National Juried Art Show

February 26 - March 30

Fine Art Painting Competition

The Emerald Spring Juried Art Exhibition is held each May.

Emerald Art Center exhibits 50-60 juried art pieces selected from over 300 entries submitted from across the United States.

This program expands the horizons of area artists and residents, giving them the opportunity to view quality fine art on a broad scale from artists around the country, while bringing national recognition to Springfield.

Upcoming Exhibits

Joel Pickford: “Soul Calling”

June 2-28, 2013

Reception for the artist Second Friday, June 14th: 5:30-7:30 pm

Joel Pickford is an award-winning photographer, filmmaker, and author born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley. His work can be seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, the Fresno Art Museum, and the Weston Gallery, among other collections. Joel is the author of Soul Calling: A Photographic Journey Through The Hmong Diaspora (2012) and California Light (1998). His decade-long documentary project, Le Monde Creole: Photographs of Southern Louisiana, culminated in an exhibition that premiered at the Fresno Art Museum in 2007 and traveled to the Centro Fotografico Manual Alvarez Bravo in Oaxaca, Mexico, in 2008. He holds a master's degree in Documentary Studies and Southeast Asian Studies at California State University, Fresno.

“Soul Calling” was just nominated for a 2013 Northern California Book Award in creative nonfiction. Former U.S. Poet Laureate, Robert Hass, is also nominated in the same category.

The Vision:
A community embracing and celebrating the arts, experiencing the joys of creative expression, and sharing artistic creations with one another.


The Goals:

• To provide an environment which supports and develops artists.
• To provide opportunities for artists of all ages to display and market their art work
• To offer a variety of programs and events to teach and display art
• To enrich the community through innovative outreach and in-house art programs
• To thrive as an organization with committed volunteers, sustainable funding sources, and sound business practices
• To provide leadership in collaborative efforts to support organizations located in the Springfield Downtown Cultural District, as well as, area arts organizations.

Gallery and Gift Shop:
Open Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Grace Johansson Gift Shop is named for one of our long-time, hard-working members. Located to the right of the front door entrance, it offers a variety of original art, prints, note cards and gift related items.

Purchases help finance the Gallery and selections change often, so check back regularly to see what's new.

The Emerald Art Association
Began in 1957 when a group of artists and art lovers took on the task of building an art league. Beginning under the auspices of the Willamalane Community Services, it soon became an independent entity. In 1974 this diligent group bought their own building at 421 A Street and shouldered the responsibility of owning real estate, while presenting fine art to the community and becoming a center for teaching and learning art.

The current Art Gallery is new, yet has roots that reach back to 1909 when it was the Sutton Block that later became the Gerlach Drug Store. By the late 1990's the opportunity presented itself to purchase the Gerlach Building. The non-profit art association had outgrown their original home and it was time to create a new gallery to house its growing collection, to gain space for more community interaction, to sponsor more artists' exhibits and to work with childrens' interest in art. The result is Emerald Art Center, the answer to a long-held vision.
The Street Floor Gallery, which opened in April 2002, displays changing exhibitions, important artist's shows and traveling shows when possible. We also display children's exhibits of current work being accomplished through classes at the Art Center and local schools.

EAC presents classes for all ages and workshops throughout the year in the Dottie Chase Classroom on the Main Floor, and in the Mary Meeker Classroom on the Mezzanine. Workshops are taught by nationally known artists and educators, drawing attendance from students across the United States, as well as providing an opportunity for local artists of all skill levels to learn and refine their creative abilities.

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