Utah Tech Showcases Native American Art in Latest Collection

Sears Art Museum brings in “legacy” collection through the end of summer.  

A Utah Tech University press release (Wednesday) said the Sears Art Museum will have over 70 pieces added from the two foundational “Sears Legacy” collections.  

This particular collection will focus on Native American Art from Utah Tech’s Bob and Peggy Sears. The past Invitational Purchase Prize winner’s collection will also be on display. There will be an opening reception for “The Sears Legacy” collection from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Jun 16.  You will be able to view the collections until Aug. 25 at the museum from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the weekdays.  

“Bob and Peggy Sears’ passion for art helped build the museum that now bears their name,” James Peck, Sears Art Museum director and curator, said. “In 1988, at Bob’s urging, Dixie State College (now Utah Tech University) hosted the first annual Invitational Art Show and Sale. Each year since, the Sears Museum has selected one work of art from the Invitational for its highest honor, the Purchase Prize. By purchasing a work of art each year, the museum collected a rich cross section of some of the finest art created in the region over the past four decades.” 

A List of Notable Purchase Prize Winner’s: 

• Al Rounds’ “Brigham Young Home” (1990) 
• Del Parson’s “Mary Magdalene at the Tomb” (2000) 
• Roland Lee’s “In from the Fields” (2003) 
• Julie Rogers’ “In the Potter's Hands” (2004) 
• David Koch’s “Moon Over Mt. Carmel” (2006) 
• Jeremy Winborg’s “Shoshone Dolls” (2012) 
• Rick Kinateder’s “Winter on the Provo River Near Woodlands” (2023). 

The Sears had a passion for Native American Art, the press release said. The artwork in the collections span from locations like Oklahoma to Santa Fe.  

“Due to the Sears’ generosity, the museum has iconic examples by famous artists Fred Beaver, Harrison Begay, Lucy Lewis, Maria Martinez, Chief Terry Saul, Fritz Scholder, Margaret Tafoya, Pablita Velarde and many more,” Peck said. “This is a unique collection, the likes of which can’t be found anywhere else in Southern Utah.”