The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts has endeavored to create a permanent collection of high quality artworks to be used for study, scholarly research and exhibition. The collection was established for the purpose of providing the community with a greater understanding of aesthetic and artistic traditions and human achievement in the visual arts.
The museum's collection continues to grow and expand. There are currently over 650 objects in the Permanent Collection. Through some recent generous gifts, the museum has acquired a significant number of works by Texas artists, especially works created since 1945. This is one of the areas of focused interest for the museum's Permanent Collection, as well as American crafts created since 1945, with an emphasis on the ceramic arts. Many of the ceramics are purchased from the National Ceramic Competitions held every two years at the Museum. American painting and sculpture of all eras, as well as Mexican and Mexican-American art of all eras, are collected by the museum, with an emphasis in Spanish-Colonial arts. The museum has recently expanded its collecting focus to include American Glass, ranging from the Colonial Era to Post-World War II.
The museum, as a matter of policy and as a central goal, is commited to the broadest possible exposure of and access to the collections. To that end, we have developed open and visible collection storage areas, have lent extensively to other museums, without a fee, and are now endeavoring to have collections, images, and information one hundred percent available on the internet. We are participating in the Google Art Project and have also developed (independent of our accessioned permanent collections) quality, but low risk, education collections that have been lent to regional libraries, City Hall, and other public venues.
Ceramics Texas Art Spanish Colonial American Glass Outdoor Sculpture
We are working to expand the number of collections items represented on our website, with the eventual goal of making SAMFA’s entire collection accessible online. Downloading or saving any image from www.samfa.org implies acceptance of our Terms of Use, which are as follows: Images of artwork in the collection of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts will be used for research or educational purposes, and will not be reproduced for profit. A proper credit line—naming the artist, the title of the work, and stating “Collection of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts”—will accompany the use of the image.
