Andra Walters takes a seat in the front showroom of the Brown County Art Guild. Two oil paintings by local artist Carl Graf hang to her right and left.

Walters grew up surrounded by the arts. Her mother was an art and antique dealer. One of her brothers is an artist and the other sculpts copper.

In her role as director of the guild, she feels right at home.

Walters, a former guild board member, became the full-time director in September. She is the first person to fill that full-time role since January 2017.

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Walters had been involved with the organization since 2005, when she approached then-director Cynthia Orbaugh about loaning pieces to display in the SullivanMunce Cultural Center in Zionsville.

“I stayed in touch with them. If I came through once a year, I would come in and say, ‘Hi.’ I made a point to come down here to visit,” she said.

She served on the board from 2009 to 2014, during the time Gallery Manager Roberta Chirko joined the staff. Now, Chirko and Walters are the two full-time employees at the guild.

“I always felt a kinship, a connection, so for me to be approached last year to consider this directorship was an honor,” Walters said.

“I’ve always appreciated it. I’ve always liked Nashville and always felt a connection here.”

Walters attended college at Indiana University in Bloomington where she majored in economics, but has always had an interest in the arts. Her family would come visit Brown County when she was a child and she visited the guild as a college student.

Walters herself prefers the visual arts, decorating and design. She is an art collector as well.

Her career has been in nonprofit arts and cultural administrative management. She served as the executive director of SullivanMunce from 2000 to 2006, then became assistant director of development, then vice president for Indiana Landmarks. She was major gift officer for the Indianapolis Museum of Art from 2012 to 2015 and became director of major gifts until 2017.

In 2017, Walters thought she had retired. But life had other plans for her when she was approached to serve as the guild’s director.

“It was actually good timing. I was not encumbered by another position where I felt like I had to wrangle the decision. My children are grown. It’s just a great time for me to give up myself,” she said. “It really is, in many ways, a privilege to be able to do this.”

Walters is the mother of three daughters and has three young grandchildren. She lives in Zionsville, but lives part-time in Brown County when she works at the guild on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. She works from home in Zionsville on Mondays and Fridays.

“Our artists live all over. Our donors live all over. Actually, I try to set meetings when I’m up there with folks who are up there or closer to up there, so it actually works pretty well,” she said.

Deciding to take the job was a “thoughtful decision.” Working in the arts and nonprofits is not always easy.

“I know very well its challenges, its benefits, and it takes a lot of entities to come together to make an organization such as this work. … I believe in what it is, what it was and what it should be, so I want to be a part of helping to make that happen,” she said.

The guild currently has 34 member artists, but has space for 50. It is accepting new artists through a juried process involving other members. It also has four emeritus, or honorary, artists.

This year will be the guild’s 65th anniversary.

“It began as a collective, an artist’s association, a group of well-heeled artists who wanted to have an avenue by which they could sell their work and promote their talents and provide workshops and offerings to individuals, but to have a way of doing that together. That is still what we’re about,” Walters said.

Because being accepted into the guild is seen as prestigious opportunity, the organization rarely sees attrition, Walters said. But she also wants to see new artists joining the ranks.

Member artists receive a designated space to showcase and sell their works.

“It works as galleries work; however, there is the added aspect of this historic nature of the organization and its prestige in the last century,” Walters said.

“I find the collective history of Nashville, of the art colony and the current arts organizations here as a wonderful, wonderful bonus in destination for individuals. Whether it be the guild, the (Brown County Art) Gallery, T.C. Steele, all of these sites together make up a true destination for art lovers.”

Since taking over as director, Walters said it has been a “whirlwind” learning how the guild operates daily. Her involvement as a board member was different.

“I appreciate all of the individuals who have welcomed me and have tried to help make me feel comfortable. I’m very appreciative. And the community — I’ve met some really, really nice people since I’ve started,” she said.

“It’s enriched my life already.”

Walters will help lead the guild during strategic planning, as it looks ahead to the future of the arts and artists here while serving members.

“In the last 10 years, a lot of things have changed in the world and the community — the ways of doing business, what the next generation is interested in, what we view as critical for each generation now and how it can be retained, not forgotten. That is a very important element to what we do,” Walters said.

“It’s also how can we best serve the artists. This organization began as that and it should continue as that. … It’s a mixture of honoring the past through our collection, through our history at the same time serving the artists of today and helping them become better known and to sell their works.”

Walters said it will be important for the guild to never forget the permanent collection left by famous local artist Marie Goth.

“This building, you can’t get any better than this. It’s just so beautiful, it’s so charming and it’s timeless. It is one of the best places to showcase the permanent collection of historic pieces as well as the new,” she said.

“With any nonprofit, it’s always a challenge to figure out exactly how is that going to be sustained. We are at a place where it’s kind of critical for us to do that. During my tenure, that’s what I hope to be able to accomplish. …

“Changes don’t happen overnight, but my influence will take time. My style is not like a bull in a china shop. It’s more observatory. I like to be thoughtful about the process. I like my imprint to be lasting, not just quick. That’s more my style.”

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The Brown County Art Guild’s spring showcase is opening Friday, March 8, featuring new works from the guild’s 38 member and emeritus artists.

A new portrait and figure exhibit upstairs also will be open, featuring works from the member artists. A third exhibit will feature portraits from the guild’s permanent collection.

This spring, the guild also will offer workshops led by three member artists:

• Drawing and pastels made easy by Wayne Campbell, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17. Cost: $135 for members, $150 for non-members.
• “I See,” all media forms and shapes by Rena Brouwer, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 13. Cost: $58.50 for members, $65 for non-members.
• Landscape painting, inspired by the masters by Pamela Chase Newell, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 15 and 16. Cost: $247.50 for members, $275 for non-members.

Sign up for workshops by calling 812-988-6185 or visiting bcartguild.org.

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