Missouri Southern is renaming the Spiva Art Gallery to honor the Cragin family

JOPLIN, Mo. — The names Spiva and Cragin are synonymous with Missouri Southern. And now even more so.

The Spiva Art Gallery on campus is now officially the Cragin Art Gallery. It helps clear up a bit of confusion, but also continues to honor the family legacy.

Joy Spiva Cragin, who died in 2021, was a longtime supporter of the university and a dedicated member of the Missouri Southern Foundation. Her husband, John, and her son, Scott, were both MSSU professors. Her father, of course, was George A. Spiva—a man synonymous with the city of Joplin and the man who sparked the initial fundraising efforts to purchase the land on which the university now stands.

“He taught my parents, our mother, obviously, and my father’s parents – they were just very generous people and they believed that you should support your community if you can with your time, talent and treasure. And so that’s kind of what we’re trying to carry forward,” said Gay Cragin Currence, daughter of Joy Spiva Cragin / niece of George A. Spiva.

“We’ve always had 2 Spiva entities – actually 3 in town. So there was always a bit of confusion. So just having that ability to have different names — it’s going to be a big advantage for both institutions on campus — both on our campus with the library and now with the Cragin Gallery — and then Spiva downtown,” said Dr. Frank Pishkur, MSSU. Department of Art & Design / Professor.

The Cragin family endowment will directly support the gallery’s exhibition needs, benefiting Missouri Southern students as well as local, regional and national artists.

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