SPRINGFIELD, MO.- Springfield Art Museum has extended its wonderful exhibition "Framed: The Art of the Picture Frame" through September 27, 2020. This exhibit, guest curated by Exhibitions Manager Cindy Quayle, features a wide range of artworks pulled from their permanent collection. While the museum ha s re-opened to the public, the exhibit can also be toured virtually here.




The Springfield Art Museum’s permanent collection contains a wide variety of frames, both historic and contemporary. This exhibit utilizes the collection to demonstrate frame styles and trends, as well as to illustrate the important role of framing in conserving and preserving artwork.

Eli Wilner & Company is always grateful for institutions who take great consideration for the frames in their collections, especially when the historical context is shared with the general public in an educational manner. Typically, museum websites show artworks with their frames cropped out and it is rare that a wall label will provide any historical context of the frame. For example, even knowing if a frame was chosen by the artist, a dealer, or previous owner, can impact the viewer’s experience of an artwork by providing further insight into the time period or circumstances during which it was created. Many masterpieces have ended up in frames influenced by changing interior decorating trends that do not accurately reflect or enhance the artist’s original intention. Sometimes original frames are lost or discarded due to damage from improper handling or inferior restoration attempts. Museum conservation budgets are often limited, restricted to the care of the artworks alone, and cannot accommodate the creation of historically-appropriate replica frames, which require highly specialized techniques that are extremely time and labor intensive.

In an attempt to assist museums of all sizes in this capacity, Wilner continually offers a variety of philanthropic outreach programs. The deadline to apply for their current opportunity, awarding one institution with a fully-funded replica frame grant, has been extended to October 30, 2020. Details can be found here: