"Art, like all spiritual realities, can recreate us!" -- Ben Oliphant
The festival was renamed in 1980 to honor the memory of the Rev. Tom Peyton, a former associate minister whose ministry to the entire community's arts and educational efforts was especially significant. An endowment in Peyton's memory contributes to the Festival's budget, which is supported otherwise by patrons' gifts and grants. The Festival enjoys the guidance and services of the church's staff and the use of its facilities. The core of the Festival remains the competitive juried exhibit, which retains the respect it has earned from artists in the region.
