and sustain interest in the fine arts
sponsor education programs, displays and exhibitions
increase the skills of our members

The West Pasco Art Guild is an entirely volunteer based organization. All of the officers serve because they are passionate about maintaining the services this organization has been offering for over half a decade. If you would like to get involved, please reach out to us.

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