Wow! That Oughta Be In a Museum!

Memorials

The loss of a loved one initiates many collections. Just as some people view their collections as part of themselves, others turn to collecting when they have lost a part of their selves through the death of a family member or close friend.

The Warren Hall Coutts III Memorial Museum of Art was founded by an El Dorado attorney to honor his son, who died in an airplane crash. The elder Coutts devoted the rest of his life to "commemorating the memory of all the beloved sons and daughters of this community" through the museum.

Coutts eventually accumulated over 2,000 pieces in memory of his son. He also established a scholarship fund for art students at the local community college. When he died in 1988 the entire estate was left to the museum.

"[Mr. Coutts] wanted anyone who came in, regardless of their taste in art, to be able to see something that they would enjoy or appreciate. . . . He would get something in and . . . uncrate it and I would say, 'Oh, this is the ugliest thing I've ever seen' . . .He liked it. He would say, 'I want something for everyone.'"
-- Rhoda Hodges, Coutts Memorial Museum of Art.

Pictured above, Terri Scott and Rhoda Hodges have administered the Coutts Memorial Museum of Art in El Dorado since the death of its founder.

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