Watercolor USA is a yearly competitive exhibition that started in 1962 in Springfield, Missouri. It’s normally displayed at the Springfield Art Museum, but renovations caused it to move to Joplin this year.
“We have developed a relationship with the Springfield Art Museum in the last few years, and after we moved into this facility, I think they felt like it was a good fit, that we had enough room for it,” said Shaun Conroy, exhibits director at the Spiva Center for the Arts.
According to Springfield Art Museum curator Sarah Buhr, they wanted to keep the exhibition in the region.
“The team already was so skilled because they do the annual PhotoSpiva, which is the juried show,” she said. “And then it isn’t too far from Springfield, so our visitors and our patrons locally could get there easily. So it just seemed like the perfect fit.”
The Spiva Center will host the exhibition for at least one more year before renovations are complete at the Springfield Art Museum.
L.S. Eldridge of Rogers, Arkansas, won first place with the piece “Hashtag Harmony.” The top four places were selected by juror Paul Jackson, an internationally known artist. 19 additional awards were given by the Watercolor USA Honor Society, which is made up of artists who have had their art selected for the exhibition three times. A full list of the award winners can be found on the Spiva Center website.
Watercolor USA has been popular with artists and viewers alike since the beginning. According to Buhr, it was started by Ken Shuck and Robert Johnson. They wanted to start a show of their own and also promote watercolor, which they thought was an under-recognized medium. The first year, the exhibition received approximately 1,000 entries.
“Over the years, juried shows in general aren’t nearly as popular as they used to be back in the '60s and '70s,” Buhr said. “So we weren't getting 1,000 entries a year anymore in the last 10 to 15 years, but it is still a really popular show, and our visitors love it and they always look for it every year.”
Conroy credits the exhibition’s reputation and longevity as reasons for its success.
“Watercolor people are a pretty tight knit group so that’s the main way,” he said. “We disseminated the information through our Facebook, and it’s on a national call for entries website that also promotes it.”
The pieces on display not only vary in subject matter, but also vary in technique.
“Some people are doing very transparent watercolor and then some people are using dry brush,” Conroy said. “Some people are very finely detailed and some people are using broad strokes. So it’s a really great opportunity to get an idea of what the medium is capable of.”
Conroy encouraged people to come see the exhibition in person while it’s on display through October 11 to fully experience the art.
“A lot of people think that they're enjoying art by looking at it on their phone,” he said. “And sure, there's a lot of art that works that way, but there's a lot to be said for coming to a space, the quiet and the ability to look at something in a lot more detail. I think it's a chance to kind of slow down a little bit, and that's important.”
Watercolor USA 2025 is on display in the Freeman Health System Main Gallery. The Spiva Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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