In 1934, when the A.E. Larson Estate bequeathed Rosedell mansion and $100,000 to establish a public museum and gallery, his family envisioned what might one day become a “miniature Maryhill Museum” for Yakima. Seventy-five years since the Larson Museum and Gallery opened on the Yakima Valley Junior College campus in 1949, its purpose has expanded well beyond offering access to fine arts not otherwise available in a rural agricultural community.

Larson Gallery’s 75th anniversary exhibition tells the story of the gallery’s evolving role in the visual arts and creative lives of Yakima Valley residents through selections from its permanent collection, archival resources, and stunning loans displayed during the inaugural 1949-1950 season.