Clifton Artists Propose Guild

Ten artists proposing a Clifton Arts Guild painted a mental picture of the concept for town officials at Tuesday's council meeting.

“There are a significant number of artists in the community and Clifton could be a real magnet for art lovers,” said Merle Engel, a Clifton resident who designs jewelry and is helping to organize the association.

Engel and other artists who wanted to form the non-profit guild spoke at Clifton’s town meeting to present a business plan and explore funding for the project, which would include a studio for use by several artists. The project has in been in the works for about eight months.

According to the proposal, the town would provide a portion of the estimated $25,000 to get the guild up and running with a location a studio and for other related expenses. How much the town would fund is undetermined.

Proponents said that the guild would start a studio for artists that would also provide art classes, among other services. Artists would pay a fee to display their work and their funding would mainly come from instructional courses and donations. Organizers also talked about having art shows in conjunction with Clifton Day or the annual Clifton Wine Festival.

“I want a place where young people could practice and learn the arts,” Engel said. “I felt there was a great interest from people who I spoke to in the Clifton area.”

Guild organizers are seeking a rental space in town at the moment. They are hoping that Clifton’s walkable Main Street will prove to be an attractive location for art lovers and could draw potential patrons and artists away from Lorton's .

“People have said 'What about Lorton?' But I live so close to Main Street I’ve noticed the foot traffic on that avenue,” Engel said.

Artists who spoke out in favor of the space at the meeting included Clifton residents Mary Lee Peterson, who designs jewelry; Jack Pardue, a painter; and Tuula Ross, who works in scratchboard artwork.

The town council said that they could not proceed with considering funding the idea until the guild was legally set up as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and they were able to find out more about the project’s potential.

“It sounds like a great idea to me,” said Mayor Bill Hollaway. “You put a lot of work into this it’s very exciting but we have a fiduciary responsibility to look into this further.”