Jump to content

Arlington Museum of Art

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Michael Barera (talk | contribs) at 12:22, 22 April 2019 (Finishing rough draft). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Arlington Museum of Art
Exterior of the Arlington Museum of Art
Arlington Museum of Art is located in Texas
Arlington Museum of Art
Location within Texas
Established1989
LocationArlington, Texas, United States
Coordinates32°44′13.14″N 97°6′30.72″W / 32.7369833°N 97.1085333°W / 32.7369833; -97.1085333
TypeArt museum
FounderHoward and Arista Joyner
Websitearlingtonmuseum.org

The Arlington Museum of Art is a non-collecting art museum located on Main Street in downtown Arlington, Texas.[1] It hosts art exhibitions year-round and also offers art-related children's classes, adult workshops, lectures, and film screenings.[2][3] A not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization managed by a board of directors and run by volunteers, its focuses on regional artists and showcases numerous styles of art, including contemporary, experimental, and traditional.[3] It is also home to a basement music studio called Zig Productions.[4]

The museum's roots date back to the Arlington Art Association's founding in 1952.[1] It was founded by Howard and Arista Joyner, who respectively established the Art Department at the University of Texas at Arlington and was the first art teacher at Arlington High School.[1] The association promoted art in Arlington by sponsoring juried art exhibits, shows featuring local artists, art auctions benefiting scholarships for local high school students, and creating a savings fund to purchase a building to serve as its permanent home.[1] In 1986, the Arlington Art Association bought the former J. C. Penney store on Main Street in downtown Arlington, which it remodeled extensively and moved into in 1989 after incorporating as the Arlington Museum of Art.[1][5] The first show at the museum opened in May 1990 and featured contemporary art.[1]

In 1991, former KERA radio art critic and Dallas Museum of Art assistant curator for contemporary art Joan Davidow was hired as the full-time director of the museum.[1][5] Under her tenure, which lasted until September 2000, she focused the museum's curated exhibitions on Texas contemporary art.[1][6] In her first three years, she tripled the museum's budget to $225,000 while securing Lockheed Martin, Target, and U.S. Trust as corporate sponsors.[5] Writing for Texas Monthly in 1998, Michael Ennis referred to her as "arguably the most imaginative and irrepressibly adventurous museum director working in Texas" and a "champion of the latest and often most contentious Texas art".[5] She also ran an art summer camp for children at the museum and a Saturday-afternoon family component at each of the museum's exhibitions.[5]

In February 2001, Anne Allen was hired as the new director of the museum, having previously served in the same capacity at The Old Jail Art Center in Albany, Texas.[1] During the six years of her tenure, she added new programs such as artist lectures and gallery talks to the museum's calendar of exhibitions.[1] The museum was reorganized in 2012 due to its financial needs and the impact of a week economy, and former board member Chris Hightower was selected as its new director.[1] Under his tenure, the museum has broadened its scope beyond contemporary art and now features "historically significant and culturally important exhibitions".[1] The museum has also begun supporting its exhibitions with accompanying programming, funding its exhibitions through grants, and renting its facilities for outside events.[1]

In 2015, local philanthropist Sam Mahrouq donated $550,000 to the museum that allowed it to retire its mortgage on its building.[7][8] In 2016, the museum gained notoriety when it removed a satirical poster depicting Donald Trump from an exhibition due to the objection of a board member.[9]

The Arlington Museum of Art has hosted traveling exhibitions, including those featuring photography by Ansel Adams,[10] art by Salvador Dalí,[11] Milton H. Greene's photographs of Marilyn Monroe,[12] Harlem Renaissance artwork (including works by Richmond Barthé, Aaron Douglas, Jacob Lawrence, and Charles White),[13] Utagawa Hiroshige's woodblock prints,[14] Vivian Maier's street photography,[15] and Pablo Picasso's ceramics.[16] It has also featured exhibitions of edible art sculptures[17] and famous film costumes including those of Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean and Emmy Rossum from The Phantom of The Opera.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "About the AMA". Arlington Museum of Art. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "Arlington Museum of Art". Downtown Arlington Management Corp. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Arlington Museum of Art | SEE LOCAL ART". Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  4. ^ Simmons, Madison (March 20, 2019). "Squeezebox Bandits: Made in Texas". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Joan of Art". Texas Monthly. 1998-01-01. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  6. ^ "A word is worth a thousand pictures". www.keranews.org. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  7. ^ archives, Citizen-Journal. "Notable & quotable: Arlington Museum of Art announces $550,000 gift | Fort Worth Star-Telegram". star-telegram. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  8. ^ "Arlington Museum of Art to Receive $550,000 Donation". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  9. ^ "Art Censorship at Arlington Museum of Art (Yes, It's Trump)". Glasstire. 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2019-04-17.
  10. ^ James, Laurie (July 30, 2014). "Ansel Adams in the Zone". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  11. ^ Constable, Anne (February 18, 2017). "Sister event to Folk Art Market set for debut in Texas". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Gavis, Karen (June 2, 2017). "Photographer Milton Greene's Intimate Relationship With Marilyn Monroe on Display in Arlington". Dallas Observer. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  13. ^ "Harlem Renaissance". Fort Worth Weekly. June 5, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  14. ^ Fleck, Deborah (December 31, 2018). "Arlington Museum of Art presents exhibit by Utagawa Hiroshige". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Watkins, Steve (June 9, 2016). "Vivian Maier: Street Photography". Fort Worth Weekly. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  16. ^ Richard, Kimberly (November 22, 2016). "Arlington Museum of Art Showcases Picasso's Brilliance, Diversity". KXAS-TV. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  17. ^ Gavis, Karen (February 27, 2018). "Sorry, Cake Boss, but Arlington, Too, Knows Something About Edible Art". Dallas Observer. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  18. ^ Molestina, Ken (June 26, 2018). "Famous Movie Costumes On Display In Arlington". KTVT. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arlington_Museum_of_Art&oldid=893591828"