by Steven Carlson, President & Curator
My guess is you’ve received many mailings in the last few weeks telling you that the end of 2024 is near, and extolling the virtues of a potential tax advantage by making a philanthropic gift to a worthy nonprofit charitable cause before that great crystal ball drops down in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
The Effie Anderson Smith Museum and Archive is joining that chorus, but our value proposition is a bit different. It is this…
We believe that the desert impressionist art of Effie Anderson Smith and other lesser known women artists of Arizona’s Territorial Era and first decades of statehood needs to be preserved and exhibited. Not just occasionally or once a decade in a special exhibit - for a few months and then gone. They need to be on view all the time. Year ‘round. The art of these women provides historical context, helping us understand our past and present. You know this, if you are from Arizona, either by birth or have chosen to make the desert your home and love it - and when you see these paintings you recognize a part of your own lived experience in them.
They speak to you of your personal history - perhaps even of places you know intimately - from hiking there - or maybe it’s simply the vast distances in one of Effie’s canvases that remind you of places you see when driving, with the bright Arizona sunlight, the Yuccas, the clouds as they develop in monsoon season - or that yellowish haze of sand particles suspended in the air on a windy day above the ridge.
Since 2011 we’ve shown Effie’s paintings a few times a year, mostly in Cochise County. But we feel these iconic paintings should be on display continuously for the enjoyment and benefit of all Arizonans and our seasonal visitors, in a permanent gallery home in Tucson. That takes funding.
As we work towards that, you can help us exhibit them more often and ensure they continue to get the care they need to look their best at our next exhibits.
Now imagine - You are one of the many art lovers who have attended our Effie Anderson Smith exhibits over the past decade and came away wishing you could own one of Effie’s Arizona desert landscapes. And you also want to help us exhibit more often and find our future gallery home.
If that’s you, we have good news for you.
Now there is a way you can help support the Mission and Vision of the Effie Anderson Smith Museum and Archive - and - have a high quality art print of one of Effie’s finest paintings in your home - one you may have seen and admired in our exhibits - and at a cost you can afford.
Of course, owning an Effie original would be wonderful and may seem more desirable than a print. But let me explain a few of the realities of finding, acquiring and caring for one of Effie’s original 80 to 100+ year old original works and why art prints are so much easier to obtain and enjoy.
First - The originals are hard to find. Most of Effie’s originals are in a museum, historical society, or are in the hands of the pioneer families she knew and they are handed down for generations. Those folks usually consider them family heritage treasures and will never consider selling them.
Second - Effie’s originals often accumulate a layer of grime over the decades, which mutes the colors. Swings in temperature and humidity take a toll as well, and when you find an Effie original it almost always is in dire need of a surface cleaning and needs a careful restoration of paint that has flaked off, or other signs of stress.
Even if you can acquire the painting for a reasonable cost it may require an expense of $ 1200-2000 for careful professional cleaning and conservation work to stabilize it, restore any damage or paint losses, and have it looking its best again. You’ll need to find a qualified conservator to do that work. Where do you find them? Then there is the restoration of the frame, which can be a significant additional expense.
Owning vintage original art works - especially a painting you truly love - can be a joy. No question. I encourage you to do so. Just be advised - taking proper care of any older work of art can be a burden.
For many of us, owning a high quality art print on canvas that captures the color and detail of the original is a less costly alternate way to go.
And because so many of our exhibit visitors have asked - we have now created what we are calling Series I of five of Effie’s finest impressionist desert landscapes, including her trademark Yuccas - plus two of Effie’s critically acclaimed depictions of the Grand Canyon.
Thanks to modern technology, it’s now possible to produce high quality canvas prints of some of Effie’s best paintings, which we are having mounted on a stretcher to save you the additional expense, trouble and ‘wait time’ for that process - and each canvas print can be shipped to your door, ready to be framed to match your home or office decor, or - if you prefer - simply hang it on the wall, as is, as soon as it arrives.
Your monthly donation of $ 20 or more (or a one-time contribution of $ 200 or more) in support of our Mission and Vision toward expanding our exhibits, programs and finding a Permanent Gallery Home for the Effie Anderson Smith Museum Art Collection brings you the added opportunity to select an E.A. Smith art print as our ‘Thank You Gift’ to you for your generous support.
Soon you can display a canvas print of one of Effie’s art works in your home to enjoy and hand down in your family.
As always, we welcome your gifts IN ANY AMOUNT in support of our Effie Anderson Smith exhibits and collection conservation efforts.
Visit the SUPPORT page of our website to make your Tax Deductible contribution and view the full range of Art Prints of Effie’s desert landscapes we now are pleased to offer to you as a THANK YOU GIFT for your kind and generous financial support.
YOU can help ensure we are able to continue exhibiting and preserving Effie’s unique desert art for the next generation and help us bring Effie’s art to new audiences in Arizona and beyond in the years ahead. Your Gift Matters!
We look forward to seeing you at our forthcoming exhibits & programs in 2025.
More about those exhibits in our January and February EFFIEgrams.
