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V.
<br />aver
<br />Goings shares. `At first, students stayed
<br />with family or were hosted by members
<br />of the community. Eventually, a dormito-
<br />ry was built, and you can see how cam-
<br />pus grew from there." Goings shares that
<br />CV/TJ is still recognized for its education
<br />department, and claims most teachers in
<br />the northwest as members of its alumni.
<br />It has also earned acclaim for its arts pro-
<br />grams, which play a natural role in the
<br />greater Ellensburg art culture.
<br />m a a
<br />'111e J! hn Clymer Museum and Gallery
<br />4 a tangible link to Ellensburg's rich heri-
<br />tage in Western tradition. "It's fitting that
<br />the museum is here," says Jami -Lynn Tate,
<br />Clymer Museum and Gallery Executive
<br />Director. "He was born and raised here as
<br />well as his wife Doris Schnebly."
<br />Along the streets, the
<br />eclectic slops, restau-
<br />rants, saloons, museums,
<br />and studio apartments
<br />are nestled into build-
<br />ings visibly dated to the
<br />early igooso •
<br />Art found Clymer early in life, and
<br />his parents recognized his natural in-
<br />clination. After two of his pen -and -ink
<br />drawings were purchased by Colt Fire-
<br />arms his junior year of High School, so
<br />began his professional career that would
<br />span the course of six impressive decades.
<br />Well known for his contributions to ad-
<br />vertising, marketing, and his depictions of
<br />nature and the frontier in paintings, the
<br />museum seeks to recognize Clymer's ac-
<br />complishments and display his work.
<br />I am struck by the immenseness of
<br />Clymer's portfolio as I walk around the
<br />museum. Between 1940 and into 1960,
<br />Clymer was a household name. His work
<br />32 August/September2016 AmericanCowboycom
<br />VISITTHE CLYMER MUSEUM OF ART TO ADMIRE WORKS FROM+ THE FAMED ELLENSBURG ARTIST.
<br />was often published on the covers of the
<br />Saturday Evening Post and included on
<br />the pages of additional titles, such as Field
<br />and Stream, Good Housekeeping, and True
<br />and Spar& A ekc Two entire walls of the
<br />museum's gallery are dedicated to his orig-
<br />inal ad pieces. Companies such as Chrys-
<br />ler Automotive, Stetson Hats, Goodyear
<br />Tires, Coca Cola, and Acme Boots are
<br />just a small selection of his clientele.
<br />Probably because of my own love of good
<br />boots, I am particularly drawn to a piece
<br />from an Acme campaign that depicts a
<br />ris, Clymer retired to Jackson Hole, Wyo.,
<br />to pursue nature and scenery painting.
<br />The post-retirement section of his port-
<br />folio seems to contain the body of work
<br />most relevant to today's Western art and
<br />receives much acclaim from historians.
<br />"I like to do, and always did, what you
<br />call story -telling pictures," Clymer was
<br />once quoted saying. Many of his paint-
<br />ings portray a time of homesteaders, fron-
<br />tiersman, and good-ol' cowboy types that
<br />are likely reminiscent of Ellensburg's early
<br />residents and echo the nostalgic down-
<br />town of my experience.
<br />a e a
<br />The fabric of Ellensbures early popu-
<br />lations was also made up by miners, and
<br />the ridge today's travelers drop over when
<br />arriving from Yakima was once a boom-
<br />town location. Then, productive farm-
<br />lands spread across the valley's low, lush
<br />acreage, putting Ellensburg on the global
<br />market's map by exporting fruit and wine,
<br />and especially hay and beef.
<br />In addition to the valley's well-known
<br />exports, there are a few names that gar-
<br />ner equal recognition. Anderson is one
<br />steer wrestler competing at a local rodeo.
<br />Or perhaps, I am attracted to the pleasing
<br />Western lifestyle the ad endorses—a cer-
<br />tain breed of satisfaction that comes only
<br />from such activities as casually jumping a
<br />steer while friends watch in amusement.
<br />At the end of the tour, near the display
<br />of Clymer's late -career pieces, a bison is
<br />mounted and serves as the head on a wall
<br />mural. The physical obstruction is a per-
<br />fect metaphor for the shift in Clymer's
<br />work after he left the world of commercial
<br />art. With his high-school sweetheart Do -
<br />plant is located right outside of the main
<br />stretch of town. The 50 -year-old Ander-
<br />son Hay Corpu mt.ion ships Timothy grass
<br />hay from Kiuki:a County to the Pacific
<br />Rim. The primary buyers are racehorse
<br />owners bi Japan. Stateside, Angus cattle
<br />are bred and raised to serve thousands -
<br />Black Angus Steakhouse restaurants from
<br />New Mexico to Alaska and Hawaii serve
<br />patrons a healthy serving of surf -n -turf
<br />from this same valley. I'm told that the
<br />chain's founder, Stuart Anderson, of Se-
<br />at -de, Wash., is a relarion of Ellensburg's
<br />original Anderson family, He ensures that
<br />diners enjoy Western-rhemed decor at his
<br />Well known for his
<br />contributions to advertis-
<br />ing, anaf•iseting, and his
<br />depictions of nature and
<br />the frontier in paiirntings,
<br />the museum seeks to
<br />recognize Clymer's accom-
<br />pRislhments and disp?ay
<br />his work.
<br />
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