The Stark Museum of Art in Orange, Texas

I grew up studying the American West. My favorite hang-out was Judge Parker’s Courthouse in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The National Park museum there displayed photos of dead bank robbers, you could walk up to the gallows and pull the lever, simulating a gruesome death (this was in the 1960s before safety became anyone’s concern), and you could even go into the jail under the courthouse. Cowboys were ever on my mind, as were American Indians. This interest carried through my youth and into college, where I majored in history.

When the opportunity arose to get a glimpse at the Stark Museum of Art, I was first in line. The chance at a peek at their archives just gives me goosebumps. I worked in Special Collections in college, back when it was called Archives and Manuscripts. Everyone who reads this blog knows I collect ephemera — and the Stark Museum has a fine collection of manuscripts, rare books, and primary source documents. There’s a copy of John James Audubon’s Birds of America housed in the museum.

The Stark Museum of Art also houses a magnificent exhibition of American Indian art. The online collection is a wonderful browsing experience. Take a few minutes off and click on the link, enjoy the website for a while. It’s not often a museum’s brick and mortar home of their collections is demonstrated so aptly within a web presence.

The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation carries out its mandate through the Museum and other venues. The mission of the Stark Foundation is to improve the quality of life in Southeast Texas by encouraging, promoting and assisting education, the arts, and health and human services. Visit the Stark Museum of Art and enjoy the town of Orange, Texas soon. You’ll find your life enriched by the experience and you’ll know more about your country’s heritage.