FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 2, 2026
Springfield Art Museum Announces Six New Acquisitions by Springfield-Based Artists
Springfield, MO— The Springfield Art Museum is thrilled to announce the acquisition of six new works of art by four artists currently working in Springfield and the region, expanding the Museum’s commitment to collecting, preserving, and celebrating the vibrant artistic talent of our region. The newly acquired pieces include works by Julie Blackmon, Todd Lowery, Bobby Ross, and Sarah Williams. These acquisitions were made possible through a Museum acquisition fund, with additional support from a $20,000 grant from Springfield Black Tie.
“These works express the widely varied inspirations and interests of four local artists, reaching from the banks of the Finley River to the shores of the Aegean Sea,” said Sarah Buhr, Springfield Art Museum’s Curator of Art. “We are thrilled to add these pieces to the collection as they will further enrich and diversify the stories we are able to share with our community.”
The new acquisitions will be on view when the Museum reopens after its extensive renovation and transformation. They include:
Floating by Julie Blackmon
Purchased through a Museum acquisition fund
The Museum is pleased to continue its long-standing relationship with internationally acclaimed photographer and Springfield native Julie Blackmon with Floating, from her recent river series photographed near her Finley River cabin. Centered on cloud reflections surrounding three drifting figures, the work captures a quintessential late-summer Ozarks scene. Curator Sarah Buhr notes that Blackmon’s work has become a touchstone for the way Springfield residents see and feel about their town, grounding the familiar while transforming it through her “magical eye.” This acquisition brings the Museum’s holdings of her work to eight pieces and deepens its thematic collection of local waterways, a focus dating back to its first-ever purchase, Tom Barnett’s A June Day.
Dusk Upon the Shores and Aegeus Waits by Todd Lowery
Purchased through a $20,000 grant from Springfield Black Tie
The Museum has acquired two works by Springfield-based artist Todd Lowery, newly represented in the collection, from his ongoing Diatopos Series (2022–present), which uses layered paint to explore memories of the eastern Mediterranean and the psychological and sensory experience of place. Curator Sarah Buhr notes that these additions strengthen the Museum’s substantial holdings in landscape painting and contemporary watermedia while reflecting current visual concerns in the region’s art scene. Lowery, a painter and multidisciplinary artist born in 1964, is a Professor of Design and Fine Arts at Drury University and exhibits widely internationally; his work has also appeared in multiple Watercolor USA exhibitions at the Springfield Art Museum.
In addition to acquiring these works by Lowery, the Springfield Black Tie grant will support a range of artist programming leading up to the Museum's re-opening, including a short-form documentary of Lowery.
Flip Side by Bobby Ross
Purchased through a Museum acquisition fund
Springfield artist Bobby Ross brings his Renaissance-inspired technique and magical realism to the Museum’s collection with Flip Side, a narrative work exploring contradictions through an additive, collage-like process guided by internal logic. Featuring pixelated, video game-style figures and a sidebar of pop culture imagery—including a filmstrip-like portrait of Donald Duck flanked by angel and devil versions of himself—the piece intertwines technology, nostalgia, and contemporary life. Ross leaves interpretation open-ended, reflecting his view that “making art is the theater” in which he wrestles with life’s demands. This acquisition introduces a compelling new local voice to the Museum’s holdings and complements works examining popular culture and contemporary visual language; Ross continues to live and work in Springfield, creating paintings and drawings that probe contemporary narratives and social attitudes.
Wood Street and Alley by Sarah Williams
Purchased through a Museum acquisition fund
Missouri-based painter Sarah Williams joins the Museum’s permanent collection with two works—Wood Street and Alley—that extend her investigations of rural environments and layered histories. Wood Street offers a moody nighttime view of homes near where she grew up in Brookfield, Missouri, while Alley, a recent work on paper, reveals her evolving interest in the spaces surrounding built structures and provides uncommon insight into her process, as she typically works on panel or canvas. These acquisitions strengthen the Museum’s holdings of Midwest and Missouri landscapes and expand its collection of preparatory works. Williams teaches at Missouri State University and exhibits nationally, represented by Talley Dunn Gallery, Moody Gallery, and Andrea Schwartz Gallery.
For more information, please contact:
Nicole Chilton, Communications Specialist
Email: Nicole.chilton@springfieldmo.gov
Phone: 417-874-2861.