We are the Springfield Art Association (SAA)
The SAA is a community based, non-profit organization* that promotes and supports the visual arts, provides art education opportunities for the greater Springfield area, and preserves and interprets historic Edwards Place and the collections of the SAA.
* SAA is a non profit tax exempt organization organized pursuant to IRS code 501(c)(3).
* SAA is a non profit tax exempt organization organized pursuant to IRS code 501(c)(3).
What We DoLearn about what we do for our community.
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Contact UsSee the Staff Directory and
get in contact with us. |
Board of DirectorsThe SAA is governed by a 25 member working Board of Directors with two year terms.
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History of the SAA
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The Springfield "Amateur Art Study Club" was formed in 1909 by eight local women who aspired to create an art atmosphere in Springfield, to foster technical development of local artists, and to instill into its students a love of the beautiful. Each month the Club met at the home of one of its members to discuss the arts and learn new techniques. Interest in the Amateur Art Study Club grew rapidly. By 1913 its membership had grown to nearly 100 people, and the need for a permanent place to meet and work became apparent.
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Elizabeth Capps, co-founder of the Amateur Art Study Club, had her eye on the grand Italianate mansion known as Edwards Place, vacant since the death of Helen Edwards four years earlier. Mrs. Capps approached Helen's daughter Alice Edwards Ferguson for permission to rent two rooms of Edwards Place. Alice countered by offering the entire mansion to the art club as classroom, gallery, and meeting space. Believing, as many people did, that all of society could be elevated through exposure to and understanding of the arts, Alice hoped to use her parents' house to make a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Springfield's citizens.
On September 30, 1913, the Springfield Art Club was incorporated, securing a charter from the State of Illinois. Over the next three months Edwards Place was renovated and redecorated in preparation for the 1914 exhibition of C. Arnold Slade's work. The opening was attended by an estimated 1,000 people. From its earliest days, the Springfield Art Association had a vision of growing from a small ladies club to a major arts organization. It aspired to be to Springfield what the Art Institute is to Chicago, and in many ways, it succeeded: many of the leading names in American art could be found in the lectures and exhibitions offered by the Art Association in its early days. Edwards Place was used as an art school and gallery until the 1940s. After the 1937 construction of a "fire proof" gallery was added on the west side of the house, plans were laid to restore the parlors of Edwards Place to a 19th century appearance. Meanwhile, the SAA campus continued to expand. In the 1949, the Condell Studio of Art was completed and classes moved out of Edwards Place. An addition was made to the Condell Studio in 1963 to accommodate the popular ceramics classes. The ceramics lab was moved to an annex in 1991 and the metals lab was added in its place. The gallery was expanded to the current size in 1968.
Devera and Benjamin Victor created the Michael Victor II Art Library in 1964 in memory of their son. From its humble beginnings as a shelf of art books in the studio, the library has grown to an impressive collection of books, periodical and media about the visual arts. The Michael Victor II Art Library was built, along with the current offices, in 1978.
Today the SAA provides low-cost, high quality classes, exhibits, and special events to more than 90,000 people each year through its School of Art, M.G. Nelson Family Gallery, Michael Victor II Art Library, and Edwards Place Historic House.
In January 2016, the Prairie Art Alliance merged with the Springfield Art Association. This merger between Springfield’s two largest visual arts organizations has inspired a new era of collaboration and fosters a unified spirit among the artists of Springfield.
The Springfield Art Association is committed to fostering community awareness and participation in the visual arts. The SAA Collective began as the Prairie Art Alliance in 1979 as an artists' support group called the Women's Art Alliance. Its purpose was to encourage and promote local women artists by providing exhibition opportunities, workshops, and artistic development. The Alliance incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1985 and changed its name in 1995 to reflect the admission of male artists. Beginning in 1996, it opened a gallery and class-room on the grounds of the Springfield Art Association, just north of downtown. In 2004, the PAA moved to downtown Springfield as a resident of the Hoogland Center for the Arts, where it resided until October 2020. The gallery is now run out of a storefront in the historic Broadwell Pharmacy building.
On September 30, 1913, the Springfield Art Club was incorporated, securing a charter from the State of Illinois. Over the next three months Edwards Place was renovated and redecorated in preparation for the 1914 exhibition of C. Arnold Slade's work. The opening was attended by an estimated 1,000 people. From its earliest days, the Springfield Art Association had a vision of growing from a small ladies club to a major arts organization. It aspired to be to Springfield what the Art Institute is to Chicago, and in many ways, it succeeded: many of the leading names in American art could be found in the lectures and exhibitions offered by the Art Association in its early days. Edwards Place was used as an art school and gallery until the 1940s. After the 1937 construction of a "fire proof" gallery was added on the west side of the house, plans were laid to restore the parlors of Edwards Place to a 19th century appearance. Meanwhile, the SAA campus continued to expand. In the 1949, the Condell Studio of Art was completed and classes moved out of Edwards Place. An addition was made to the Condell Studio in 1963 to accommodate the popular ceramics classes. The ceramics lab was moved to an annex in 1991 and the metals lab was added in its place. The gallery was expanded to the current size in 1968.
Devera and Benjamin Victor created the Michael Victor II Art Library in 1964 in memory of their son. From its humble beginnings as a shelf of art books in the studio, the library has grown to an impressive collection of books, periodical and media about the visual arts. The Michael Victor II Art Library was built, along with the current offices, in 1978.
Today the SAA provides low-cost, high quality classes, exhibits, and special events to more than 90,000 people each year through its School of Art, M.G. Nelson Family Gallery, Michael Victor II Art Library, and Edwards Place Historic House.
In January 2016, the Prairie Art Alliance merged with the Springfield Art Association. This merger between Springfield’s two largest visual arts organizations has inspired a new era of collaboration and fosters a unified spirit among the artists of Springfield.
The Springfield Art Association is committed to fostering community awareness and participation in the visual arts. The SAA Collective began as the Prairie Art Alliance in 1979 as an artists' support group called the Women's Art Alliance. Its purpose was to encourage and promote local women artists by providing exhibition opportunities, workshops, and artistic development. The Alliance incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1985 and changed its name in 1995 to reflect the admission of male artists. Beginning in 1996, it opened a gallery and class-room on the grounds of the Springfield Art Association, just north of downtown. In 2004, the PAA moved to downtown Springfield as a resident of the Hoogland Center for the Arts, where it resided until October 2020. The gallery is now run out of a storefront in the historic Broadwell Pharmacy building.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council.
