Meet the Fletchers

In 1907 Utah State University, then Utah State Agricultural College, hired a recent BYU graduate Calvin Fletcher as the first Art faculty member and first head of the college’s art department. Fletcher remained in the role for the next forty years, mentoring scores of students and establishing Logan as the epicenter of Modern art in Utah. During his tenure “the Prof,” as he was affectionately known, invited important artists from across the American West like Lee Randolph, Birger Sandzen, Ralph Stack Pole to northern Utah, where they collaborated closely with Calvin. Despite being a shy, small-town boy—Calvin was a native of Provo, Utah—Fletcher had studied in New York, Chicago, London, and Paris who was open to a wide range of stylistic experimentation. Despite his professional success, Fletcher’s life was marked by the tragic loss of his first two wives, Sarah and Zettie. In 1926 he married one of his students, a young widow named Irene Thompson. Together Calvin and Irene raised fourteen children, including the artist Dale Thompson Fletcher, who returned to his father’s alma mater as a professor of art at BYU from 1965-1978. This exhibition features the work of Calvin, Irene, and Dale, showcasing the ways the family members taught and cared for each other. While each of the three produced in distinctive styles, they shared a common commitment to artistic experimentation and the Fletcher family legacy. The exhibition is co-curated by Danielle Stewart (USU) and James Swensen (BYU). February 21 - July 25, 2026