George A. Spiva Center for the Arts

Originally incorporated as the Ozark Artists Guild, George A. Spiva Center for the Arts has presented visual arts experiences to the four-state region since 1947.

George A. Spiva – businessman, philanthropist, and lover of the arts – helped establish the Center’s first independent home in 1958. Founded on the belief that opportunities in the arts should be available to all, the Center continues to flourish through the generosity of members and friends who share that vision.

First located in the Zelleken House at 4th & Sergeant, Spiva moved to the campus of Missouri Southern State University, then to the historic Cosgrove Building at 3rd and Wall in downtown Joplin. As of November 2022, Spiva resides inside the state-of-the-art Harry M. Cornell Arts an Entertainment Complex in the heart of downtown Joplin.

The Zelleken House

4th & Sergeant

The Zelleken House was built in 1893 by Edward Zelleken. He died in 1920 and left the house to his daughter. The Ozark Artists Guild opened an art center there in 1958.

Missouri Southern State University

In 1967 Spiva Art Center moved to the Fine Arts Building at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO.

Henrietta Cosgrove Building

3rd & Wall

In 1996 Spiva moved into the two-story historical Henrietta Cosgrove Building on the corner of 3rd and Wall Street.