SPRINGFIELD ART ASSOCIATION OF EDWARDS PLACE
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Mission Statement
The SAA is a community based, non-profit organization, that promotes and supports the visual arts, provides art education opportunities for the greater Springfield area, and preserves and interprets historic Edwards Place and the collections of the SAA.
About This Cause
Since 1913 the SAA has been a leader in visual arts education and promotion in central Illinois. Our mission is to promote and support the advancement of the arts, provide educational opportunities, and preserve and interpret historic Edwards Place as a house museum. Originally founded as the Springfield Amateur Art Study Club in 1909, the organization has been offering visual arts education and outreach, exhibitions, and events for over a century. In 1913, The organization was formally incorporated and given the deed to Edwards Place, a 4,200 sq ft Italianate mansion and its name changed to Springfield Art Association of Edwards Place. Edwards Place is the anchor property to a five-building campus on seven acres in the Enos Park neighborhood north of downtown Springfield. The art activities were moved from the house to studios in the 1950s. Today, Edwards Place is a historic house museum. The expanded SAA campus on 4th Street includes the M.G. Nelson Family Gallery, two classroom studios, three 3D studios, offices and an artist residency two-flat. The organization has now expanded its presence by taking ownership of the Broadwell Pharmacy building in downtown Springfield. This building is a historic property where the SAA Collective gallery is now located. It also houses a computer lab for digital art creation, photography studios, and the Michael Victor II Art Library. The above-mentioned 3D studios include the Prairie Earth and Fire Ceramics Studio, Smith and Nickelson Metals Studio, and the Baima Glass Studio. The addition of these studios continues to provide opportunities for all ages for the first time in central Illinois. In 2022, the SAA added the Make Truck to the Bronwyn Eves Memorial Art Outreach department. This art studio on wheels will provide art education at a variety of community events, as well as schools and after-school programs which provide services to children who may not have transportation to the SAA’s physical campus. The SAA serves more than 100,000 residents with quality visual arts educational programming at low or no cost. At least 50% of those benefitting from our programming are school age youth. Our School of Art provides high-quality education for all ages. Four eight-week class sessions are offered for youth and adults. Scholarships are offered for these classes, and the Education Department aims to fill more and more scholarships each year. Additionally, eight weeks of art and history camps for ages 4-18 are held throughout the summer. Scholarships are offered to the public for these camps and the SAA has specifically worked with Family Service Center, Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois, Big Brother Big Sister of Central Illinois, and Head Start to fulfill scholarships.