The Art Museum of South Texas - 2/24/15

With the overcast weather here in Corpus Christi today, we decided to visit The Art Museum. Located on Shoreline Drive, the building was designed by world-renowned architect, Philip Johnson, and opened in 1972. The Art Museum is affiliated with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and has 1,500 pieces of art in their permanent collection.

Since our last name is Hester, we had to check out the Cafe! Here is there menu. In addition to indoor seating, there is a balcony area to enjoy the beautiful views of the bay.

Unfortunately, no photography is permitted in the galleries. I understand no flash photography, but I hate not being able to take pictures in a museum. Every great art museum I have visited (Philadelphia Museum of Art, Modern Museum of Art [NYC], Metropolitan Museum of Art [NYC], The Guggenheim [NYC], The British Museum [London], The Tate [London], the Prada [Madrid], The Uffizi Gallery [Florence], etc.) permits no-flash photography, so I do not understand the logic in not permitting it. Regardless, we enjoyed our visit.

I did take a photo of this amazing chandelier by Dale Chihuly, the master of the medium of glass. It was spectacular!

The galleries are large and bright with lots of light streaming in through the windows. There are also great views of Corpus Christi Bay from the building. Here's a shot of the USS Lexington from the deck of the museum.

The mission of the museum (in part) is "to operate educational facilities...to advance the awareness, knowledge, appreciation, and enjoyment of the visual arts." Art classes are offered along with lectures and other opportunities for the community to participate in programs offered. There is an area set aside to help inspire children that visit the museum.

There are multiple outdoor sculptures shown below. The first one is Laps and Layers, 2004, by Danny O'Dowdy. It is made of limestone and mosaic tile. The second is a fountain; and, the third is Running Bison, 2008, by Kent Ullberg.

Additionally, there is an outdoor water feature that we really enjoyed.

The current exhibits in addition to some permanent exhibits are:

• Bayou City Chic: Progressive Stream for Modern Art in Houston; providing insight into the creative output between the 1950 and 1980, 1/31/15 - 4/27/15.
• Visionaries 2015: Renew, Reuse, Restart, a juried competition for young people. 2/15/15 - 3/22/15. 

Admission is $8/adult or $6/seniors. Visit their website for additional information on hours of operation and educational programs for adults and children.

Website:  www.artmuseumofsouthtexas.org