A Visit to the Springville Museum of Art

Happy Thursday! It's a warm weather week here. 50's, 60's, and 70's, are in our forecast. This type of weather always makes me feel more energized and excited for the warm weather months ahead. My husband and I like to be local tourists on good weather days. It makes for a fun Saturday afternoon when you venture out to explore new places in your surrounding area and are greeted with some sunshine and blue skies. 

Last weekend, we decided to spend the afternoon in the nearby town of Springville. All the cities in Northern Utah run together once you get to the main metro area, but this city, having just shy of 30,000 people, still feels like a small place. It has a sleepy main street with brick front buildings and is nestled near the mountains on the east side of I-15 about an hour South of Salt Lake City.

Springville is nicknamed the Art City. This is because it is home to Utah's oldest art museum. The Springville Museum of Art, established in 1937. The museum is in an historic, spanish-style building. When you walk in, you're greeted with a large open space, clay tile floors, and a peaceful atmosphere. There's a beautiful, central, naturally-lit, courtyard area with tables and a rustic water fountain that looks like an old water mill. 

Our favorite part, aside from the fact that it's totally FREE, is that the whole main floor of the building was housing art from all of the high schools in Utah for the All-State High School competition. We spent the bulk of our time wandering through the main floor and having our minds blown by the young talent coming out of our state. It's worth a trip, especially because it won't cost you anything and the art is done by kids! It's incredible, you just better hurry because the exhibit ends this month. 

Here are a few that really struck a chord with me. I can not believe the level of talent these kids possess. I've listed the titles, artists, and their explanation of the piece below each one. 

Crack To The Jaw // Michelle Clyde

"I've always loved depicting people but I've come to love creating portraits that are more unconventional. I've heard that we have 43 muscles in our face. We use those muscles to create so many expressions! The wacky expression one makes while being punched in the face was perfect for this. I used a friend as my victim to be thumped in the face on video. I chose the frames that displayed the best character and created this piece from that frame." 

Stifled // Audrey Durrant

"I often feel frustrated or misunderstood in my life because of ideas I have that are shot down by other people. This painting conveys that process: other people (hands) trying to snuff out or "stifle" one's ideas (lightbulb)."

Saving Face // Maggie Burke

"My self-portrait reflects the way in which each person, throughout life, finds oneself and rids oneself of the barriers used to mask our true inward and outward beauty. As we become more comfortable in our own skins, we are able to live a fuller and richer life." 

As you can see, the Springville Museum of Art is quite the hidden gem in our valley. It is well worth the trip.

[To see a tour of the garden in summer time, click here. ]

++ Aren't these incredible? What do you think of them? Have you been?

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