Page 5 - Texas Arts Magazine

Where the legend lives.
The Museum of Western Art
The Museum of Western Art, a 501(c) 3 non-pro t corpora on, is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. Built on ten acres of land donated by oilman William F. Roden, the Museum is situated on the Great Western Ca le Trail in Kerrville which ran from Bandera to Kansas City during the la er half of the 1800s. This placed the Mu- seum in the center of an area rich in Western history. By 1981, thirty founding sponsors had pledged enough money to commission famed Texas architect O’Neil Ford to begin construc on of a new mu- seum centered on the American West.
The Museum building is the last public project designed by Ford, and the public opening took place on April 23, 1983. The Museum of Western Art is an award-winning facility that is dedicated to excel- lence in the collec on, preserva- on and promo on of Western heritage, and to the educa on and cultural enrichment of our diverse audiences.
The permanent collec on of art includes approximately 150 sculp- tures, 250 pain ngs, and many ar - facts rela ng to the American West. The Museum’s slogan, “Where the Legend Lives,” honors both our his- tory as a na on as well as the Mu- seum’s rich, world-class collec on.
The Museum’s visitors have rated the Museum the number one at- trac on in Kerrville on TripAdvisor.
In addi on to being the major tourist a rac on in the Texas Hill Country, the Museum of Western Art also serves as a vital resource for curriculum enhancement for area schoolchildren. Providing local and regional students with the op- portunity to experience the Ameri- can West through art and history is a strong and important goal of the Museum.
This history is conveyed through the magni cent images of the West that are viewed in pain ngs and bronze sculptures on exhibit, as well as through ar facts on view. In 2005, the Journey West Children’s
Gallery was completed, highligh ng the Westward movement through the “diary” of a young girl and her family. This highly interac ve, pop- ular exhibit showcases the dangers, challenges and hardships encoun- tered constantly while on the trip West.
Polls of area educators indicate that for 80% of the students that visit the Museum, it is their rst visit to an art or cultural center of any kind.
A student’s visit to The Museum of Western Art passes on to them not only an apprecia on for art, but also the tools and techniques he or she needs to con nue conveying our na onal heritage through tal- ent and handiwork. To accomplish
Preserving and suppor ng the heritage of the American West.
Hill Country Arts MAgAzine - sept2017 5
1550 Bandera Hwy, Kerrville, TX 78028
www.museumofwesternart.com Tuesday through Saturday
(830) 896-2553
Closed Sunday & Monday
Open 10 am - 4 pm