The vision for Grünewald Guild was born in the summers Richard and Liz Caemmerer and their children spent at Holden Village in the Cascade Mountains of Washington. It was the combination of the community and the beautiful environment that started the planning of a similar program, but concentrating on the teaching, learning and practice of the art & faith relationships.
After much searching, a deserted Grange Hall on an acre in the beautiful Plain Valley north of Leavenworth, Washington was chosen as the site at which to begin building the Guild. This was June of 1980.
A generous and enthusiastic board of directors, made up of Joanne Klein, Alan Juhl, David Larsen, Bill Sornborger and Sam and Nathalie Brown, together with the Caemmerers, supervised the formation of the fledging not-for-profit corporation, beginning with the Grange Hall's renovation.
In the next years, with a gift from Carl and Vi Schmidt of property holding a one-room school house, and gifts of other adjoining properties purchased by David and Bev Larsen and Sam and Nathalie Brown, the Guild campus was formed.
Courses in art began within the first year in the renovated Grange hall. More courses were added to the curriculum so that today over thirty classes are taught in the summer by teachers from across the country. The schoolhouse has become the Library, the Grange Hall our Centrum, and across our 16-acre campus are housing accommodations and art studios, the newest of which is the Fiber Arts Studio, one of the most beautiful buildings of its kind in the country.
The Guild's history has been one of hard work by many hands, enthusiasm and creativity beyond imagination, and growth that even now looks forward to new programs and additional facilities.
But more than any of this, the Guild's history has been grace, pure grace, God's abundant grace.
History
