ROCK SPRINGS – The Community Fine Arts Center and Sweetwater County School District No. 1 will host a reception for the 85th anniversary of the school district’s art collection at the CFAC Oct. 18 from 2-4 p.m.

The collection had its start in 1939 when Rock Springs High School science teacher Elmer Halseth purchased the first painting of the collection, “Shack Alley” by Henrietta Wood. Students hosted bake sales and other fundraisers to grow the collection, with Halseth traveling the U.S. during the summer months to purchase artwork. The Rock Springs High School collection consists of more than 500 American works, which include paintings, prints, and photographs. The collection features works by Norman Rockwell, Elliot Orr, and Grandma Moses, as well as several well-known Wyoming and local artists. In 1952, Time Magazine called the collection “one of the best collections of contemporary art in the Rockies.”

The CFAC was opened in 1966 after Halseth received a federal grant to make the collection accessible to everyone and the CFAC has grown to include special exhibits, performances, and classes for Sweetwater County’s residents. Halseth became the first CFAC director and was later elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives, continuing to support art in the community until his death in 1991. The center operates as a collaboration between the district, City of Rock Springs and Sweetwater County, with the CFAC operating as a department of the Sweetwater County Library System.

“We are very excited to be celebrating the 85th anniversary of the school district’s art collection which is on display at the CFAC,” Joseph Libby, Sweetwater County School District No. 1’s superintendent said. “We support the arts in Sweetwater One and for all the community.”

According to the CFAC, the celebration will include a student art competition on this year’s Community Show theme of Indian paintbrush.  Refreshments are being prepared by the culinary students from Rock Springs Junior High and the high school.