The Longview Museum of Fine Arts (LMFA) is the main visual arts institution in East Texas. It occupies 215 E. Tyler Street in downtown Longview and has championed Texas artists since the Junior Service League of Longview founded it in 1958 (source: Wikipedia).
The museum has deep regional roots. In 1959 it held its first annual Invitational Exhibit, juried by Dallas Museum of Art director Jerry Bywaters, a leading figure in Texas Regionalism. Today the permanent collection holds nearly 1,200 works, including paintings, woodcuts, photographs, sculpture, lithographs, serigraphs and collages. Its core is Texas Regionalist art from the 1940s through the 1970s, and it has expanded into postmodern and contemporary work by Texas artists and American masters (source: LMFA). Exhibitions rotate throughout the year and combine pieces from the collection with regional, national and international loans.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
Admission is free on Tuesdays, which makes them the best value for a first visit (source: XHBT). Weekday mornings are usually the quietest time to see the galleries. Check the LMFA calendar before you go, because installation periods between exhibits can close some galleries. The calendar also lists live concerts, community gatherings and the annual State of the Museum address (source: LMFA). The museum sits in walkable downtown Longview, so you can easily pair a visit with lunch at a nearby café.
