Then & Now The Wild West Grows Up
by AwA
807 Lincoln Ave., photo courtesy of Tread of Pioneers Museum.
Creak. Groan. Moan. The floors of the museum talk. Tread as lightly as you can, but you’ll still cause the floors inside the Steamboat Art Museum to creak, as they were meant to do in order to announce a stranger’s arrival. When the nonprofit Steamboat Art Museum (SAM) did renovations on the building, there was a thought of replacing the floors. They do, after all, creak. But a little research revealed that the floors were installed when the building was a bank, and the boards creak in order to alert tellers if someone was in the building. The floors are just one aspect of note. Next door to the museum, in the gift shop, the First National Bank’s original safe can be viewed along with art supplies and art from more than 25 local artists, authors and crafters. The entry doors and upstairs windows are original. These details are the reasons the building is included on the National Registry of Historic Places. Art with Altitude
The building was constructed in 1905 as the First National Bank, in the Romanesque revival style. Dakota sandstone from the Emerald Mountain quarry on the hill behind the museum was used for the arched windows and lower portion of the building, while handmade bricks from Trogler’s local brickyard were used to create the upper portion. Such grandeur symbolized a town that had a future; a place that was no longer a rustic, rural community. Over the years, the building has seen approximately 40 businesses operate inside its doors. Longtime residents might remember Antares Restaurant, which welcomed people in off Eighth Street. Other businesses include the Ford Garage offices, an auto parts store, a dentist office, a uranium company office, an ice cream shop, a photography studio, a creamery and cheese factory, and a farm implement repair shop. In 2004, the building became destined for a new purpose. A group of artists Winter 2023
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and supporters made it their mission to open an art museum in Steamboat Springs that would offer fine art to the public for free. The art would reflect the culture and heritage of Northwest Colorado. Dreams can take time to realize. The building opened in 2006. In 2010, SAM secured a 99-year lease with the City of Steamboat Springs to give the museum a lasting home. Today, SAM is open to the public, offering two major exhibits each year, as well as its nationally famous Plein Air event each September. From sculpture to painting, to a little bit of everything in between, the work housed there is of the level you would expect to find in cities ten times the size of Steamboat Springs. The museum also partners with organizations throughout the community to offer kids programming, nonprofit event space, a home for writers, and even the occasional scavenger hunt, “which is always more fun for adults after a glass of wine,” said Executive Director Betse Grassby.
This winter, SAM presents Wild West: Wildlife Art, Past and Present. Guest curator Tim Newton has brought together works from private collections, museums and living masters from across the country who define the West through their portrayals of wildlife. To be surrounded by this level of interpretation of wildlife is an experience that can take days to fully absorb. Artists featured include Carl Rungius, Tony Hochstetler, Peregrine O’Gormley, Sandy Scott and Sally Maxwell, to name a few. In all, more than 90 works will fill the space, letting the viewer get lost in the history of the West and the creatures that have inspired awe from long before the Steamboat Art Museum was built. ELEVATE THE ARTS: Visit the Steamboat Art Museum, 807 Lincoln Ave., and bring friends, family and visitors. Purchase art from the exhibit or from local artisans who are featured next door. AwA
Out of the Canyon, by Carl Rungius, courtesy of the collection of Naoma Tate
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Winter 2023
Art with Altitude
Wild West: Wildlife Masters, Past and Present
Presenting masterworks from museums, private collections and 30 living artists with select works for sale.
December 1, 2023 – April 13, 2024 Opening Events December 1 & 2 Free Admission to the Steamboat Art Museum!
Amy Ringholz, Fog Lifter, ink and oil on canvas.
www.steamboatartmuseum.org
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807 Lincoln Ave, Steamboat Springs, CO
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970-870-1755