The two train cars were donated by the L&N Railroad. One was a baggage car and the other a passenger car, which were remolded to accommodate a demonstration car and an art museum. Equipped with air conditioning, heat, both a public address and music system, the train cars had museum lighting, carpeted floors, and were equipped with all the necessary equipment that would be needed to set up demonstrations for the visitors from the communities and schools. Christened in Hazard, Kentucky in September 1961, by the late Governor Bert T. Combs, the Guild Train traveled the Appalachian regions of Kentucky to different parts of the Commonwealth.
In the early 2000s, the Kentucky Guild Gallery was opened to provide a year-round retail space for area artists to sell their work and demonstrate craft to visitors and learners from all over the country. Though the Guild Train no longer runs, the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen is still dedicated to Kentucky’s art and craft education through its Arts and Craft School, which offers dozens of art and crafts classes every month in fields such as weaving and ceramics to music and creative writing, meanwhile continuing its Gallery Store, seasonal fairs, and other showcases. In all we do, the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen follows our organizational mission “to establish art and craft as a vital influence by promoting excellence through education, collaboration, leadership, and service.”
In 2019 and beyond, our goal is to provide support for the next generation of Kentucky’s fine artists and craftsmen. We need equipment such as sewing machines and augers, as well as materials and supplies to continue teaching varied courses in handmade art and fine craft through our Arts and Craft School.
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