This Is the Right Place: Community-Based Art Education at Utah's Springville Museum of Art

The human condition in the post-modern world is increasingly nomadic. A sense of displacement and alienation is pervasive. Schools emphasize abstracted knowledge removed from the experience of students. Many people feel detached from the places where they live and have no particular sense of belonging or responsibility toward their communities. Museums can counter this pervasive restlessness and be a powerful source of community renewal. This article draws connections between place-based education theory and the educational mission of the art museum, as illustrated by the Springville Museum of Art. The small town of Springville, Utah enjoys an unparalleled connection with its community. What began as a high-school collection of paintings has grown into a cultural institution that influences art and education throughout the state and continues to nourish and sustain the community. The Springville Museum provides a glimpse into how place-based education is manifest within a local museum.