CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — This month, a Corpus Christi staple that celebrates art, education, accessibility and inspiration is ringing in 50 years.
In recognition of that, there are several activities and events planned in the coming days and weeks for the community to be part of.
On Oct. 4. 1972, the Art Museum of South Texas opened its doors on Shoreline to the public; the original building was designed by world-renowned architect, Philip Johnson.
Those who may remember, or who were physically there for the grand-opening, may recall some iconic artists who paid a visit to Corpus Christi with their art for the momentous occasion. To celebrate the 50th anniversary, for three years, the museum worked to bring a little bit of that special day back in the form of an exhibition.
"It is incredible to make it somewhere, especially in the community, especially at 50 years old and there's so much history," said Alexis De León, marketing coordinator for the AMST.
"50 years ago, they showed Frank Stella, Jasper Johns and Andy Warhol, and Andy Warhol was here with his own art! He can't be here today obviously, but it's incredible to have brought this show in now 50 years later."
The art museum remains free to visitors this year thanks to a sponsorship with H-E-B.
"I urge everyone to come see this show, it's something you wouldn't be able to see unless you did a lot of traveling around the state of Texas, and who has that kind of time?" De León said. "But now you can see it all here in South Texas."
It's an exciting time at the museum! This week, the museum began welcoming back school tours to see the current exhibitions.
On Thursday, October 20, the museum will host its monthly "Third Thursday" presented by Kleberg Bank and Weird Corpus featuring local vendors.
On Saturday, October 22, the museum will host the 50th Anniversary Community Day celebration which will feature live music performances by local bands and area high schools, art activities, visits from guest artists, demonstrations, food trucks and free fun for the entire family.
Elizabeth's, located inside the museum, is also celebrating its one year anniversary with various specials this month.
Looking ahead to a few weeks, on November 3rd, the museum will host its largest fundraiser of the year: ARTBall: Avant-Gold.
According to De León, the museum hosts two large fundraisers: artRageous in the spring and ARTBall in the fall, both of which help to fund educational summer and winter programs as well as continue to help bring in exhibitions to the museum.
Tickets and sponsorships are going quickly. If you're interested, you can click here to visit the museum's event page to learn more.