Opportunities

Mission

Our mission is to facilitate the exploration and presentation of diverse ideas through the Hillstrom collection. We foster inclusive learning via the arts to promote meaningful conversations to support education and creativity at Gustavus.

Vision

To develop the Hillstrom Art Museum as an adaptable space to share multicultural heritage and actively engage the St. Peter community by creating an empathetic environment that fosters open discussion through the exhibition of art.

Values

The Hillstrom is an institution that values:

• Engagement within the Gustavus community, focusing on collaboration with other departments, student organizations, and the broader community of St. Peter, Minnesota
• Ethical museum practices that comply with NAGPRA laws, recognizing that the museum is built on the homelands of the Dakota people
• Diverse perspectives and cultures that contribute to the value of art and artists
• The exchange and preservation of knowledge through inclusive art exhibits and meaningful conversations within Gustavus and the St. Peter community
• Accurate documentation of artists and their stories through student research and scholarship
• Liberal arts education, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration
• The promotion, protection, and preservation of the collection
• Being accessible to all, both within the physical space and expanding database

Purpose

The Hillstrom Art Museum activates its collection for student learning and leisure. Student-centered narratives and a focus on innovation make the museum a place for interdisciplinary education. By exchanging ideas and encouraging collaboration with the community, the Hillstrom provides cultural context for our histories and offers a safe environment to engage in critical conversations. 

^{Composed and conferred by the following students during Reimagining Museums (ART-298) Fall 2024: Joseph Auge, Carsten Bentley, Kayla Bluhm, Willa Brown, Carson DeKam, Emma Deyo, Jacob Grice, Hari Halvorson, Synnove Hunnes, Alli Kurth, Becky LaCanne, Ryan Lester, Kaelyn Lobalbo, Brooke Power, Audrey Power Theisen, Connor Rautio, Abigail Ronnebaum, Chloe Rossow, Celeste Thalhammer, Brooklyn Ullrich with the support of art history professor Colleen Stockmann}

Reverend Richard L. Hillstrom, a 1938 graduate of Gustavus Adolphus College, began collecting art in the 1940s, when his ministerial career was just beginning. It was to become a lifelong passion, one that continued after his retirement, when he took a position in 1982 at Lutheran Brotherhood in Minneapolis and began building their renowned collection of religious art.

In his own collecting, Hillstrom initially concentrated on Swedish-American artists, such as Birger Sandzén (1871-1954), the widely recognized Kansas painter, or Elof Wedin (1901-1983), with whom Hillstrom was personally acquainted. Soon he branched out in other directions, focusing on more mainstream artists, especially of the American figural tradition. He acquired pieces by The Eight, a group of American artists dedicated to making art connect directly with life. The painter Robert Henri (1865-1929) was the spiritual leader of this group, whose other members included Arthur B. Davies (1862-1928), William Glackens (1870-1938), Ernest Lawson (1873-1939), Maurice Prendergast (1859-1924), Everett Shinn (1876-1953), John Sloan (1871-1951) and, later, George Bellows (1882-1925). All of these artists are represented in Hillstrom's collection, with special emphasis on Bellows, whose 1922 oil painting Sunset, Shady Valley remains a favorite of the collector and is recognized as one of the most important pieces in his collection. In addition to The Eight, artists of the Regionalist School of American art have been an important area of acquisition for Hillstrom. These artists, who in many ways typify the American non-abstract look, include the well-known Grant Wood (1892-1942), Edward Hopper (1882-1967) and John Steuart Curry (1897-1946), all represented in Hillstrom's collection.

As a form of prelude to these early 20th-century works, Hillstrom has also collected American art of the century before, including a fine drawing by the great John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), Winslow Homer (1836-1910) prints, and Luminist landscapes by Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897) and John F. Kensett (1816-1872). Hillstrom has also collected a number of European works, including prints by Old and Modern Masters such as the great German Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) or French artist Georges Rouault (1871-1958).

Reverend Hillstrom has been a passionate supporter of Gustavus Adolphus College, and his many donations to the College include a large number of art works. He has very generously indicated his intention to give many more of the fine paintings, drawings and prints still in his possession, and these works will form the core of the permanent collection of the Hillstrom Museum of Art. It is fitting that this collection reflects his love of art and his perspicacity in acquiring works by significant American artists. It is equally appropriate that the Museum bear his name.