The Proctor Museum

The A. Phimister Proctor Museum, located near Seattle, Washington, was established in 1997 by the artist’s grandson, Phimister Proctor Church. As a twenty-year-old college student at the University of Washington, Phimister, better known as Sandy, made it his goal to collect one of each of his grandfather’s sculptures.

This seemingly lofty goal grew into a life-long passion, evolving into a collection of thousands of pieces of original art, bronzes, plaster models, engravings, sketches, Indian artifacts, and historical documents. Sandy’s search for his grandfather’s art and life-story, led him on a journey around the United States and into several other countries, and became what he refers to as “following in Grandfather’s footsteps.”

It’s an amazing story, about how one discovery has led to another, uncovering Proctor’s connection to history and the American art world. Some of the artworks Sandy discovered among Proctor’s keepsakes, were original pieces by other well-known artists who were Proctor’s friends, such as Robert Vonnoh, Bessie Potter Vonnoh and George de Forest Brush.

In 2005, under the recommendation of several prominent art historians, the Proctor Museum donated a majority of it’s collection to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, where approximately 100 original Proctor artworks are on display today.

The A. Phimister Proctor Museum still maintains a collection of unique Proctor art and continues to research, publish, collect and loan, while pursuing its education and conservation programs. The Proctor Museum offers private tours by appointment.

The Museum’s primary goal is to promote an understanding and appreciation of the art created by Alexander Phimister Proctor. Through a conscientious program of research, acquisition, publication, and exhibitions, the Museum strives to achieve its mission and engage audiences in its endeavours.

A note from Phimister Proctor “Sandy” Church…

In 1944, my Granddad, Alexander Phimister Proctor, lived with our family. I remember tales he told me of cowboys and Indians, bear hunting and climbing mountains, and the old days of the Wild West. He taught me to lasso and gave me one of his old rifles. I learned about Indian culture using an Indian headdress and peace pipe, given to my Granddad by Chief Little Wolf.

Before he left our house two years later, he sculpted a bas-relief of me. To this day, when I look at that piece or hold his old tools I recall the smell of clay and the hours of tedious posing… intense fidgeting was more like it! Needless to say, that 82-year-old man and his seven-year-old grandson bonded.

I started documenting Proctor’s life and collecting his original artwork as a young man – bronzes, plasters, paintings, and etchings. In 2005, I donated a majority of the collection to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, where the art is properly preserved and on display for people to appreciate and for scholars to study. Today, original Proctor bronzes are displayed in many of the most prestigious museums around the country.

I have always felt Granddad’s presence in my life, guiding me in my journey to share his life story and art. Now it’s my turn to give back to Granddad by promoting an understanding and appreciation of the art he created. I keep the Proctor spirit alive, by teaching others about his contributions to the world of Western art history, selling posthumous limited edition Proctor bronzes, supporting exhibitions, and publishing scholarly books on his life and work.

Thanks for your interest in Proctor and for helping us share his story and the artwork he created a century ago.

– Phimister Proctor “Sandy” Church