Kimball Art Center
Fall A.R.T.S. 2013
Academic Resources for Teachers & Students
Painters of the Wasatch Mountains
Exhibit Overview
A distinct painting development with regard to the American West's Wasatch
Range emerged in the nineteenth century and persists even today. These
"painters of the Wasatch" have set many precedents through their artistic
interpretations of this mountain subject matter. The retrospective exhibit, drawn
from the 2005 collector's book "Painters of the Wasatch Mountains" and
produced in a collaboration with the Utah Museum of Art and History, is a survey
of the gamut of painters who formed and have carried forward an expression of
nature's mighty gift to both visitors and residents of Utah.
As natural successor to the Hudson River School in the East, the "Wasatch
School" persists because of the values we associate with that first of America's
art movements- a dedication to place, a careful study, and interpretation of the
environment in a spiritual and cultural context. The Painters of the Wasatch are
not defined by a particular style or medium but by a physical presence that has
unlimited appeal and inspiration.
Many paintings on loan from museums, artists and private collectors will be on
display from the earliest examples of painting in the nineteenth century, to works
by Utah's contemporary artists.
A.R.T.S. School Tour & Project
Each A.R.T.S School Tour for the Painters of the Wasatch Mountains exhibit will
include a 45 minute guided tour as well as a 45 minute art project. The art
project, will allow students to create small Park City Wasatch Mountain
landscape painting after drawing them on canvas paper. Students will use either
acrylic or watercolor paints.
Costs of A.R.T.S. – FREE thanks to our generous sponsors and supporters!
The Kimball Art Center is able to provide the free of charge, A.R.T.S. School
Tour Program for the Painters of the Wasatch exhibition to public, private,
charter, home schools plus youth organizations thanks to underwriting by the
George S. & Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, The Thomas H. and Carolyn Fey
Family Foundation, KSL 5 TV, Summit County RAP Tax, Utah Division of Arts &
Museums, Zions Bank, The Burton Foundation and Rocky Mountain Power. The
A.R.T.S. Program includes free gallery school tours or in-classroom lectures with
cross curriculum lesson plans and a hands-on exhibit driven art projects to
further students understanding of the Main Gallery exhibition.
Technology for the classroom
The following websites include cross curriculum lesson plans, education
information and fun, interactive games. By using these websites and creating
pre and post visit activities in your classroom, children will be more involved and
retain more knowledge about these subjects. Please visit these following
website links.
1.Learn about artist Maynard Dixon.
http://www.maynarddixonpaintings.com/
2. Learn about artist Susan Swartz and see her art work.
http://play.lego.com/en-us/default.aspx
3. Information about Utah’s Mountains
http://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/the_land/physicalgeographyofutah.html
4. Learn about fun Utah facts!
http://www.ducksters.com/geography/state.php?State=Utah
5. Take the Utah State Map Quiz and color it in!
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/statesbw/utah.shtml
6. Learn about Utah State History, see old writings and contracts, and learn
about various tribes and people who settled the lands and lived here before you
and made Utah what it is today.
http://www.ilovehistory.utah.gov/index.html
7. Mountain Ranges in Utah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountain_ranges_of_Utah
Background Information
Painters of the Wasatch Mountains
During the 19th century, a painting movement established itself in the western
region of the United States. The Painters of the Wasatch, are a distinct group of
artists who create a sequence of work based on the regional context of the
Wasatch Mountains. This group formed in the same century in which both the
Rocky Mountain School and the infamous Hudson River School in New York
established themselves, focusing on the subject of regional, mountainous
landscape.
The Wasatch Range divides Utah into roughly two equal parts. The range
attracts a large number of storms, capturing more rain and snow than anywhere
else in the state. As a result, 80 percent of Utah’s population resides on the
western side of the Wasatch Mountains, also known as the Wasatch Front.
Considered a part of the Rocky Mountains, the Wasatch Range provides the
Painters of the Wasatch with a different geological landscape that lacks the long
foothills typical of the Rockies. When Mormon settlers came through the canyons
of the Wasatch Front, the area became an iconic aspect of Utah’s landscape,
and came to be known as the Kingdom of Deseret.
Much like the scenic inspiration at the start of the Hudson River School, the
landscape of the Wasatch Range became an important setting of study and
careful scrutiny by local and newly established immigrant artists. The Painters of
the Wasatch refrain from creating a stylistically similar expression of the region in
the way the Rocky Mountain School did. These artists are not defined by a
particular style or medium, but by a physical presence that has unlimited appeal
and inspiration. The Painters of the Wasatch continue to flourish and provide
artists with the values that are associated with the influence of America’s first
landscapes in art.
This retrospective exhibit, presented by the Kimball Art Center in association with
the Museum of Utah Art and History, is based on the collectors’ book Painters of
the Wasatch Mountains. Most of the pieces in the show appear in the book, and
are on loan from both museums and private collections, as well as from one
notable contemporary artist. A wide variety of styles, depicting the same subject
matter over more than a century, show how the Painters of the Wasatch have
both evolved yet stayed true to their inspiration in the local landscape.
Many thanks for the invaluable help of Richard Horne, Kandace Steadman, Ann
Orton and James Wooley in assisting to bring the exhibit together, as well as to
The Utah Division of Arts and Museums Fine Arts Collection, The Springville
Museum of Art, Ray Quinney and Nebeker P.C., Jonathan A. Dibble, Phoebe
Hailey, Diane and Sam Stewart, and Susan Swartz for the
loan of their art.
Keywords, People, Places, & Vocabulary for Visitors to know:
Wasatch Mountains
Mountain Range
Rocky Mountains
Utah
Deseret
Lesson Plan
Fourth Grade
Core Curriculum Ties:
Social Studies – Grade 4 - Standard 1
Students will understand the relationship between the physical geography in
Utah and human life.
Objective 1
Classify major physical geographic attributes of Utah.
a. Identify Utah's latitude, longitude, hemisphere, climate, natural resources,
landforms, and regions using a variety of geographic tools.
Visual Arts – 4th Grade
Standard 1
(Making): The student will explore and refine the application of media,
techniques, and artistic processes.
Objective 1
Explore a variety of art materials while learning new techniques and processes.
Draw objects from a variety of perspectives; e.g., directly beneath, bird's-eye
view, below, from the level of the surface upon which it sits.
Materials
 Images of Painters of the Wasatch Mountains Exhibition Images included
in the ARTS website.
 Drawing Pencils
 Paper for students to draw a landscape.
 Crayons, markers or other coloring media.
 Map of the state of Utah, Western United States or North America.
 Lined paper to write on and either a pen or pencil.
Intended Learning Outcomes
 Students will learn about artists who painted the Wasatch Mountain
Range.
 Students will learn about erosion and climate change in Utah’s region.
 Students will find Utah’s longitude and latitude, climate, hemisphere,
natural resources and landforms using a variety of tools.
 Students will draw objects from various perspectives and refine the use of
various art media.
 Students will make connections with geography, writing and art.
Instructional Procedures
1. Teachers show students pictures of Painters of the Wasatch Mountains work
and explain to students these images are all by different artists. Ask the students
to identify what is the same in all of them (answer: there are mountains, and
these mountains are the Wasatch Mountains of the State of Utah!
2. Ask students why they think an artist would be interested in painting
mountains. Remember, some of the paintings in the exhibit dated back to the late
1800s, when there were no airplanes, cameras, computers or other modern
technology.
3. Talk to students about erosion and weathering. How do the mountain ranges
attract storms, water, and wind and cause the earth to change?
3. Give students a state map. Have them first find the Wasatch Mountain Range.
How many mountain ranges are in the state of Utah? (link in Technology
Resources for the classroom will also help with this answer).
4. Ask students to find the following information regarding the state of Utah:
Longitude, Latitude, Hemisphere, Climate, Natural resources and landforms.
5. Using the information students have gathered, have students write a paper.
Ask students to place themselves as if they were an adventurer, explorer or
traveler back in the late 1890s. In their writings describe Utah’s natural
resources, landmarks, and landscape and location information. Students create a
story about their travels and talk about if they would be interested in traveling to
the State for work, recreation and more.
6. Have students peer edit papers and create a final piece.
7. Have students create a piece of art (drawing, painting or diorama) that helps
readers visualize their writing – encourage students to use birds eye view, bug’s
eye view or perspective in their work.
8. Have students share projects and writings and then display for other classes to
see.
Assessment
 Students learn about artists who painted the Wasatch Mountain Range.
 Students learn about erosion and climate change in Utah’s region.
 Students find Utah’s longitude and latitude, climate, hemisphere, natural
resources and landforms using a variety of tools.
 Students draw objects from various perspectives and refine the use of
various art media.
 Students make connections with geography, writing and art.