The Springville Museum of Art in Springville,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

is the oldest museum for the visual

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

in Utah. In 1986, the building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. As of 2012, the museum's director is Rita Wright.Means, Sean P
"Springville Museum of Art gets new director"
''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', 16 August 2012. Retrieved on 10 April 2021.

Description

Completed in 1937, this building was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival style by architect Claud S. Ashworth (1885-1971). an
accompanying three photos from 1989
/ref> It was dedicated by LDS Apostle

David O. McKay David Oman McKay (September 8, 1873 – January 18, 1970) was an American religious leader and educator who served as the ninth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1951 until his death in 1970. Ordain ...

as "A sanctuary of beauty and a temple of meditation." The museum "seeks to fulfill its mission by refining minds and building character through the fine arts." It was listed on the

in 1986 as Springville High School Art Gallery. It was built during 1936-37 and was extended in 1964. an
accompanying photos
/ref> The Springville Museum of Art was made possible by the

Nebo School District Nebo School District is a public school district that serves the southern part of Utah County. Description The district covers more than 1,300 square miles. It is named for nearby Mount Nebo, the tallest peak in the Wasatch Range. The district ...

, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

Act, and

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 1964 a two-story wing was added as a gift from the Clyde Foundation.

History

The Springville art movement began in 1903 with a donation of art by

John Hafen John Hafen (March 22, 1856 – June 3, 1910) was a Swiss-born American artist, primarily of landscapes and portraits. As a child, Hafen immigrated to the United States from Switzerland and settled in Utah. There, he demonstrated artistic abilitie ...

and

Cyrus Dallin Cyrus Edwin Dallin (November 22, 1861 – November 14, 1944) was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the ''Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere'' in Boston, Massac ...

. It was followed in 1907 by a donation from seven other Utah artists. The Smart collection came in 1925, followed by the Steed Collection (1948), and the Lund-Wassmer Collection in 1986. The Art Association Board of Trustees and the City of Springville continue to contribute to the growth of both the museum and its art. The museum is noted for its collection of Utah art spanning from pioneer days to the present. Most of the major artists and styles of Utah are represented in nine permanent galleries in the museum. All 275 of the pieces are arranged in

chronological order Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It ...

and show the development of art in Utah. The works of 250 artists are featured, including those of Doug Snow, Lee U. Bennion,

Mahonri Young Mahonri Mackintosh Young (August 9, 1877 – November 2, 1957) was an American social-realist sculptor and artist. During his lengthy career, he created more than 320 sculptures, 590 oil paintings, 5,500 watercolors, 2,600 prints, and thousand ...

Dan Weggeland Danquart Anthon Weggeland, known as Dan (March 31, 1827 – June 2, 1918) was an artist and teacher in the early Utah Territory. He was sometimes referred to as the "Father of Utah Art".LeConte Stewart __NOTOC__ LeConte Stewart (April 15, 1891 – June 6, 1990) was a Latter-day Saint artist primarily known for his landscapes of rural Utah. His media included oils, watercolors, pastel and charcoal, as well as etchings, linocuts, and lithographs ...

. The museum celebrated the 80th anniversary of the Springville Art Museum in 2017.

Museum timeline

* 1901: An art committee is commissioned to promote art in Springville schools. * 1903: John Hafen and Cyrus E. Dallin make a gift to begin a collection of sculpture and paintings. * 1907: Faculty and students at Springville High begin setting aside funds for the purchases of works of art at their school. * 1921: The very first Spring Salon art Exhibition is held. * 1925: The Springville High Art Association is formed for the protection, collection and presentation of fine art. 65 works of Utah art are donated by Emma and George Smart. * 1937: The Hafen-Dallin club is formed to promote the fine arts. The Springville Art Museum building is completed as a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. * 1948: Alice and Merlin Steed donate 133 works of art. * 1964: The families of Hyrum Smith and Elanora Johnson Clyde donate funds for the construction of a new west wing in which two new galleries are housed. * 1975: The museum building is transferred from the Nebo School District to the city of Springville. * 1986: 300 works of art are donated by

Theodore Wassmer Theodore Milton Wassmer (February 23, 1910 – November 26, 2006) was an American painter. Wassmer was interested in art at a young age, but decided to become an artist after attending the 1934 Chicago World's Fair. He supported his family through ...

and Judy Lund-Wassmer. * 1986: Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. * 1993: The City of Springville gives permission to the Springville Museum of Art Board to raise funds to build a new wing. * 1998: Construction begins on a 20,000 square foot (1,900 m²) addition to the museum which emphasizes education for children and provides extra gallery space for the museum's permanent art collection. *2012: Rita Wright becomes the new director of the Springville Museum of Art.

Permanent collection

Selections of the museum's collection of 2,300 works are displayed on the second floor. They consist of art from

, the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and the United States. File:Evans-AmericanFork.jpg, Edwin Evans, ''American Fork Canyon'' (1900) File:Hafen Hollyhocks.jpg,

, ''Hollyhocks'' (1900) File:Mountain Stream-Hafen.jpg, John Hafen, ''Mountain Stream'' (1903) File:The New England magazine (1912) (14595403570).jpg,

, '' The Protest'' (1904) File:The Artist’s Wife and Daughters.jpg,

William Sergeant Kendall William Sergeant Kendall (born 1869 in Spuyten Duyvil, New York, died 1938 in Hot Springs, Virginia), was an American painter, most famous for his evocative scenes of domestic life; his wife and three young daughters were frequent subjects in hi ...

, ''The Artist’s Wife and Daughters'' (1906) File:Life-Trail-Hafen.jpg, John Hafen, ''Tepees, Utah County'' (1907) File:The Scout by Cyrus Edwin Dallin.jpg, Cyrus Dallin, ''The Scout'' (1910) File:Appeal to the Great Spirit MET DP329220.jpg, Cyrus Dallin, '' Appeal to the Great Spirit'' (1912)

Temporary exhibitions

The seven main galleries on the first-floor display temporary shows and consist of a wide variety of styles dealing with both historical and contemporary issues. Some of the most popular exhibitions include the annual exhibitions: the All-State Utah High School Art Show, the Quilt Show, the Spiritual and Religious Show, and the Spring Salon.

References

External links

*
Utah historical marker
{{authority control 1937 establishments in Utah Art museums established in 1937 Art museums and galleries in Utah Cultural infrastructure completed in 1937 Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Utah Mission Revival architecture in Utah Museums of American art Museums in Utah County, Utah Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in the United States Works Progress Administration in Utah Springville, Utah Museums on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in Utah County, Utah Buildings and structures in Springville, Utah Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Utah