The Springville Museum of Art in Springville,

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

is the oldest museum for the visual

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

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

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. As of 2022, the museum's director is Emily Larsen.

Description

Completed in 1937, this building was designed in the

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish archi ...

by architect Claud S. Ashworth (1885–1971). an
accompanying three photos from 1989
/ref> It was dedicated by LDS Apostle David O. McKay 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 (government funded), public school district that serves the southern part of Utah County, Utah, Utah County. Description The district covers more than 1,300 square miles. It is named for nearby Mount Ne ...

, the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to car ...

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 Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and 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 abiliti ...

and Cyrus Dallin. 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 , from Ancient Greek , , ; 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 is also "the determination of t ...

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 realism, social-realist Sculpture, sculptor and artist. During his lengthy career, he created more than 320 sculptures, 590 oil paintings, 5,500 watercolors, ...

, Dan Weggeland, Francis L. Horspool, and

LeConte Stewart __NOTOC__ LeConte Stewart (April 15, 1891 – June 6, 1990) was an American Latter-day Saint painter and printmaker, primarily known for his Landscape art, landscapes of rural Utah. His art Media (arts), media included oils, watercolors, pastel ...

. 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. * 1929: Polish-American artist Stan Poray, recently from the

Imperial Court in Kyoto The Imperial Court in Kyoto was the nominal ruling government of Japan from 794 AD until the Meiji period (1868–1912), after which the court was moved from Kyoto (formerly Heian-kyō) to Tokyo (formerly Edo) and integrated into the Meiji go ...

, has a major solo exhibition. * 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 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 Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

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, Cyrus Dallin, '' 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 Margaret Stickney Kendall and three young daughters w ...

, ''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 ''Appeal to the Great Spirit'' is a 1908 equestrian statue by Cyrus Edwin Dallin, Cyrus Dallin, located in front of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It portrays a Native Americans in the United States, Native American on horseback facing skyward ...

'' (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 and galleries established in 1937 Art museums and galleries in Utah Buildings and structures completed in 1937 Educational buildings 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