ARLINGTON MUSEUM OF ART

Our History in Pictures: 1937-2023

Uncrating the history of visual arts in Arlington

In the 1930s, educators, artists, and civic leaders in Arlington, Texas began creating a vision for promoting the visual arts and arts education as important community values. Today, the Arlington Museum of Art is the legacy of their leadership.

We express our gratitude to these visionary leaders by continuing to act upon their dedication, values, vision, and passion for art and artists.

Pictured: The Tetons-Snake River by Ansel Adams, featured in the AMA’s 2014 exhibition Ansel Adams: Masterworks

Always something new

Because the AMA does not have a complete permanent collection, the museum has always chosen to present rotating art exhibits. This unique vision for what a museum can be has resulted in the AMA’s nimble curation style that is capable of presenting wildly diverse art exhibitions from around the world while also supporting shows by local and emerging artists.

Whether a collection of great masterpieces presented in a new way or a massive digital art installation that is fully immersive, there has been—and is always be—something new at the AMA.

Origin Stories

When Howard Joyner moved to Arlington, Texas in 1937, he was answering the call to start an art program at North Texas Agricultural College (now the University of Texas at Arlington). It wasn’t long before Howard and his wife Arista, herself an artist and art education activist, recognized that their new home town lacked any kind of organized effort to practice art and promote the arts in the community. So in 1939, the creative couple invited a group of friends to join them in considering the formation of the Arlington Art Association.

This was the beginning of the Arlington Museum of Art.

Click the image to learn about the evolution of Arlington Art Association into the Arlington Museum of Art.

AMA Through the Decades

Thanks for the memories.

From April 1 – May 14, 2023, the Arlington Museum of Art presented Uncrated: Reimagining the Arlington Museum of Art, 1950-2025. This exhibit was a retrospective of our organization’s evolution and featured never-before displayed art from the our permanent collection, plus narratives, artifacts, and more from our storied past. It also coincided with the announcement that the museum would be relocating to the Arlington Entertainment District in 2024, a long-held dream of our founders. Within the exhibit, we displayed a 6-foot-long version of the timeline above, and asked visitors to add their memories. Here’s a sampling:

More to Discover

“(We are) a civic organization seeking to make Arlington a city of larger opportunities.”

– Arista Joyner, Arlington Art Association Co-Founder

Deep Cuts

to our photo archive contributors & partners, including

Bill Barter

plus the hundreds of AMA members, staff, volunteers, and friends in our community

Stronger Together

Community Programs and Partnerships

In addition to its ambitious exhibition schedule, the Arlington Museum of Art has always made available its entire venue throughout the year for collaborative and creative educational programs, events, and other community-centric activities. The AMA’s programs include the museum’s popular Articulate Lecture Series, Art+Wine DIY parties, yoga classes, and diverse cultural programs. Children’s programs—such as Youth Art Month and Summer Art Camp—reflect the museum’s longtime partnership with AISD and a mutual commitment to nurturing life-long art lovers and the next generation of creatives.

Learn more about the history of these AMA collaborations:

Harlem Renaissance, William H. Johnson: An American Modern, and 30 Americans, the AMA, and how they inspired the first Juneteenth commemorations in the City of Arlington
Keith Haring: Against All Odds at the AMA on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots
Youth Art Month partnership with AISD
Summer Art Camp and Title I scholarship program partnership with AISD
Star of Texas public art project
AMA Traveling Exhibits
Frame 4 Frame art, film and music festival (video)
Magic of Downtown
Downtown Knights
Internships and class projects
AMA-UTA CreateCollab partnership and YouTube playlist

Chris Hightower, AMA President & CEO, Fall 2023

BEGINNING MARCH 30, 2024

Outside the Lines: The Future of the AMA

To reimagine what a museum can be, you only have to step outside the lines and into the new Arlington Museum of Art, opening in the Arlington Entertainment District on March 30, 2024.

Meet Chris Hightower, President and CEO, and learn how the AMA is more than a building or a collection. It is a community of people who believe in the Big Idea that art lights the way forward.