San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission statement was adopted by the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts Board of Trustees of February 9, 1995; based on the original written by the Founding Board in 1981.

"The mission of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts shall be to establish and maintain a museum in order to house and exhibit a permanent collection of art as well as to provide space for traveling exhibitions, for the purpose of the enjoyment and education of the general public in San Angelo, Texas

The Museum's audience in West Texas covers 15 counties. The population is 194,000 (15% rural) with San Angelo as the major trade center. San Angelo's population is 89,000 while most of the smaller surrounding towns have populations of 1,000-3,000. The nearest major metropolitan area is San Antonio located 230 miles away. Education programs are done in close collaboration with the local and outlying school districts. Up to 50% of children in the school district come to the Museum annually.

The Museum has an intense interest in the community manifested in exhibits held every five years beginning in 1985, called Visions and Choices. These exhibits allow everyone in the community to show their ideas for the community's future. Many of the ideas have become tangible and resulted in massive efforts of preservation and renewal.

The Museum has a rapidly growing collection with 300 works of contemporary ceramics. There are also historical ceramic works from Asia and more than 60 contemporary paintings and sculpture by Texas artists. The collection includes over 100 major works of Spanish Colonial and Mexican religious art. The Museum has lent extensively to other museums in Texas.

$8,000,000 was raised for a new building which opened in 1999 that has received international acclaim. The Museum is implementing a new strategic plan, restoring older buildings that it owns for community use and is currently leading the development of a TCA designated 200 acre Cultural District.

History

The Museum was founded in 1981 and was located in the historic 1864 Quartermaster Building at Fort Concho National Historic Landmark. It opened in 1985 with exhibits from the National Portrait Gallery and the Library of Congress. The Museum has since held over 350 exhibits. Over 150 have featured Texas artists, half of which have been women and 1/3 minority. The overall exhibit program encompasses all mediums, cultures and time periods. Ceramics Monthly has cited the Museums' biannual National Ceramic Competition as "the premier clay show in America."

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