The museum has five exhibition galleries which host exhibits from its own vast collection and
travelling exhibits from other museums and the Smithsonian Institute. Current exhibits include:
•
Lasting Heritage - a display of Plateau Tribal Cultures native art.
•
SPOMa: Spokane Modern Architecture
•
Inland Northwest Narrative: Crossroads and Confluence
•
100 Stories - A Centennial Exhibition
•
Meet Me at the Spot: The Art of Patrick Siler.
The museum is closed on Monday and Tuesday, so, naturally, that was when we stopped by. As a result we didn't get to see any inside exhibits, but found that the outside alone is well worth a visit. There are several impressive and interesting artworks scattered about the grounds, as well as some memorials and an amphitheatre on the west side of the main building for various types and styles of performing arts. This museum is number one on our itinerary for the next trip to Spokane.
Incorporated into the museum, and where it actually began, is the 1898
Campbell House,
designed for Amasa B. Campbell by renowned and prolific local architect
Kirtland Kelsey Cutter. Campbell had invested $25,000 in successful mines near Coeur d'Alene, most notably the Gem and the Mace, turning it into a fortune. Restored and refurnished as closely as possible to original, it is a gallery unto itself.
Servants were indispensable to running Campbell House, which usually employed a coachman, a cook, two maids, and a gardener. Servants had their own dining room, as well as living quarters on the third floor or in the carriage house. During time off, they socialized at local parks and, if recent immigrants, studied English. As times changed, the coachman had to adapt to the automobile instead of the horse-drawn carriage. Other inventions made living easier: electric lights were cleaner than gas, central heating eased the burden of warming the house, and the call box quickly alerted the servants when needed.
The first floor interior, on two levels, provides a sense of drama. To the right of the dark wood-panelled entry hall is a light, gilded French reception room where Grace Campbell received her visitors. To the left, the library’s dark wooden beams and inglenook fireplace provide a cosy atmosphere for informal evenings at home as well as formal evens. Four steps lead to a large dining room with a fireplace surrounded by blue and white Dutch tiles. A deep veranda around the back of the house affords a view of the Spokane River below. Other features include a den, decorated in the popular Middle Eastern style, well-planned service areas, and four bedrooms upstairs.
From the Northwest museum of Arts and Culture
On the interior, the drawing room is done in Tudor style, with a Gothic arch framing a recessed fireplace. Throughout the house are ten original fireplaces in ornate tile. A Dutch Delft tile fireplace is located in the dining room. The beautiful woodwork of the ceiling beams and the walls is original and would be difficult to replace today.
The most unusual feature of the house is the gold reception room, done in the French rococo style. This room has a handsome gold and onyx fireplace walls covered with old rose moire silk panels edged in gold-leaf moldings, and windows hung with old rose velvet draperies.
From The Register