The Clymer Museum of Art will reopen its doors on May 1, featuring a new exhibition by Central Washington University student Margot Massey. The reopening follows months of renovations and marks the debut of Massey’s “Plastic Souls” exhibit in a newly created gallery space.
The event is significant for both the museum and the local arts community, as it highlights collaboration between the Clymer Museum and Central Washington University students. Massey, a junior Bachelor of Fine Arts student from Kennewick, said her family background in art inspired her to pursue an artistic career. “I come from a family of artists,” said Massey. “My mom is an art teacher and my siblings are all very creative. So it’s not a huge surprise that I want to become a professional artist.”
Massey has worked at the Clymer Museum since 2024 and credits this experience with helping her build connections within Ellensburg’s arts scene. She said being selected for the reopening was meaningful: “They needed an artist to feature when they reopened, so I just asked,” she said. “Clymer’s work has been very inspirational for me, and to have an opportunity to showcase my work in this amazing space is such a huge honor.” The exhibit explores themes related to artificiality and performance in social media culture, drawing inspiration from David Bowie’s concept of ‘plastic souls.’
Massey’s paintings depict actors and performers such as showgirls, cowboys, and rodeo clowns—often using friends as models—and two life-size sculptures will be added later in June. She explained that her artwork examines how people use platforms like Instagram and TikTok to curate their identities: “We parallel social media and Hollywood to make a curated image of ourselves,” she said.
The museum’s board expressed enthusiasm about both its expanded offerings—wall space has increased by roughly 30 percent—and ongoing partnerships with CWU students like Massey. Board member Andrew Hatlestad noted that John Ford Clymer’s legacy includes diverse subjects beyond Western-themed art: “It’s not just Western art,” Hatlestad said.
Looking ahead, the museum plans to continue showcasing student work alongside its collection of original John Clymer pieces—the largest private collection in the country at 135 paintings—as part of efforts to support emerging artists.