History of the Art Museum

History

Moving video

The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is the Grand Strand's home for the visual arts. The Art Museum is dedicated to advancing Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand as a vibrant community where the arts enrich the lives of every resident and visitor. The Museum, located in the south end of Myrtle Beach, is the only art museum in Horry and Georgetown counties and one of the few museums in the country with an expansive ocean view.

The Museum first opened to the public in June 1997, but it was conceived some 13 years earlier by a small group of Myrtle Beach visionaries – artists, art patrons, business leaders, cultural enthusiasts, and other private citizens. The building itself has an even earlier history. In 1924, textile industry mogul Eugene Cannon built a large wooden-frame cottage in the Cabana section of Myrtle Beach, far north of any developed area, and christened it the Cannon Beach House. After 20 years, it was sold to Colonel Elliot White Springs for use by his family and executives of Springs Industries. Springs re-christened the residence Springmaid Villa, and his family, friends and company executives enjoyed it for the next 30 years.  During the course of those years, however, condominium projects slowly began to surround the house. In 1975, the family reluctantly decided it was time to move. They gave the Villa to Cox Construction Company in exchange for a new home, but Cox never did anything with the vintage beach house. Surrounded by more and more commercial property, the abandoned structure was feared to soon be the victim of the wrecking ball.

That's when the campaign to save Springmaid Villa first began. It started with the Waccamaw Arts and Crafts Guild whose president, Gaye Sanders Fisher, convinced Cox that donating the house to the arts group would be cheaper than tearing it down. The Guild had always wanted a place to display its work and provide studio space, and this seemed like a good fit. Cox gave the okay, but only on the condition that the group move the mammoth structure to a different location – and soon. That task was embraced by Guild member Harry Charles, who, with his wife Jane Charles, was passionate about the arts and the value the arts could bring to the Myrtle Beach community. A World War II B-25 pilot, former County Solicitor, an attorney and member of the Myrtle Beach City Council, Col. Charles visited the president of the county's largest landowner – Myrtle Beach Farms Company – and walked out with a deed for an undeveloped lot eight miles south, just outside the city limits.

Then this 150-ton structure had to be moved – step-by-step – to its new home, a Herculean effort that took two flat-bed trucks three full days with a team of city employees, utility workers and every member of the Guild working side by side, through the warm spring nights. Newly located, the building was once again left vacant while the arts group confronted the challenge of converting this historic treasure into an actual home for the arts.

Again, Harry Charles came to the forefront and introduced the idea of creating a real community art museum – something that would promote visual arts to the entire region. He was instrumental in creating the Springmaid Villa Art Museum Corporation, a new non-profit with a board of trustees charged with converting and later managing the property as a public art museum. He also became the major caretaker of the vacant Villa and to keep it from collapsing, had it reinforced with steel rods and encircled by a chain link fence to protect it from storms and vandalism. Because of his foresight, the Villa survived the flooding and destruction of Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Next began the task of organizing a substantial fundraising effort, which began with a small group of women christened Friends of the Villa. Jane Charles, whose painting of the original Villa now hangs in the Art Museum, was part of this group first headed by Macon Epps. This organization put on yard sales, art auctions, community dinner parties, and brunches for the purpose of raising money as well as advocating the worthiness of an art museum for our area. After more than a decade of hard work, the Art Museum, designed by Charleston architectural firm LS3P and constructed by local contractor Mike Harrington, opened its doors in June 1997 to widespread community acclaim. In recognition of the donation of land, it was re-named for the founders of Myrtle Beach Farms and became the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum.

Though the Art Museum was celebrated as an institution that greatly enhanced the Grand Strand, it struggled in securing sufficient financial support to operate and pay off the mortgage. In fact, a large chunk of contributions had to be used just to pay interest on the construction loan to Carolina First Bank.

As Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Lineta Pritchard gained postponement of the bank payments to provide time for discussion with the City of Myrtle Beach about taking ownership of the property. In November 2000, Pritchard presented to Myrtle Beach City Council a plan that was conceived by Charles and arts advocate Harry Love. It won unanimous approval. The City agreed to pay off the bank loan, take over maintenance of the property and exterior maintenance, and lease the building to the Trustees for one dollar annually as long as it operates as an art museum.

In June 2007, the Museum reached its 10th anniversary, a milestone that was marked by a yearlong celebration. Today, the Museum is governed by a 19-member board, elected to three-year terms, with a full-time executive director, six staff members and a cadre of dedicated volunteers. While a long-term endowment fund was started in 2007, the Museum still relies on memberships, grants and individual and corporate donations to finance daily operations as well as a host of public and outreach programs. These include lectures, docent tours, workshops, KidsArt and adult classes, as well as three Free Family Days per year with art, live entertainment and a host of activities for all ages. And all this happens at a museum that has been admission-free since 2003.

The Museum's permanent collection – including pieces derived from the Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild acquired between 1970 and 1982 – continues to grow. Also part of the Museum's collection is The Mapmakers' Art: The Bishop Collection of Antique Maps and Historical Prints, 1600-1863. In addition, Art Museum members and visitors may also enjoy visiting our Museum Shop for a variety of art-themed gifts, or simply relaxing on our Tea Porch which offers a breathtaking view of the ocean.

Although the road has been bumpy at times, the destination has been well worth the journey. Its mission is to be one of the finest visual arts museums in the Carolinas, striving to engage our community and our visitors through unique exhibitions and interactive, educational and creative programs for people of all ages. Today, the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum is truly the community's jewel by the sea.

~~Updated November 2008~~