EDWARD FRAUGHTON

Sculpting the Spirit of the American West

- Christine Egnoski

Born in 1939 in Park City, Utah, Edward Fraughton is a distinguished American artist, sculptor and inventor, renowned for his monumental works and collector editions, many that reflect the rich history of the American West. With a civil engineering background and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Utah, Fraughton's evolution from a struggling artist to a celebrated sculptor is as captivating as the narratives portrayed in his artworks. Selected as the Portrait Society's 2024 Gold Medal Recipient, Christine Egnoski recently interviewed Fraughton about his career, inventions and latest project.

Christine Egnoski: You attended the University of Utah, majoring in civil engineering, but changed your major to sculpture. Can you tell us about that time in your life and how you made that decision?

Edward Fraughton: My University of Utah experience was somewhat exasperating. As a civil engineering student in 1957, I loved inventing and building things. I also played in the concert and marching bands, but I signed up for far too many classes.

Struggling to survive on the $15 a month my family was sending me for food, I was literally starving. I failed a couple of classes, and as a break, decided to take an art class. Most students had studied art in high school, but coming from a poor family in an old mining town that offered no art classes, I had had no formal art training.

However, as a child I had always been creating art. After my first college art class I thought, "I love engineering, I love music, and I love art." Although I hadn't yet made a decision relative to sculpture, and since I wouldn't be taking my first sculpture class until the end of my second year, I definitely made a decision to change my major to art.