The important history of the Art Museum of Southeast Texas’ dates to 1950, Sept. 14, to be exact, when it was originally housed on the lower floor of a two-story rented house on Calder Avenue in Beaumont. It was incorporated as the “Beaumont Art Museum,” then relocated to the Southeast Texas State Fairgrounds before finding its permanent home at 500 Main St. in downtown thanks to a comprehensive capital drive, which brought in $4.2 million. The art scene was “reborn” and “renamed” the Art Museum of Southeast Texas on Sept. 10, 1987.
Since its inception, the Art Museum of Southeast Texas has offered world class exhibitions to the Southeast Texas community. Currently, the museum hosts four to eight special exhibitions in its main galleries each year, some of which are organized in-house and travel on to other venues. The museum also exhibits four to six local artists each year in its café and rotates out permanent collection artwork in the Lecture Hall and West Hall spaces.
To celebrate the museum, “the party of the season” is held Friday, Sept. 20, for its 37th annual gala, this year’s theme is “An Artful Evening.” This carefully curated affair is designed to immerse you in the world of international art with a program orchestrated by a team of artful architects including Charlotte Mains, Albert Nolen, Lee Mann, Camille Ohmstede, Shelley Tortorice and Paige Windham.
Honorees for An Artful Evening have “art-fully” supported AMSET throughout the years – patron Mark J. Kubala, and artists Mike Cacioppo and Tina Novelli.
From 7-11:30 p.m. patrons are asked to take a stroll through the main galleries featuring the fabulous silent auction items such as “beach house weekend,” “hunting party in West Texas,” “Round Top house weekend,” “New Orleans’ style garden party,” “Symphony of Southeast Texas dinner,” “Dinner at Stonehaven” and much more.
Dinner will be provided by Two Magnolias with wonderful sounds by the Night & Day Orchestra followed by a live auction.
For attire, think the Metropolitan Museum’s Met Ball. Let your creativity artfully guide you to a creative ensemble fine enough for Anna Wintour’s red-carpet runway. Strike a pose and vogue.
Individual seats are $250. Table reservations begin at $2,500. All contributions benefit AMSET exhibition and education programs. For more information or to make a reservation, visit amset.org or call (409) 832-3432.
The Art Museum of Southeast Texas has permanent displays that include the Sculpture Garden, featuring the works of Jesús Moroles, George Tobolowsky, Carl Nash, and David Strickland; the Museum Lobby, featuring the works of James Surls, Paul Manes, and George Tobolowsky; and the Felix “Fox” Harris gallery, featuring the folk art totems of Beaumont self-taught artist Felix “Fox” Harris.
AMSET’s exhibitions are regionally focused and spotlight contemporary artists living in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, as well as Early Texas artists, Regional Folk artists, American Folk artists, and Mexican Folk artists. AMSET is one of the earliest museums in the United States to collect artwork by contemporary self-taught artists. AMSET is also home to the John Gaston Fairey Collection of Mexican Folk Art, a collection of over 474 objects donated by John Gaston Fairey in 2017 and 2020.
Notable past exhibitions include shows with James C. Watkins, Keliy Anderson-Staley, Billy Hassell, Francesca Fuchs, David Cargill, Delita Martin, Kana Harada, David McGee, Richard Stout, Keith Carter, and Carlomagno Pedro Martínez.