Texas Artists Museum

Mission Statement:

Texas Artists Museum will promote public interest in the arts, support and encourage artists, and make the arts available and viable for the entire community.

History

Texas Artists Museum is a non-profit organization chartered in 1972 by a group of visionaries dedicated to building a working museum for Southeast Texas. Professor Harry Ahysen and Normaj Broussard spearheaded an ongoing fundraising campaign. In 1983 citizens of Port Arthur voted to donate 1.56 acres at the Highway 73 and Ninth Avenue intersection to the arts. On February 24, 1987, a lease was signed with the city. Construction on the building, designed by Moore, Stansbury & Vaught Architects, Inc., was completed by the end of the year.

One of the original goals of the charter group was to promote an Art Museum that would preserve works of Texas Artists and be a working museum to be used by all art groups to serve all the people of the area. That goal is still being met—through its permanent collection, solo and group exhibitions of Texas artists, two annual national juried competitions, and ArtSmart, the innovative children’s cultural and fine arts summer camp, and by providing a meeting place for local art groups. The Museum also spotlights the performing arts in its monthly Second Sunday program, featuring performances by area vocal, dance, musical, and drama groups.