ABILENE, TEXAS.-Playing music with a sculpture, seeing how a cowboy boot is made and viewing cutting-edge art. The Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas, offers this and so much more in its historically renovated 1909 mission-revival style building. From a "do-it-yourself" television news program for children to the finest in traveling art exhibits, The Grace Museum continues a tradition it began in 1937 of promoting life long learning.
Contemporary art isnt just a big city thing and the art at The Grace is a solid example of that. Showcasing Texas artists, the permanent collection includes a wide range of works and media. Emily Jennings Ivey, Abilene native and professional artist now living in New York state, created Talk Like a Computer as one in a series of colorful sculptures surrounding a theme of computers running the lives of humans. As a part of an unprecedented gift from The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The Grace received selections from The Barrett Collection which includes Veiled, by Dixie Friend Gay, and Victoria, 8 P.M., by Trish Nickell.
The Grace Museum has added more than just contemporary art to its collection. Grace Notes, an interactive sound sculpture by Michigan artist Edward Weiss, is a life-size artwork of colors, shapes and sounds designed for noise, fun and plenty of hands-on participation. And The Grace has added another exhibit to its history museum: The Mallouf Boot Shop, a recreation of Albert J. Malloufs 1940s boot making shop. This exhibit preserves craft tradition of boot making as it was practiced West Texas.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Museum is a 55,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility centrally located within a vibrant historic downtown cultural district. With its art, history and childrens museums, visitors to the West Central Texas region wont find a more diverse cultural experience. Expect the unexpected at The Grace Museum.
