March 20 - June 19, 2021

Main Gallery - Three Mormon Towns

The Three Mormon Towns Exhibit in the Main Gallery is photographic evidence of life in St. George, Toquerville, and Gunlock, Utah in the 1950s, taken by renowned photographers Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams.

Mezzanine Gallery - Women of the Collection

The Women of the Collection Exhibit in the Mezzanine Gallery displays the most remarkable works of art from the Museum Collection, painted and created by women.

Legacy  Gallery - Wanderings: A 20 year journey with Mel Scott

In the Legacy Gallery, you can view the Anniversary Exhibit - Wanderings: A 20 year journey with Mel Scott.

The Three Mormon Towns project was a month-long photo shoot focusing on Toquerville, Gunlock, and St. George between the now very famous photographers, Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) and Ansel Adams (1902-1984) shot in August 1953. 

The pair took 1,100 negatives/photographs that resulted in an exhibit and more importantly a photo essay that appeared in Life Magazine of September 1954. 

The article contained 35 of those collaborative photographs, 27 of which were credited to Lange.  The attribution, whether to Lange or to Adams, of many of the photographs remains a question and a mystery.

Together, they wanted to make a strong statement about the Mormon culture, a lively group living in such a desolate but beautiful land.  While there were some differences among the two friends, the outlook was positive on the collaboration. 

Women of the Collection is a tribute to the many women artists that make up a portion of our collection.  While the permanent collection contains almost 900 pieces of artwork, roughly 10% of that is by female artists.

Over the past decade, just 29,247 works by female artists were acquired by 26 of the top museums in the United States, out of 260,470 total works. While being the muse for art, poetry, and song throughout the ages, women artists continue to be underrepresented in museums, auctions, and galleries.

In 1980 the St. George Art Museum purchased ‘Navajo Boy’ by Lois Brown from the St. George Art Festival. Not only was this the first piece purchased for the museum’s permanent collection, but it was also the first purchased piece by a female artist.

The collection now contains a wide range of 2D and 3D art by approximately 90 female artists.

Mel was born in Richmond, Indiana but has lived in St. George Utah since 1970 and is now a regular 'desert rat'.

On the Exhibit Wanderings: A 20 year journey with Mel Scott she presents all mediums of her choice - watercolor, acrylic, oils, and pastels. Whatever the canvas calls for, she figures it out. If she finds a new and unusual medium, she will try it.

In 2013 Mel retired from teaching at Tuacahn High School for the performing Arts where she was the head of the visual arts program for 10 years. Before that she taught at Dixie State College for 8 years.

Mel has served on the Mayors visual arts committee several terms and was the first president and one of the founding members of the Southern Utah Watercolor Society.

She has won many awards for her artwork over the years and has paintings and drawings in private collections in most of these United States and in Europe.