About Us

Stanly Arts Guild was founded in November, 1963 by a group of local artists who enjoyed their time together creating & learning from each other. From there the Guild has expanded its vision & mission over the years but we still strive to stay close to our roots – a group of people that treat each other as family & help each other learn & grow. Every time we host a show or teach a workshop we have the privilege of watching members of our community come together to support artists, to learn a new skill or hone an old one, to enrich their lives & ours with their passion & presence.

Our Mission

Stanly Arts Guild is a non-profit organization whose mission is to introduce the public to the talented artists in the area, while promoting the practice, teaching, and appreciation of fine arts in the Stanly County region; to sponsor educational opportunities for potential artists; to nurture beginning artists with developing skills in how to promote, display, and market their work while providing them with the opportunity to show their work, compete in exhibitions, and gain recognition. We strive to make art a part of the lives of everyone in our community, children, the elderly, veterans, the disadvantaged, the abused, and the physically and mentally challenged.

12495021_10153319325806596_5745031996502783265_n copy

12495214_10153302646451596_1623706432650651786_n copy

12510479_10153295912841596_319252551263585611_n copy

Workshop members showing their paintings.

13230196_10153580499531596_5359234743163877459_n copy

13680945_10153704192946596_4341246119218498812_n copy

79644037_10157100644171596_3473716119611637760_n copy

88971790_10157284805456596_2985803655782858752_n copy

89986174_10157333332111596_3237600481492598784_n copy

152503145_10158209659941596_8562505432646704501_n copy

198719011_10158458780316596_3210388064263176365_n copy

199678821_10158462283756596_8244257525312143064_n copy

201938376_10158486382636596_2632847197946210082_n copy

208094560_10158490131831596_9039467310859333342_n copy

317689357_10159377223576596_7375091634108208239_n copy

What We Do

In August of 2007, the Guild opened Falling Rivers Gallery in downtown Albemarle, NC. Falling Rivers was the first co-op gallery of its kind in Stanly County, being staffed and managed by volunteering member artists & friends of the art community for 11 years. After the original Gallery building was sold by the owners in June 2018, the Guild re-opened as Stanly Arts Guild & Gifts on February 12th, 2019. The new location continues to provide an excellent venue for artists of all levels to learn to promote, display & market their work.

In addition to being the premier marketplace for visual art in Stanly County, we also host several judged art shows each year, multiple workshops each month for students at the beginning to advanced level, as well as monthly meetings with speakers addressing a number of interesting & informative topics. The Guild also provides scholarships for upcoming art majors in Stanly and surrounding counties. Everything we do is open to and for the public.

We sincerely hope that you will consider joining this group of artists, art lovers, students, art collectors, and community sponsors.