About Us

The San Angelo Art Club was organized in 1928 by a group of local artists who were part of the Texas Art Camp in Christoval in the early 20's. We are a non-profit incorporated organization dedicated to area wide artists and the city of San Angelo, Texas and are the second oldest continuous art organization in the state of Texas

MISSION STATEMENT
To nurture excellence in visual arts and promote the spirit of art in our West Texas community and beyond through exhibitions and education.

KENDALL ART GALLERY HISTORY
Land for the gallery was donated to The San Angelo Art Club by Riley Kendall in 1946 in memory of his wife, Helen King Kendall, one of the original Christoval artists. Mr. Kendall and Helen King Kendall’s mother also donated funds for the gallery. The San Angelo Art Club borrowed money and raised funds to build the first unit in 1949.

In 1950-51, funds to build the “In Our Image” wing that housed the Houston Harte collection were donated by Houston Harte and sixty of his friends. Artist Guy Rowe, painted the 32 paintings of the “In Our Image” collection in the “encaustic” method. The paintings, also published in a book, are based on the Old Testament and now are part of the West Texas Collection at Angelo State University. The Benge Studio was built in1951-52 with funds donated by Arch Benge and funds raised by The San Angelo Art Club members. The entire gallery was remodeled in 1968 with the help of the Downtown Lions Club. John Bates paid for the remodeling supplies and other San Angelo merchants provided lighting and draperies. The storage room was built in 1969 with help from funds donated by John Bates.

Renovations were done in 2002 with help from club members. This included a mural on the back wall, cleaning and painting of the building and the Benge Studio, a fence to enclose the landscaped courtyard, a storage building and new recessed lighting installed in the Main Gallery, thanks to Border States. In 2012, the front of the building was painted in new colors and the foyer and both galleries were refurbished giving the Kendall Gallery a more modern and professional look. Future plans include new lighting and updating the kitchen and the Benge Studio. Through the years many members have diligently given their time and energy to keep the club going with fundraisers in many creative ways. We thank them for their tenacity in the lean times.