CFAC celebrates 55 years Nov. 6

First opened Nov. 6, 1966, the Community Fine Arts Center in Rock Springs has been a cultural highlight for both the community and visitors to Rock Springs for 55 years. The CFAC's existence has been possible by a long-standing agreement and collaboration between Sweetwater County, Rock Springs and Sweetwater County School District No. 1.

Residents are invited to an open house Nov. 6 from 1-4 p.m. Refreshments, tours, and a raffle for 10 pieces of art from local artists including paintings, photography, prints, glass and pottery. Additionally the first 100 guests will receive a commemorative magnet to mark the anniversary.

As part of the celebration for the CFAC's 55th anniversary, several artists and residents have donated art to help support the CFAC Advisory Board's community efforts and annual scholarship for SCSD No. 1 seniors. The raffle tickets are available now and will run through the celebration.

"The raffle is a 50/50 split between the artists and the CFAC," Debora Soule, CFAC director, said. "One of my missions as director has been to be supportive of all our artists and want them to be successful in selling their work. While a fundraising effort is an unknown sales amount, I want the artists to know they are appreciated for their work."

Artists who have donated work are Florence Alfano McEwin, Effie Manley, Susie von Ahrens, RJ Pieper, Bart Fetz, Gwen Roich, Jill Hartley, Shari Kumer, and Debora Soule.

The permanent art collection owned by Sweetwater County School District No. 1 is on display at the CFAC and has an extraordinary story of how it came about. In 1939, at the end of the Great Depression, and beginning of World War II, Rock Springs High School science teacher Elmer Halseth decided his students needed a project beyond the daily business of life in a small town. 

They needed something to inspire them and lift them out of the depression the whole country was experiencing.  What better way to do this than with art, to be able to look at something beautiful and be transported to another world, however briefly.  They were already collecting scrap metal for the War effort, but Mr. Halseth had a vision for the community as well.  He got the students involved in putting on school carnivals and bake sales and gathered pennies and nickels from donation jars around town.  He used this money to purchase art from all over America, which then decorated the halls and classrooms of the high school.

Not only did he buy artwork by now famous artists such as Norman Rockwell, Grandma Moses, and Wyoming's own Conrad Schwiering, but Halseth was also not shy about asking for donations of work by other prominent artists.  In 1957, Mr. Halseth learned that the University of Illinois' football coach Robert Zuppke was also an artist and Halseth wrote asking for one of his paintings. Coach Zuppke replied "You send me express charges and I'll see what I can do."  For $36 shipping costs, the coach credited with introducing the offensive huddle to football sent two of his original paintings which are prominently displayed at the CFAC.

It is stories like this that have been shared by community members through the years. From portraits of the Kent Sisters who many knew from their ranch south of town, to artwork by artists under the Works Progress Administration, a federally funded program paying artists a stipend to continue to create art during the Depression. Some of these artists became quite well known and the CFAC has work by Tony Mattei, James Zorne and Vincent Campenella, among others. The Rock Springs Art Guild was started by Campenella in the early 1950s and was a strong supporter for the CFAC until the mid-1990s. 

Toward the end of his teaching career, Halseth was instrumental in finding a grant, and an outgrown church that was available for rent, to house the art collection so that all could enjoy the artwork. Along with the majority of the collection on display, the center has rotating exhibits from local and regional artists, several performances each year, as well as educational opportunities through tours and classes for all ages.