You are here: Craig Swift

      Craig Swift grew up in the Washington County Jail. His father was a deputy and he spent much of his young life at the jail. As he grew he earned a college degree in art and, due to a lack of jobs in the field of art, he became a management consultant. Swift commented that he has worked in 49 of the 50 states and in surrounding countries. About a year ago he decided to come home to Washington. He recently married his wife Barb during a Great Places meeting. He also has a grown son, Abe.

You went to Chicago about 20 years ago. Why?

      As a consultant in higher education financing. I did that 30 years altogether. I worked for many years here in Iowa state. Then I followed the jobs. I have worked in every state in the union except Hawaii. I could never get that gig. Someone else always got it.

When did you come back here?

      A year ago last month. I was living in Vermont.

What brings you back?

      What brought me back was what I describe in the beginning of the book "A Day in the Life of Washington" and that is a lifestyle that is porches and sidewalks and parks and being able to walk anywhere, anytime. I could have done that in some of the places I have lived, but it would have had to have been a gated community and I would have had to pay $750,000. It appealed to me because it was natural here and it wasn't fake.

What does your family look like?

      I have a grown son who is going to be 32 this month and my parents are still alive and they live on our farm, which is just outside of town. I have a new wife. I got married at dodici's shop during a Great Places meeting.

Why did you decide to do that?

      I think it was to celebrate what a great place Washington is. We wanted to share it with all the people; it is a very diverse group that comes there. We wanted to share it, so we did.

What types of things do you enjoy doing?

      When I lived in Chicago, I sailed on Lake Michigan for 15 years. It was a 30-foot sailboat, which takes up your entire summer if you know what a 30-foot sailboat is like. I like to travel. I have spent a lot of time in Mexico; I went to school there to study archaeology and art history. I traveled this winter and did a really extensive photography thing on an island called Isla Harris, and representative photos will be seen at the gallery.

Tell me about the gallery.

      It opens the 7th, which is next Thursday?. and everybody should quickly go to the library book sale that is in there now. The gallery will open on the 7th and we got a call to artists for a number of people throughout southeast Iowa and parts of Illinois. It's intended to utilize space that would have been empty until destruction which is probably sometime in October, depending on what happens with the library. The space is just perfect for it. It has great wall space and open space. You couldn't ask for a better spot.

What types of things are you going to be showing?

      We've got hold of a number of potters. We have a sculptor who is interested and does very large pieces. We have painters, printmakers, and photographers.