June 17 – September 27, 2025 — Cedar City, UT
A young soldier. A long-distance romance. A lifelong pursuit of artistic expression. These are the threads that run through From GI to MFA: Clayton Rippey’s Explorations in Abstraction, now on view at the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) through September 27.
The story begins in late 1944, when a U.S. Army private named Clayton Rippey sent his mother a letter from overseas. Along with the usual updates, it contained a request: could she send $150 from his war bonds to Marcia Sanford, his high school sweetheart, so she could buy an engagement ring?
Although Rippey’s story predates it, this real-life epistolary courtship echoes the narrative of Dear Jack, Dear Louise, a WWII-inspired play in Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2025 season. And just like the stage production, SUMA’s exhibition pays tribute to a love that endured the uncertainties of war—and the creative life that blossomed afterward.
A Veteran Turned Visionary
Born in Oregon in 1923, Rippey’s early education was interrupted by the war but reignited by the GI Bill. He went on to earn both his BA and MFA from Stanford University and enjoyed a long teaching career at Bakersfield College in Southern California.
Rippey was a prolific and versatile artist, working across painting, mosaic, and mixed media. His work plays at the boundary between figurative and geometric abstraction, inviting viewers into layered conversations of form, memory, and imagination.
From GI to MFA brings together personal artifacts from Rippey’s military service and postwar life with a curated selection of his artworks—each offering a glimpse into his evolving visual language. His piece This is the Only Way, a 22-by-28-inch mixed media collage, embodies his mastery of texture and emotional resonance.
Whether you’re an art lover, history buff, or fan of timeless love stories, this exhibition offers a meaningful journey through one man’s transformation—from GI to MFA, from wartime letters to lifelong creativity.
SUMA is located at 13 S 300 W, Cedar City, UT. Admission is free. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 8 PM. Learn more on our website.
