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

For more than a decade, language has been the focus for Simeen Farhat’s sculpture. Her Inspiration first began with the prophetic words of poets of various Arabic languages. Later, she adopted the alphabet of Germanic and Romance languages, including English. As the subject matter moved from profound to text message jargon, the artist continued to stylize the elegant fonts in … Simeen Farhat: Scripted

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. May … Asian American and Pacific Islander Month – Cultural Heritage Exhibition 2022

“In the history of symbols the cosmic tree is described as the way of life itself, a growing into that which eternally is and does not change; which springs from the union of opposites and, by its eternal presence, also makes that union possible. It seems as if it were only through an experience of symbolic reality that man, vainly … Terry Hays: Cosmic Garden