7 Ways to Support Local Arts in Tyler, TX

The city of Tyler, TX, is culturally diverse with a vibrant art scene. This city, mostly known for its rose cultivation, is also a dream for artists. From the wide array of public art displays to the local galleries and arts academy, Tyler has something for everyone, whether you create art or just like to enjoy it. Take a look at some of the ways you can support local arts in Tyler.

Visit Gallery Main Street

Inside Plaza Tower in downtown Tyler, you’ll find Gallery Main Street. This gallery features continuously rotating exhibits with works from local and regional artists. Many of the exhibits come from collaborations with other downtown organizations, such as the one resulting from a collaboration with Caldwell Arts Academy, a local school with a focus on the arts.

Gallery Main Street has served as a hub for artists for over 10 years, and whether an exhibit is the work of a local student at the high school or a featured artist from another area invited to showcase their work, it receives a full reception. Every piece has a wall card, just like a professional artist at a gallery, with all the information about the artist and the piece.

Explore the Tyler Museum of Art

The Tyler Museum of Art is the result of the Tyler Service League’s quest to provide children in the Tyler area with a place where they can experience art. It officially opened in 1971 as a nonprofit organization housed in an award-winning building designed by architect E. Davis Wilcox.

The Tyler Museum of Art showcases Texas-based artists and pieces that represent the state of Texas in its rotating exhibits. There are also permanent collections to explore, with over 800 works of art. This collection is so extensive that it doesn’t all fit in the museum. To make it more accessible, you can view any of the pieces in the searchable online database.

Admission to the museum is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors. It’s free for museum members, students, and children under 12.

Visit University of Texas Tyler Art Galleries

Meadows Gallery

The University of Texas (UT) in Tyler is home to the UT Tyler Meadows Gallery. It’s located in the R. Don Cowan Fine and Performing Arts Center on campus and features rotating exhibits throughout the year. You can see work from nationally known artists, faculty-curated exhibits, and MFA thesis exhibits. There is a juried student exhibit every summer, and the gallery hosts an Annual International Exhibit every January. This is a juried exhibit show work created by an invited critic, artist, or historian.

University Center Gallery

The University Center Gallery is on the second floor of the University Center. It primarily focuses on exhibiting the work of UT Tyler students.

Fine Arts Complex Gallery

You’ll find the Find Arts Complex Gallery on the UT Tyler campus in the new Find Arts Complex. It is a place where invited artists, undergraduates, and graduate students can display their work. It also provides students with a place to install, view, and photograph their work, attend talks, and work with the Tyler Museum of Art to curate special collections.

Explore the Longview Museum of Fine Arts

The Longview Museum of Fine Arts is not far from Tyler. This nonprofit organization works to promote and create interest in the visual arts. The museum’s permanent collection includes almost 1,000 works from a variety of genres, including woodcuts, paintings, lithographs, sculptures, and more. Many of the pieces focus on early Texas Regional art from the 1930s through the 1970s.

The museum hosts special events throughout the year to involve Longview residents and people from the surrounding areas. Some of the events you can join include the Clay Club, Abstract painting and mark making, and pottery classes.

See A Performance of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra

The East Texas Symphony Orchestra is a vital part of Tyler. The staff and musicians perform several concerts throughout the year and host events to engage with the community. The orchestra presents family programming, provides master classes, hosts lectures, and puts on chamber performances.

The 2023 season will bring performers such as Yoav Talmi, The General, and Dance with the Viola. You can also see Tribute to Boston Pops and The Creation.

See a Show at the Cowen Center

The R. Don Cowen Fine and Performing Arts Center at the University of Texas in Tyler hosts world-class performers, lectures, and theatrical and dance productions. This October, there will be a special performance of Chicago Live in Concert. This legendary rock band was formed in 1967 and has sold over 100 million records. Tickets are on sale now.

Some of the other shows you can catch include:

• The Texas Tenors: Let Freedom Sing.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
• Doris Kearns Goodwin.
• Joel McHale.
• The Doo Wop Project.
• Trinity Irish Dance Company.
• Annie.
• Popovich Comedy Pet Theater.

Tyler Civic Chorale

The Tyler Civic Chorale presents a variety of choral music performances throughout the year. They first started performing over 50 years ago and, over the years, have sung everything from Mozart to Brahms and Faure. The Tyler Civic Chorale puts on four or five concerts every year.

If you enjoy singing, you can even audition to become a part of the chorale. All it takes is a short 10-minute session with the artistic director. Auditions take place every August before rehearsals get started, but if you miss it, you can join at the end of any concert cycle.

At Mercedes-Benz of Tyler, we think it’s important to support the arts. These are some of the places we enjoy visiting to see performances and view art collections. If you know of some that we’ve missed, stop by and tell us about them. We can check them out and maybe add some to our list. While you’re visiting the dealership, we can show you our selection of new and used Mercedes-Benz models to get you around Tyler.

Dallas Symphony Orchestra – The Musicians by aldern82 is licensed with CC BY_SA 2.0