The Kemp Center for the Arts
The Kemp Center for the Arts is the heart of the arts community in the Greater Wichita Falls area. It is home to the Arts Council and The Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. The beautiful building and landscaped grounds provide meeting venues for many groups. In addition to the outdoor Sculpture Garden, members and visitors may stop by the NorthLight Gallery, the West End Studio and the What's Up Downstairs area to view permanent and rotating local and regional artwork exhibits.
The elegant Great Hall, on the main level, is the perfect setting for film, musical, dance and theatre performances. The Texas Room provides a monthly meeting space for several organizations and a variety of art classes are offered to the general public in two spacious classrooms. Come by and visit the Kemp and enjoy the sights and sounds of the culture of art here in North Texas.
History of the Kemp
Then
Feeling the need to increase the importance of the arts in this community, The Arts Council was launched in 1993 as a local grassroots movement. At that time, no one envisioned what is now the Kemp Center for the Arts. The mission of the Arts Council then, and still today, is to nurture and strengthen the artistic, cultural and educational quality of the community.
Since its opening, the beautiful and historic Kemp Center has continued to gain momentum and has become one of the jewels and cornerstones of downtown Wichita Falls. The Kemp is modeled after the Sammons Center for the Arts in Dallas. The two buildings are both 19,200 square feet, and both have historic designations. The Sammons Center was built in 1910 as a pump station for the city of Dallas, and the Kemp was built as a public library in 1917. While the Sammons Center is home only to performing arts groups, the Arts Council expanded on the role of the Kemp to include all the arts disciplines in its planning.
Now
The Kemp serves as a "place we can call home" to over forty different area arts organizations, offering meeting places, exhibition venues and providing organizational support, such as utilizing the mailing and copying facilities. Groups can also request assistance from the Kemp's professional staff for guidance and counsel for their organizations.
- Activities At The Kemp Today
- Performing arts concerts
- Member organization meetings
- Classes such as Drawing, Painting in Acrylics, Oils, and Watercolors, Photography, and Glass classes for All Levels
- Art Exhibits-Three galleries display works of local artists and collections of local citizens, which rotate regularly.
- The Great Hall hosts concerts, gallery openings, wine tastings, movie nights and more.
- The Kemp is aslo home to the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra offices.
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