Gwen adding some touch-ups to a Barn Project painting in her Fort Wayne Studio.

Some people love gardens, others love birds. Gwen Gutwein loves barns. She is an artist, historian, and champion for old, dilapidated barns. Her passion is to rescue a fast disappearing part of our history, the Midwestern hay barn.

Growing up on a farm in northwest Indiana, Gutwein first fell in love with barns while playing hide and seek with her siblings in the barn on her family homestead. Today, she is trying to capture on canvas each barn’s uniqueness and beauty for all to see. Her barn paintings comprise The Barn Project Calendars. These calendars offer a unique history of each barn and focus attention on all the perilous situations facing the rapidly dwindling barns in Indiana.

This year’s calendar marks the fourth consecutive year with the fifth in the works. Calendars can be purchased throughout Fort Wayne at several stores including the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Artlink, Wild Birds Unlimited, and all the Hallmark stores. It can also be ordered on Gutwein’s web site at www.gwengutwein.com.

Gwen's studio is open by appointment.

Gutwein works from a studio in her Fort Wayne home at 925 Forest Avenue and welcomes visitors to call the studio at 484.1282 to set up a time to come and see the studio and the original artwork. She loves to talk with people about her project and welcomes visitors interested in looking through or purchasing a calendar. Proceeds from the sale of the calendars support the furthering of The Barn Project.

If you’re interested in seeing the barns up close and personal, Gutwein’s calendar has information on all the barns, including location. Just pick up a calendar and take a leisurely road trip for a couple hours – or spend an entire day perusing the beautiful Indiana countryside in search of our historical barns.