SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – The Springfield Art Museum will turn 100 in 2028, and a new book is telling the story of the women who started it all.
Deborah Weisel and a group of friends started working on what would become the city’s cultural center in 1926. Two years later, the group incorporated the idea into the Springfield Art Museum.
The first show featured landscape painters who worked in the Barbizon Forest area of France.
Watercolor USA exhibition
One of the most popular shows started in 1962. That one featured watercolors.
“They were kind of talking and saying, ‘ Oh, we keep bringing in shows from other places, but usually you pay a rental fee for that. And they thought, well, for the price we’re paying, couldn’t we do our own thing? And at the time, you know, watercolors were sort of considered maybe a more practice medium or an amateur medium, not as serious as oil painting. And they were like, well, here’s something we could showcase. And so they came up with Watercolor USA, and it was almost immediately successful,” said Sarah Buhr, Springfield Art Museum curator.
Warhol theft remains unsolved
The art museum made headlines for a different reason in 2016. That’s when seven of the 10 Andy Warhol prints were swiped from the museum’s permanent collection. They still haven’t been found, and the FBI even included the missing Campbell Soup prints among its most wanted.
“It’s a big loss, and I’m sure it still hurts. It does still hurt, yeah. It made the museum feel different overnight for those of us who work there. And then, of course, it is something that now we’re known for in a more negative way. And also, it was just sad because those were really cool pieces that we were sharing with the public,” Buhr said.
The case remains open. Anyone with information about the stolen prints can call Springfield’s FBI office at 417-882-3303.
Meantime, the art museum posted these details about the book, “A History of the Springfield Art Museum retails for $29.95. Patrons may order by contacting the Museum’s main number at 417-837-5700 to arrange payment and pickup or mailing.
In addition to purchasing the book directly through the Museum, the public is invited to a special panel discussion and book signing led by Sarah Buhr and featuring Kaitlyn McConnell, Kate Baird, and Nick Nelson, on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at The Library Center’s Hatch Auditorium at 3:30 PM. More details about the event will be announced soon.”
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