Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-05
Popular instruction in Art.

aires. Al
Popular Instruction in Art.
In the permanent portion of the art pullo-
ing is already gathered the nucleus OF an
art museum, the finest collection OF Anerl-
can sculpture that was ever brought to-
gether, and it is proposed to add to 1t the
already fine gallery of the st. Louis Mu-
scum of Art and develop around 1t school
of art architecture and music which VIII
he a great thing for the city. we acquire
many rare and beautiful things, said Hal
sew C. Ives, who is the soul of the move
ment, but there Is seldom any ef1orI 10
teach our people how to utilize them. This
Institution is Intended for that purpose. 1t
is to be a workingman's art museum we
propose first to take the permanent part or
the art building and make 1t an everlasting
monument of the exposition. To meet the
plans we have made for the future It Will
be enlarged by the addition of a magnificent
hall of architecture and an auditorium.
Long corridors will be extended from
either end of the present building with
garden between them, and connect with a
great temple of monumental architecture
surrounding central court, 3;'Dxl4O feet III
size which shall be an architectural mu-
scum On either wall of this temple six
historical alcoves will be arranged in
chronological order, in which will be in
stalled characteristic examples of the great
periods of architectural development begin
ming with the Egyptian and including the
cd Gothic Saracenic, Hindu, Japanese, pre-
historic American and Italian renaissance.
Before each alcove. stretching across the
fifty feet from wall TO wall, will be the
imposing front of some noble structure, Il
Illustrative of the style and the period repre-
scented.
Within, the alcove will be decorated in
appropriate designs and adorned with the
best models of its particular school, with
full details in color and dimensions of
noted buildings, sculpture and other archi
tectural features, while in the center of the
great hall Will be a model of the ground
OF the louisiana purchase exposition with
all the buildings in place, carried out on
relative scale-a permanent memorial of the
exposition which was the latest triumph
of renaissance architecture.
This plan for the illustration and COM
parison of the great architectural epochs
OF the world, continued Prof. Ives, has
been submitted to leading authorities in
the United States and Europe, and they
have been unanimous IN commencing 1t.
Beyond, and connected with the hall of
architecture, are 10 be a library, reading
room, reception hail. lecture rooms and Of
fees for the officials of the institution,
auditorium, capable of seating several
thousand people, where 1t is proposed to
give popular lectures on art and interpret
great musical compositions which shall be
free TO the teachers and pupils of the pub
lie schools.
The cost of the building in the first in
stance will be million dollars, and it Is
proposed 10 raise the money by subscrip-
ton in St. Louis. Much of the decorative
detail has been rescued from the various
buildings Of the exposition and is now be-
ing put into permanent form-brorze, stone
and cement. The great equestrian statue
Of King St. Louis in bronze Will stand in
front of the building, supported on. either
side by two groups representing the At
lanttc and Pacific oceans. which will be
well remembered by visitors TO the exposl-
Loot a
cal recitals will be given IN the smaller
halls, suitable for the students of the
schools of painting, sculpture and archi-
lecture, which it Is proposed to establish"
Munifcence of the Wealthy.
In a city of the wealth and culture Of St
Louis there ought to be no difficulty in Sc
curing sufficient funds to carry out this
magnificent project During the year Just
closed nearly seven million dollars was be-
slowed as gifts upon art institutions In the
| United States. One million was contributed
TO found an American Academy at Rome.
| James Stillman, president of the National
| City Bank of New York, gave 800 900 to
the School of Fine Arts in Paris as a token
| of appreciation for what that institution
| has done for American students and Charles
| X. Freer of Detroit proposes to beoueat tn
| his collection OF pictures and ceram mics to
| the government of the United States and
| put them in building that will cost half a
| million dollars, the entire gift amount in e
| 10 about 81 500 COO
Charles Parsons of St. Louis has recently
| LEFT collection valued al S9J0, 600 TO the
| institution of which this school OF archi-
| lecture is TO be part benjamin Fergu-
son has given the Chicago Art Institution
:. million dollars; Stephen Salisbury has
given the Worcester (Mass.) Art Institute
SS,oW,oO0. The Metropolitan Museum or
New York last year received gifts amount
ing TO more than half a million dollars
New York contributes 100000 a year from
its tax collections 20 the support OF it's art
galleries, and has erected for them build
lngs costing more than three million me
Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences en-
joys an appropriation of Sloo,eY0 a year.
anc has magnificent building erected by
the city. The Metropolitan Museum OF
New York has an endowment FUND or
about $louoGe0o and an income OF xs3Qpe
& year from membership fees Chicago
RrantS SllItkn ha Az,