(Oakland, Iowa) –  The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is gearing up for its ninth year connecting rural communities through art. The event will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16th, 17th and 18th.  In 2014, a group of southwest Iowa artists came together to pull off a regional event to connect their rural communities – a self-guided ‘Art Tour’ that would showcase their artworks, studios, galleries, and hometowns. The first year included nine participating communities and thirty artists. The success of the Southwest Iowa Art Tour has grown the ninth annual event to eleven communities, sixteen Gathering Places, and more than seventy local artists.

The self-guided tour allows participants to begin and end where they would like, come and go from location to location at their leisure, and explore diverse art forms – including fiber art, sculpture, pottery, painting, metal works, jewelry, glassware and much more from over seventy artists. The sixteen unique stops this year include all of last year’s locations plus an additional stop in rural Malvern. Gathering Places will be located in the following Southwest Iowa towns: Avoca, rural Clarinda, Council Bluffs, rural Essex, Glenwood, Harlan, Macedonia, Malvern, rural Malvern, Neola, Red Oak and Villisca.

The event will be held on its traditional third Saturday and Sunday in September, with an additional Friday “Sneak Peek” at select locations. Modification of the Southwest Iowa Art Tour into a three-day event has allowed the public time to hit all 16 Gathering Places over the weekend. This year’s Friday “Sneak Peek” hours are from 4 to 7 PM on September 16th at 10 of the 16 locations. This will provide attendees with the additional opportunity to explore the Gathering Places in Clarinda, Essex, Macedonia, Malvern, Neola and Villisca a little early – whether you can’t make it the other days or just need additional time to visit all locations over the weekend.

Langille Studios southwest of Malvern will also be having live music by Hector Anchondo for the Sneak Peek, so you can make them your last stop for Friday evening! Avoca, Council Bluffs, Glenwood, Harlan and Red Oak’s Gathering Places will join the tour on Saturday morning; the hours for all locations are from 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, September 17th and from Noon to 4 PM on Sunday, September 18th.

The Southwest Iowa Art Tour is coordinated by Golden Hills RC&D of Oakland and the collaborative efforts of local participating artists. Funding for coordination of this event, which is free to the public, comes in part from local sponsorships. This year, partnering supporters at the $1,000+ level are Houghton State Bank of Red Oak and the Pottawattamie Countywide Tourism Promotion Committee. The $350 sponsors for 2022 include Malvern Bank, CB Skin Secrets of Council Bluffs, and Dave Carbaugh State Farm of Red Oak.

Over 20 local businesses and organizations are sponsoring for the 9th Annual Southwest Iowa Art Tour. We encourage you to support those businesses who support the arts in southwest Iowa, and make the most of your Southwest Iowa Art Tour experience by stopping at the great restaurants and other shops in the host towns. To find out which businesses are sponsors of the Art Tour, a full listing may be found on our website at www.swiarttour.com, as well as a map so you can plan out your route!  (click on the map to enlarge >>>)

The Southwest Iowa Art Tour began with the intent to not only bring awareness of the arts and artists in rural southwest Iowa, but also to help support economic reinvestment in our small towns through the arts. Remember that when you purchase an original piece of work from an artist, you are directly helping to make the arts a viable career choice in our area. And while you’re at it, grab a shake from the local ice cream shop and a burger from your local café.

For more information be sure to check the “Southwest Iowa Art” Tour Facebook page (with individual Facebook Events for each Gathering Place) and visit the website: www.swiarttour.com, or contact Becca at rebecca.castle@goldenhillsrcd.org. Come support our artists in Southwest Iowa, and be a part of “connecting rural communities through art.”

Golden Hills RC&D is a nonprofit organization with a mission “to develop and promote sustainable cultural and conservation projects that enhance the quality of life and preserve the assets of rural western Iowa.” For more information about Golden Hills RC&D visit www.goldenhillsrcd.org.