History

The origin story of the Springville Museum of Art is one of a kind.  What other museum can say it exists because of a national art exhibition that high school students started hosting in the 1920s?

It’s not a story of a wealthy benefactor or institution, but rather one of a community of everyday people who valued, supported, and celebrated art. They knew the importance of art and wanted their youth and their visitors to have encounters with and engage with original works of art.  They had a vision of their small town—with less than 5,000 people—becoming a true center for the arts. And that is what Springville has become, living up to its name as “Utah’s Art City”. 

In 1903, the community partnered with founding artists Cyrus Dallin and John Hafen who started the Collection through donations of two original artworks, Paul Revere and Mountain Stream. By the 1920s, the students and school were nationally known for their famous art collection and began hosting an Annual Art Exhibit. By the mid-1930s, they were so well-known for their art and Annual Salon, that the community—with WPA, City, and private funding—built the students a professional art gallery: a lasting monument to art, right on the high school’s campus. That building is now known as “The Springville Museum of Art,” and only exists because of the success of the Annual Salon. It was dedicated in 1937 by then LDS apostle David O. McKay as a “sanctuary of beauty and temple of contemplation.”

Over 100 years later, Springville City and the community of Springville, Utah carries on the students’ legacy and traditions. Our Museum continues to host the Spring Salon, one of the most important regional art competitions in the Country.

The Salon started with students, but in the last 40 years has transformed to tell the story of Utah artists. The Spring Salon is widely seen as the premier exhibition of Utah art, especially by artists working in representational and academic styles and methods.  Utah’s artists are the lifeblood of this museum and its exhibitions.

The Museum has since been expanded and modernized with the addition of the Clyde Wing in 1965, and the George S. and Delores Dore Eccles Wing in 2004. The new wing doubled the size of the facility, adding 20,000 square feet to the Museum. The latest addition is the beautiful Sam and Diane Stewart Sculpture Garden, dedicated in 2009.

Today, we continue the legacy of Cyrus Dallin, John Hafen, and our founders by strengthening communities through life-affirming art and experiences that foster beauty, contemplation, and connection. We serve nearly 100,000 visitors on-site each year and additional 30,000-40,000 students and teachers through offsite education programs.

We are a museum of the people—a home for artists and community where art nurtures belonging, beauty, and connection.