Artwork Depicting the Powell Expedition Opens at Utah State University
Art Meets History, a Utah Arts and Museums Traveling Exhibition Program exhibit, will be on view at Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library’s Lower Level Gallery starting March 1.
Sponsored by USU’s University Libraries, the exhibition features 22 sepia drawings created by Utah artist William Dean Fausett that retrace the historic exploration of the West undertaken by Civil War Major John Wesley Powell in 1869.
The Powell Expedition has become one of the most important events of exploration in the West. Filled with hardships and peril, the expedition accomplished what was perceived to be impossible.
On May 24, 1869, ten men in four boats led by Powell left Green River, Wyo., to explore one of the last unmapped areas of the United States: the Green and Colorado River systems. On Aug. 30, six men and two boats came out of the canyon and into history.
In 1964 the United States Bureau of Reclamation commissioned Utah artist Dean Fausett to record the pioneer spirit of Maj. Powell and the majestic grandeur of the country he explored. The JP Morgan Chase Art Collection donated the 21 sepia drawings to the Utah Arts Council’s Fine Art Collection.
Fausett (1913-1998) was born and raised in Price, Utah. He studied at Brigham Young University, New York’s Student’s League and the Beaux Art Institute of Design. He painted award-winning murals in the Washington, D.C., Capitol Building and his works are included in numerous collections.
Art Meets History will be shown at the Merrill-Cazier Library, Utah State University, from March 1 to April 10 during the library’s regular hours.
The exhibit’s organizer, the Utah Arts and Museums’ Traveling Exhibit Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries, and community galleries the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. The program is supported, in part, by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information on participating in the program, contact Laura Durham at ldurham@utah.gov or call (801) 533-3582.
Utah Arts and Museums is a division of the Utah Department of Community and Culture with a goal to promote innovation in and the growth of Utah’s arts and culture community. The division provides funding, education and technical services to individuals and organizations statewide so that all Utahns, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or economic status, can access, understand and receive the benefits of arts and culture. Additional information on the programs and services can be found online or call (801) 236-7555.
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Source: Utah Arts and Museums
Contact: Rose Milovich, Utah State University Libraries, 435-797-0893
"Preparation and Departure," one of 22 sepia drawings by Utah artist William Dean Fausett that retrace the historic exploration of the West by Civil War Maj. John Wesley Powell in 1869.
"Fire in Camp" by William Dean Fausett, a part of the traveling exhibit 'Art Meets History' that can be seen at USU’s Merrill-Cazier Library, Lower Level Gallery March 1 through April 10.
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