A Guide to the Texas Fine Arts Association Records, 1908-1992

Biographical Sketch

The Texas Fine Arts Association was founded on April 6, 1911, in honor of Elisabet Ney, an Austin sculptor who lived from 1833 to 1907. It became the first organization to promote art and art activity throughout Texas. The association began their wildly successful touring program in 1927, bringing selected visual arts works to communities throughout Texas. In 1943 Clara Driscoll deeded her estate, Laguna Gloria, to the association to be used as the state art gallery. At first, the property became the exhibition hall for the association, and later became a private art museum. In 1953 the association held a Texas Fine Arts Festival, assisted by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, which lent them both masterpieces and contemporary works by New York artists. In 1966 the Laguna Gloria Art Museum merged with the Texas Fine Arts Holding Company.

The association presents two exhibitions a year, the New American Talent (nationwide) and the Texas Annual for Texas artists. The association also presents educational services as well as conferences for members and nonmembers alike.

Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Texas Fine Arts Association," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/TT/kit1.html (accessed May 27, 2010).

Scope and Contents

The records of the Texas Fine Arts Association include organizational files from the Texas Arts Alliance, Laguna Gloria, the Permanent Collection, and the Ney Museum as well as correspondence, tours and exhibits materials, chapter information, minutes, financial information, scrapbooks, clippings, biographies, histories, photographs, and lists. The records document the organization, history, and activities of the Texas Fine Arts Association and its members, 1908-1992.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Texas Fine Arts Association minutes are closed for thirty-five years from the date of the creation of the minutes. This restriction will automatically be lifted at the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History as minutes become older than thirty-five years. Closed files may be viewed only with the written permission of the director of the Texas Fine Arts Association.

Use Restrictions

Unrestricted use.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Texas Fine Arts Association Records, 1908-1992, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Kate Adams, July 1997.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.

Detailed Description of the Papers