ABOUT US / PHOTO GALLERY
West End Arts, Visual Artists Guild, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit visual arts organization representing 2 & 3 dimensional visual artists. We are based in Long Beach, New York. We serve the regional interests and communities of western Long Island and the public at large. Our Guild membership includes dozens of visual arts disciplines.
OUR MISSION
• Utilize the visual arts to create free educational programs for adults and children
• Hold special events to enrich the population with our organizational creativity and community global culture while informing and entertaining people of all ages about our diverse local heritage
• Create studio workshops by and for 2 and 3 dimensional visual artists
• Provide venues for our members to display, critique and exhibit their work
• Connect with other arts organizations
• Hold special events to enrich the population with our organizational creativity and community global culture while informing and entertaining people of all ages about our diverse local heritage
• Create studio workshops by and for 2 and 3 dimensional visual artists
• Provide venues for our members to display, critique and exhibit their work
• Connect with other arts organizations
OUR HISTORY
Twenty four local artists, craftspeople and photographers met in the home of one of our founders in East Atlantic Beach in October of 2003 to brainstorm about starting a crafts guild.. Nine of us met in November of 2003 to officially become, West End Arts, a visual artists guild. Over the years our membership had grown from nine original members to an enrollment of over hundreds of artists throughout our 17 years in existence.
Since our checking account and our domain name registration were both on December 1, 2003, we consider that our fiscal and social media beginning. In 2005, our incorporation sealed our name as West End Arts Visual Artists Guild, Inc. forever. The legalities of the formation of our non profit 501(c) 3 organization were the most challenging and satisfying at the same time.
WEA started holding monthly art meetings with talented and interesting guest speakers. We also began our legacy of being an interactive, community arts organization by introducing a series of community cultural arts events. In 2004, we started with a mural with the students from the Harriet Eisman Community School. It was painted on the large side wall of the Kings Pharmacy building in the West End in Long Beach, NY.
We then held, The Colors of Long Beach, our first major and hugely successful community intercultural events. It was funded by a grant from the NYS Education Dept, courtesy of the former NYS Senator Dean Skelos.
Our members have had group exhibits in Long Beach as well as in surrounding towns. We created the 'Art a La Carte' programs for teens and seniors. Arts in the Plaza, a weekly outdoor seasonal art fair was started in Long Beach's Kennedy Plaza.
'Keep Art in Your Heart', post Hurricane Sandy programs for children began. 'Home Sweet Home' the community post Sandy boardwalk mural was painted and constructed using pieces of the old boardwalk. WEA artists as well as other organizational artists painted pieces of the wood. The entire design was made into a colorful memory to pre Sandy days.
Our public art initiative 'Window Works Arts Walk' filled vacant store front windows in the Long Beach community with over 20 pieces of art. The art transformed these barren storefronts into colorful sidewalk galleries. We were thrilled to join with the Long Beach business community to enhance and benefit our environment with the spirit and beauty of the visual arts.
In 2018 we restored and preserved the Home Sweet Home mural on the boardwalk. Because of the harsh weather on the ocean front we installed a plexiglass cover for this installation and hope to keep it vibrant and important in our community for years to come.
In 2019 we added a gallery space in the JCC in Oceanside. This added space gives our members more opportunities to exhibit their work. The children and seniors who are involved with programs on a daily basis are now exposed to art created by members of their own community.
PHOTO GALLERY
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