The Hispanic Heritage Display Committee presents Entretenimientos: Música, Baile y Radio. This exhibition was created by Abilene’s Hispanic Heritage Display Committee, a group committed to archiving, preserving, and displaying the histories of Hispanics in Abilene for the community and its future generations. This exhibition highlights just a small portion of the rich history of music, dance, and entertainment in Abilene’s … Abilene’s Hispanic Heritage Display Committee presents: Entretenimientos: Música, Baile y Radio

“Where glittering barrooms graced the night Amid the songs of dance-hall queens; Where rugged men with boots and beards Watched the swiftly moving scene, They bought their joy and paid in gold When they came to Abilene” The words of this 1936 poem by Walt Cousins still ring true, with urban development continuing to make its way into nearly every … Downtown Abilene: At the Crossroads of Rugged and Refined

A white wedding dress is a relatively new and modern concept and is mostly worn in the Americas and western European countries. Wedding dresses throughout the world and time have varied greatly in color, style, and tradition. Even in the Western part of the world in Roman times brides wore a yellow veil and Ancient Athenians wore long violet or … From This Day Forward: Wedding Dresses 1870s-1950s

Dependence on Mexican labor has been a source of great opportunity as well as great conflict for Mexicans and Americans. In 1942, facing labor shortages caused by World War II, the United States initiated a series of agreements with Mexico to recruit Mexican men to work on U.S. farms and railroads. These agreements became known as the bracero program. (Bracero … Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program 1942-1964

Museums are defined by their collections and exhibitions. Each collection and exhibition has a unique point of view that is carefully shaped by curators, who are always mindful of historical precedents as they look ahead to future developments. The Abilene Fine Arts Museum (now The Grace Museum) began collecting art in 1938 with the stated purpose of collecting important works … 83 Years and Counting: Recent Additions to the Permanent Collection

In 2008, The Grace Museum dedicated the Alice and Bill Wright Photography Gallery in response to the Wrights’ on-going gift of fine art photographs to the museum’s permanent art collection. Photographs donated by the Wrights formed the foundation of the collection that has now grown to more than 900 fine art photographs representing more than 275 photographers. Many recent additions … Focus on Photography: Selections from the Permanent Collection

The fact that the first work of art purchased by the Abilene Fine Arts Museum in 1939 was painted by a woman artist and the fact that the museum was founded through the efforts of local woman’s club members, many of whom were artists, foretell the museum’s long history of exhibiting and collecting artwork by women artists. Paintings, fine art … The Grace Collects Women Artists

In 2018, The Grace Museum was privileged to acquire Margo Sawyer’s acclaimed 1998 sculptural installation BLUE through an unprecedented collaboration with The Contemporary Austin and the Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas Austin. For this exhibition Sawyer installs BLUE in response to The Grace Museum’s unique historical galleries and creates new work as an ongoing conversation with … Margo Sawyer: Reflection On Color

In the 85 years following the founding of the Abilene Fine Arts Museum (AFAM), with the stated goal of creating an important art collection “for the good of the citizens of Abilene,” the art collection has grown to include more than 2,500 invaluable works of art. Dating from the 13th to the 21st centuries, important paintings, sculptures, works on paper, … Invaluable: Collection Treasures from Past Exhibitions

From the curator, Judy Tedford Deaton Photographer Terry Cockerham laments the fact that many Texas residents have never experienced the majestic beauty of the Big Bend area of Texas. He is so adamant about the value of this part of the state that he has spent more than a decade documenting exactly why the Big Bend should be on everyone’s … Terry Cockerham: Big Bend

”Remnants of personal stories, visions and observations in nature are the driving forces in my work. I believe what we see and do in our daily lives leaves a mark on our planet. Currently, we are depleting our natural resources and altering the environment, resulting in climate change and the disappearance of animal species. It is the direct impact of … Sherry Owens: Promise Me The Earth

Houston based artist, Cara Barer blurs the line between object, sculpture, and photography. She salvages discarded or obsolete books and transforms the books into sculpture by using water, clamps, string, staples, and glue. She then photographs the sculpted books, capturing the extraordinary grace and beauty of their altered forms. Barer’s sculptures and their accompanying photographs are a lament for eras … Cara Barer: Obsolescence

In this exhibition, Houston-based artist Anna Mavromatis displays her mastery of printmaking, book arts, and fashion design to stitch together stories and reflections of her Greek heritage and family history. Narrated through the colors of her homeland, she shares personal memories, vintage photographs and mementos in her personal collection, and masterfully expands the artist book definition to include a wide … Anna Mavromatis: Material Culture

In the 1960s, as a new generation of artists challenged long standing definitions of fine art, elegant, traditional, deluxe livres d’artistes were considered no longer relevant. Two very different artists working independently, Dieter Roth in Europe and Ed Ruscha in Los Angeles, created radically innovative forms of self-produced artist books. Focusing on commonplace material and inexpensive production, Roth focused on … Ruscha & Roth: The 1960s Artist Book Revolution

The Grace Museum is collaborating with Abilene Christian University’s Introduction to Public History: Interpreting American Pasts course to create monthly exhibitions that coincide with different cultural heritage months throughout the year. These exhibitions highlight the narratives of various cultural groups that are integral to Abilene’s history while weaving these stores into the broader historical fabric of the United States. Independence … Independence Day – Cultural Heritage Exhibition 2022