Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art
Founded in 1937, the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art provides opportunities for visual arts education and develops visual ars awareness and appreciation throughout the greater Augusta community. Housed in historic Ware’s Folly (c. 1818) in downtown Augusta, the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art functions as the only non-profit contemporary art gallery and visual arts school in the region that offers ongoing studio art classes for all ages. Annually the Institute presents over 30 exhibitions of regional, national, and international contemporary artists and provides quarterly studio classes and workshops for children and adults of all ages in a variety of art mediums. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Ware’s Folly was built by Nicholas Ware, former Augusta Mayor and State Senator. The home is considered one of the finest federal style structures in the Southeast. The structure was home to several distinguished Augusta families until Olivia Herbert, an Augusta winter colonist, purchased the home in 1937. After renovations, Mrs. Herbert donated the structure to the Augusta Art Club in memory of her daughter. The Art Club promptly assumed the name, the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, and a new era began. Today the structure’s architectural features shine much as they did in the 1800s displaying the artisanship and detail of a bygone era in contrast to the contemporary artwork exhibitions, thereby creating a unique visual experience.
