Making Art More Accessible

By offering free admission to all exhibits, the Center serves a broad cross-section of the community, reaching individuals of a variety of ages, ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds.  While we are proud of the quality and variety of the Center’s exhibits, we recognize that providing an enriching and educational experience for gallery visitors requires more than hanging art on the walls.  As our gallery offerings have grown, so have our efforts to make the Center more accessible to the broad demographic served by our programs.

An important step in cultivating lifelong lovers of art is the demystification of the gallery experience.  To overcome the stuffy and static stigma that goes along with being a gallery or museum, we continue to implement gallery features that make our exhibits more interactive.  These efforts help produce exhibits that visitors of the Center’s galleries are able to “experience,” rather than simply “view.” 

Examples of such exhibits include WordPlay by Burgess Thomas, an interactive exhibit using art to teach literary devices.  Gallery activities linking the artwork to literary devices were developed and enjoyed by more than 200 8th grade students from Abilene, Wylie and Clyde who visited the Center in September of 2006. 

In February 2007, the Alliance for Women and Children partnered with the Center to exhibit Expectations of Adolescence, the coming-of-age photo documentary by Boston photographer and Curator Blake Fitch.  More than 50 girls aged 12 to 14 participated in a gallery talk with the artist, and sat for professional portraits taken and printed by volunteer Center Artist Members and friends.  For these young ladies the photograph taken by our volunteer professional photographers will be a lasting reminder of the positive experience of that Friday evening at the Center.

In April 2007, Gallery 4 presented Deployed by Hartley King.  King is a Center Artist Member, ArtReach instructor and military spouse.  Deployed is an exhibit depicting the loneliness that she and thousands of other military spouses experience when their loved ones are separated from them in service to our country.  Two spouse groups from Dyess Air Force Base toured the Deployed exhibit and participated in a Gallery Talk and activity with the artist.  The evening was hosted by Kelly Brayman, the Center’s Administrative Assistant, whose husband is also stationed at Dyess Air Force Base.

These unique partnerships enable the Center to serve specific demographics of our audience in ways that make experiences with art fun, educational, comforting and even inspiring.  While we cannot develop specific programs to serve every demographic of the diverse audience of West Texas, we have made considerable strides in improving facility and program accessibility for the general public. 

Summary of Recent Gallery Improvements

2005 – Renovations to the facility produced new office space, ADA compliant restrooms and passenger elevator, and the addition of Gallery 4. 

2006 – The Center introduced ArtViews: Bridging the Gap, a video-documentary series of artists exhibiting in the Breed Gallery.  The videos are produced by students at Hardin-Simmons University under the guidance of Tim Chandler.  ArtViews gives visitors a glimpse into the influences, techniques and biographical/geographical factors that influence the creation of art—all at the touch of a button. 

2007 – The Center introduced ArtQuest gallery guides that accompany many Center exhibits.  These guides contain insight on the exhibit and artist, and suggest ways of viewing, discussing and interacting with the artwork.  The ArtQuest guides are used in curator-led tours, and are also available in the gallery for individual visitors. 

The Center’s Galleries

The Jane Adams Breed Gallery: The Breed Gallery exclusively features artist members of the Center for Contemporary Arts. These artists are recommended for Center Artist Membership based on committee review of their portfolios. It is a privilege to exhibit in the Breed Gallery; many artists are booked up to three years in advance!  Because of its exclusivity and large amount of exhibit space, the Breed Gallery is the most prominent gallery in the Center and draws the most visitors for openings and special events.

Gallery 2: Also known as our Photo Gallery, Gallery 2 is strictly dedicated to the art of photography. This gallery is open to local, national as well as international photographers; Artist membership is not required. Gallery 2 has featured artists from as close as down the street to as far away as Detroit and Peru. Showcasing emerging to mid-career photographers, the exhibitors are carefully selected by the curator to show the friendly frontier the diverse and dynamic world of international photography.

Gallery 3: A versatile space for solo and group exhibits, Gallery 3 features the annual exhibits of the West Texas Photographic Society, the Creative Arts Club and the Center Artist Membership.  Gallery 3 draws parents, students and teachers by hosting the Region 14’s VASE (Visual Arts Scholastic Education) high school exhibit, and promotes the artist in all of us through the National Arts Program, presented in partnership with the City of Abilene.  Holding true to the Center’s mission, the groups that exhibit in Gallery 3 are not charged a fee for use of the space.

Gallery 4: This intimate gallery showcases what is current in the art world. Gallery 4 exhibits all mediums with the requirement that none of the work has been exhibited in Abilene, Texas prior to the opening; this ensures that Gallery 4 always has something new to offer and something exciting to see. Artist members are encouraged to exhibit in this space, but membership is not required. From installations to photography and sculpture, Gallery 4 showcases what’s NOW.