Artwork Depicting the Powell Expedition at Mapleton Elementary

Submitted by lana.hiskey on

Art Meets History, a Utah Arts Council Traveling Exhibition Program exhibit, is for public view at Mapleton Elementary. Sponsored by Mapleton Elementary, 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 exhibit is an interesting study in values both in the use of yellows and browns and in the historical stories effort and risks of the artworks."

On May 24th 1869, ten men in four boats led by Major John Wesley Powell left Green River, Wyoming to explore one of the last unmapped areas of the United States: the Green and Colorado River systems. On August 30, six men and two boats came out of the canyon and into history. 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

In 1964 the United States Bureau of Reclamation commissioned Utah artist Dean Fausett to record the pioneer spirit of Major 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.

William Dean 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 Mapleton Elementary, 120 West Maple, until December 14, 2012. Mapleton Elementary is open Monday-Friday from 8:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information on viewing the exhibition, please call 801-489-2850 or go to http://mapleton.nebo.edu/news.

The Utah Arts Council’s Traveling Exhibition Program is a statewide outreach program that provides schools, museums, libraries, and community galleries with the opportunity to bring curated exhibitions to their community. For more information on participating in the program, please contact Laura Durham, TEP Coordinator, at 801.533.3582. Members of the media, please call Lydia Durand, Communications Manager, at 801.236.7548.

This program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Washington D.C. and program funds from the Utah Arts Council.

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