Beaumont Art League
The Beaumont Art League (BAL) is the oldest non-profit art organization in the Beaumont, Texas area. Now in its 74th year of operation, the BAL continues to host art exhibitions, juried shows, and arts education for adults and children. It also maintains a permanent collection of art and art objects, primarily by local artists.
  Location within Texas | |
| Established | May 1, 1943 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2675 Gulf Street, Beaumont, Texas, USA 77703 |
| Coordinates | 30.08114°N 94.127908°W |
| Type | Art Museum |
| Collection size | 120 |
| President | Anastasia Fontenot-Cormier |
| Curator | Dennis Kiel |
| Owner | Board of Directors |
| Nearest car park | On site (no charge) |
| Website | beaumontartleague |
History
The league was founded in 1943 by a group of artists meeting weekly at the studio of Robert Stapp who decided to form a working group of painters to foster and stimulate fine arts and crafts in the Sabine area. Notable founding members included Will-Amelia Sterns Price and Tom Tierney. By 1944, the group moved to the YWCA and held its first art exhibition. It continued to hold annual membership exhibitions, traveling exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and summer art colonies taught by such accomplished national artists as Frederic Taubes and Jacob Getlar Smith.
In 1949, the league raised the money to rent a house and formed the Beaumont Art Museum, now the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, which opened in 1950. The league organized many of the museum's activities over the coming years. In 1956, Colonel Sanford Perry Brown and his wife donated the money for a building (the Brown Gallery) at the Fairgrounds in North Beaumont. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the league moved several times while the museum remained at the Brown Gallery. The Browns donated funds for a second building in 1967 named the Scurlock Gallery. The league moved back to these buildings in 1968 and has remained there ever since. The museum expanded several times into other local buildings until finding its home in downtown Beaumont in 1987.
In 1962, the league held the first Tri-State Exhibition, bringing in art from around Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. In 1998, this became the BAL National Exhibition, taking in art each year from around the country.
References
- History of the Beaumont Art League
- "Art Museum Now Firmly Established: Institution May Move Soon Into Beautiful Home." The Beaumont Enterprise, November 6, 1955.
- "Building Is Presented To Beaumont’s Art Museum." Houston Chronicle, September 23, 1956.
- "News of Art and Artists." The Beaumont Enterprise, September 8, 1957.
- "Art League Class." The Beaumont Enterprise, March 16, 1958.
- "Art League’s Sidewalk Show To Be Saturday." The Beaumont Enterprise, October 10, 1958.
- "Art League Class Moved." Beaumont Journal, April 10, 1959.
- "Home For Art League Sought." The Beaumont Enterprise, March 13, 1960.
- "Art League Gets Home for Exhibits Meeting Monday." The Beaumont Enterprise, March 18, 1960.
- "Art League Has New Home Here: 236 Oakland Headquarters Will Be Permanent." The Beaumont Enterprise, January 29, 1961.
- "1709 Railroad: Art League Moves Into New Home." The Beaumont Enterprise, March 3, 1961.
- "Art League Wil Sponsor Show At Village Center." The Beaumont Enterprise, September 8, 1968.
- "Beaumont Council Awards Contracts." The Beaumont Enterprise, March 28, 1973.
- "Beaumont Art Museum Marks 25th Anniversary." Beaumont Journal, November 7, 1975.
- "City takes ownership of art museum." The Beaumont Enterprise, December 31, 1986.
- "Beaumont Art League celebrates 50th anniversary." The Beaumont Enterprise, November 5, 1993.
- "Creating an art league is beautiful but challenging." The Beaumont Enterprise, April 27, 2007.