The Guild continued in helping out during the war. Miss Elizabeth Sherman chaired a French War Relief Inc. benefit, with Guild members donating art for sale. On April 23, 1945, Reginald Poland suggested that Guild members help in occupational therapy and to provide entertainment for convalescing War Veterans at the Navy Hospital. On June 10, 1945, Miss Lucia Batt, San Diego Executive Secretary of the Spanish Refugee Appeal appeared before the Guild Executive Committee and President Ledington called upon the Guild to hold an art auction for the benefit of the refugees.
     As a portent of things to come on April 8, 1945, President Ledington brought to the attention of the members for a committee to raise the standards of admittance into the Guild. A committee was chosen raise standards and 'tighten up"' admittance.
     While the Fine Arts Gallery was closed during the war there was much discussion of the Guild moving to a new permanent home, such as the Sunset Blvd. Gallery. The Guild exhibited throughout the community during that time at several venues.
     The Guild held an " Artists' Frolic" in July 1945, with sketching prior to a buffet supper on the Gallery terrace. The Guild's 31st annual show had an overflow crowd of spectators for its opening. November 1945.
     On January 30, 1946 at the board meeting of the Guild, noted muralist Alfredo Ramon Martinez presented an interesting talk on international art appreciation and art expression, told of his recent mural painting in Mexico and showed some of the beautiful crayon drawings and paintings of designs for his murals.
     The exhibits planned for that year were The San Diego County Local Character Show, the Watercolor - Pastel - Crayon Show, the Annual Exhibit, the General Portrait Show, and the newly established Modern Show.

     On May 1, 1946, the Guild threw a 20th year anniversary party "May-Day Frolic" for Director Reginald Poland. "Art Guild members gave Mr. Poland a beautiful silver plate as a tribute and a tangible expression of their regard and of their appreciation of Mr. Poland's kindness, consideration and co-operation throughout the years."

     The Guild's 1946 show "San Diego and its Environs" was well received and covered three rooms in the Sunset Gallery and three walls out in the garden. 100 Guild members were represented. It was really a "Portrait of San Diego."

     After the war, Dan Dickey, Fred Hocks and Belle Baranceanu, began to hold informal meetings with other artists and art enthusiasts. From these meetings in 1946 a new organization called the Allied Artists Council emerged with Lloyd Ruocco as president. This council had separate committees for painting, crafts, theater, music, dance, photography, film writing, and architecture. They sponsored speakers, a foreign film festival, and a fine arts ball. The group did not last very long, with only the Allied Craftsmen surviving to this day. Many Guild members were also members of the Allied Craftsmen. The Craftsmen also held an annual exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery for many years.
     In 1946, the Navy released the Gallery in the Park and the Fine Arts Society and the Guild prepared to move back. By this time, and during the next few years, the Guild instituted numerous changes, all designed to improve the caliber of membership, organization, and exhibits. A credentials committee was formed to pass on Guild applicants; a limit of one year for each presidential term was voted; stricter juries for exhibits were urged. For many years, the Art Guild had held two juried shows, one in the fall and one in the spring. A third show, an all member non-juried show around Christmas time was abandoned as too uneven in caliber and not proper as an exhibit in the Fine Arts Gallery.
     The Guild continued its art mart tradition on the lawn of the public library at 830 E St.
In 1947 the art mart was moved to the Del Mar Fair Grounds. This annual art mart held at the fairgrounds in the late 1940's evolved into the Del Mar Fair Art exhibition.
Guild members held benefit for Fred Hocks, first prizewinner in the Guild show, when he was critically ill in hospital, on January 11, 1947. On January 12, 1947, the Guild opened a "South of the Border" exhibition at the Sunset Gallery. Figure and genre painting predominated along with landscapes and seascapes.
     On August 3, 1947, Elliot Torrey had a one-man show at Sunset Gallery. The Guild also simultaneously held a "Bird and Animal Show."
     Guild members continued to win prizes throughout the state and country.
     The Guild celebrated American Art Week in Oct. 1947 with exhibitions at the Southern California Music Co., H. L. Benbough, and Lloyd's Home Furnishings.
     On September 14, 1947 at the Board meeting, the custom of having the Guild donate a book to the library in memory of any member of the Guild who passes away was revived with two books placed in the library, one in memory of Mrs. Valentine (died August 1947) the other in memory of Mr. Thomas Crocker (died September 1947)
     The Guild had grown to 265 members in 1947. The Sunset Galley was proposed to be the Guild's home after the Fine Arts Gallery reopens on December 13, 1947. The Guild held its first annual holiday show at the Sunset Gallery. They held their first regular show there in Jan. 1948. On February 11, 1948, the Art Guild voted on dividing the membership into active and inactive memberships. Active artists were those that had exhibited in a reputable juried show within the last two years and inactive or sustaining members, were without exhibition privileges, but still retained the right to attend all Guild functions. Director Poland suggested that the Guild issue a bulletin to the membership. (The origin of our newsletter "The Medium".) The bulletin was subsequently created.
     On March 7, 1948 the Guild held its traditional spring show at the newly restored Fine Arts Gallery. The Guild continued to exhibit shows at the Sunset Gallery including a one-man show of Dan Dickey in March 1948 and a watercolor show, featuring President of the Allied Arts Council Fred Hocks. Other one-person shows were held throughout 1948 including Jeane Coutts and Olga Higgins.
     In 1948 the art marts were sponsored by the newly formed San Diego County Arts Council.
The brewing controversy between realism and abstract art hit the fan when a confrontation occurred at the Guild's spring exhibition held in the Fine Arts Gallery in 1948. An abstract painting by John McLaughlin called "Hope Deferred" won first prize. A storm of controversy swirled around the award and resulted in numerous letters and editorials regarding the merits of the painting and modern art in general.
     In the San Diego Union on April 14, 1948 this article well described the brouhaha:

PRIZE PAINTING CRITICIZED BY LOCAL CITIZEN

     "Is 'Hope Deferred', prize-winning oil painting in the current San Diego Art Guild's annual exhibition in the Fine Arts Gallery, a 'monstrosity', a 'glorified oyster shell', a 'lopsided donut that has been kicked around the kitchen floor for a few days', or is it a true expression of art?
     John C. Irving, of 3359 Fifth Ave., posed this question in a letter to Mayor Harley E. Knox and City Manager Fred A. Rhodes yesterday when he wrote: 'The Show serves to show the spread of surrealism, modernism, progressive art and abstractionism,' he urged them to take the necessary steps to halt its progress as their 'obligation to the art-loving people of the City.'
ATTACK FAILS
     But if Irving, who labels himself as 'not an artist but merely a person interested, in art,' hoped to reopen an old wound - the unhappy chasm of misunderstanding between the artist and the public over abstract and objective painting - he failed.
City officials, artists, directors of the gallery and members of the guild - even the painter of the 'oyster shell,' John McLaughlin of Dana Point, refused to enter into a controversy such as raged since the early days of Impressionism in the 1870's. They just laughed.
MODERNITY HIT
     Even Irving's allegation that the show contains a 'majority of modern art paintings' failed to disturb their complacency. Rhodes said: 'I haven't seen the letter. I had more important things to do.'
     Knox asserted: 'Everyone who is in the public business has to be insulted once in awhile. It looks as if it was the Fine Arts Gallery's turn this time.'
Thomas B. Robertson, assistant gallery director, said the fight between artist and public over abstract and natural art expression has been going on for a long time.'
     'As always,' he said, 'many visitors to a gallery, and ours is no exception, view the paintings simply from the point of technical skill in the literal representation of familiar objects.'
'BEAUTY MISSED'
     'By this method they miss the beauty of any exhibition and go away disappointed. Apparently Mr. Irving is one of them.'
     He denied Irving's complaint that there was an overabundance of modern art represented among the 48 paintings. 'A survey will show any intelligent person that the exhibit includes many paintings representative of the modern, the conservative and middle course work.' Robertson said.
     Irving also accused of bias the three judges of the show who selected 'Hope Deferred' - Miss Margaret Erdt, art supervisor of the San Diego City Schools; Harry Bertola, and John Zane, San Diego artists.
'MODE GOOD BALANCE'
Ivan Messenger, former president of the Art Guild who appointed the judges, declared that 'the three judges represented a good balance for judging all types of art.' He added, 'Anytime a layman doesn't understand anything, he tends to criticize.'
     Irving concluded his letter by saying 'as a citizen and taxpayer I urge that true art be separated from surrealism and judged and classified as such. In this way, when next I visit the gallery, I can eliminate the room where surrealism is, or as my mood dictates, go in and enjoy a hearty laugh. Lovers of progressive art in turn may enjoy their horrors without the disturbing element of fine art,'"

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