The Springfield Art Museum celebrates 96 years of service to our community in 2024 with a schedule of 13 new and ongoing exhibitions that are packed with local, regional, and international interest. Presenting sponsorship of the Museum’s 2024 exhibition season is generously provided by the Friends of the Springfield Art Museum, Inc.
New in 2024
Breath, Light, and Distance (April 20, 2024 – September 1, 2024) – This special exhibition features cloudscapes from the Museum’s permanent collection chosen for their ability to create a contemplative, meditative atmosphere that facilitates breathwork and intentional slowness. Featured artists include Alice Dalton Brown, Yvonne Jacquette, Robert Kipniss, Patrick Procktor, Dag Hol, Kenneth V. White, and work attributed to George Inness, among others. Lead sponsorship of this exhibition is provided by Springfield Black Tie, Inc.
Renaissance Works on Parchment and Paper (April 20, 2024 – September 1, 2024) – This special exhibition highlights the Museum’s collection of Renaissance manuscripts and prints, ranging from hand-lettered and letterpress Bible pages to finely engraved pieces by some of the tradition’s most celebrated artists. This exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Mitzi Kirkland-Ives (Missouri State University, Art + Design Department) with additional research by her students and special assistance from Dr. Magda Hayton (Missouri State University, Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions).
Returning in 2024
All School Exhibition (March 2-April 21) – The museum’s longest running exhibition initiative, the All School Exhibition invites student artists from public, private, parochial, and home school cooperatives to exhibit outstanding artwork in our largest gallery space. This exhibit also reflects the work of the incredibly talented teachers in our community, many of whom are practicing artists themselves. Support for the All School Exhibition is generously provided by the George & Linda Deatz Family.
Missouri State University MFA Showcase (May 4–26) – This special exhibition features bodies of work produced by Missouri State University graduate students pursuing a master of fine arts degree in visual studies from the Art + Design Department.
Watercolor USA 2024 (June 18-Sept. 1) – This annual summer favorite returns with over $20,000 in cash prizes, artist materials, and possible museum purchase awards available. This will be the 63rd showing of the very best in contemporary American watermedia, as judged by Carole Hennessy, president of the Watercolor USA Honor Society.
Continuing from 2023
Jordan Eagles: ONE BLOOD (Through Feb. 18) – This solo exhibition with New York-based artist Jordan Eagles focuses on his work with queer blood. This exhibit features the monumental work Blood Mirror, a large resin sculpture made with 59 individual human blood donations from PrEP advocates, along with additional resin sculptures, film, comic books, propaganda posters, and textile work. Lead sponsorship of this exhibition is provided by Springfield Black Tie, Inc.
Spirit of Independence: Kent Bicentennial Portfolio (Through April 7) – Ahead of the 2024 Presidential election, this special exhibition re-engages with the central question posed to 12 American artists by the Kent Bicentennial Program in 1976, “What does independence mean to you?” Featuring work by Audrey Flack, Fritz Scholder, Jacob Lawrence, Marisol Escobar, Robert Indiana, Edward Ruscha, and Will Barnet, among others. The Springfield Art Museum is sponsoring this program in partnership with the Missouri Humanities and the Missouri Humanities Trust Fund.
Collection Focus: Lithography (Through April 7) – Printmaking comprises 30% of the museum’s permanent collection. This exhibition focuses on the medium of lithography through a cross-section of work, including a wide range of artists, styles, eras, and nationalities. Featuring work by David Hockney, Henri Matisse, Joan Miro, Robert Motherwell, Elizabeth Catlett, May Stevens, Miriam McKinnie, Richard Howard Hunt, and many more.
Ancient Artifacts Abroad (Through June 16) – The objects in this special exhibition are travelers – across both time and space. These artifacts, drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, either come from or were inspired by items from the ancient Mediterranean world. This is the first time many of these artifacts have been on display at the museum. Missouri State University students contributed to artifact research and the exhibition’s curation, under the guidance of Missouri State University professors Dr. Julia Troche and Dr. Bryan Brinkman.
Creating an American Identity (Through July 1) – Our permanent collection exhibition that focuses on the ways in which artists respond to and reveal our cultural identity as Americans. This exhibition includes a selection of 75+ works from as wide an array of artistic voices as possible with our current collection. Featuring major work by George Caleb Bingham, Asher B. Durand, Jackson Pollock, Wayne Thiebaud, and Alison Saar, among many others.
Survey of Ceramic Art (Through July 1) – Ranging from the functional to the sculptural and experimental, these works represent not only a chronological cross-section of the museum’s ceramics collection but also a wide trajectory of the transition of clay from its more functional origins into a fully-fledged studio art movement. This exhibition includes over 50 works from a wide array of ceramic artists. Featuring examples of Van Briggle Pottery, Weller Pottery, Newcomb College Pottery, Cadmon (Hampshire) Pottery, and Dedham Pottery.
Collection Focus: Bradi Barth (Through Sept. 1) – Bradi Barth (1922-2007) was a Swiss-born artist who created paintings in the technical tradition of 15th century Dutch masters, like Rogier Van der Weyden and Jan Van Eyck. Featuring craquelure tempera paintings ranging from scenes of Christian iconography to characters of the Italian Commedia dell’arte like Pierrot and Columbine.
Collection Focus: Glenna Goodacre (Through Sept. 1) – Glenna Goodacre (1939-2020) was one of just a few women who created large, commemorative sculptures in the United States in the later 20th century. Featuring paintings and bronze sculptures by the artist who created the Vietnam Women’s Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and designed the United States millennium dollar coin with the image of Sacagawea and her infant son, Jean Baptiste.
Plan to join us for any, or all, of these exhibits during 2024 at the Springfield Art Museum, located at 1111 East Brookside Drive. Patrons can also enjoy installation pieces like Anne Lindberg’s tilted sky and Dale Chihuly’s Autumn Persian and Feather Chandelier through Sept. 1. The museum’s grounds also include outdoor sculptures including works by John Henry, Hank Willis Thomas, and Ernest Trova. Admission is always free.
All museum exhibitions will end by Sept. 1 and the facility will close to the public in preparation for building construction as a part of the 2028 Campaign, a visionary comprehensive site plan for the museum building and grounds. Extensive grounds work, including the naturalization of Fassnight Creek, has already been completed. Facility renovation is the next step in achieving the goals of the transformational site plan by the museum’s 100th anniversary in 2028.
The museum plans to continue delivering art-making programs and other services during the closure period. The museum’s collection will remain off view throughout the closure period. Construction is currently slated to begin in January 2025 and is expected to continue through 2027. The museum will announce more details about planned programs and other services prior to the Sept. 1 closure.
Patrons can request e-mail updates on the 2028 Campaign by signing up for notifications. Patrons interested in supporting the 2028 Campaign financially, or otherwise, should contact Kate Francis, Museum Affairs Officer for Fundraising and Development at kate.francis@springfieldmo.gov. Naming opportunities are available.