Stop #3 on "Super Tuesday" was the Museum of East Texas in Lufkin, Texas. This neat little art museum hosts four galleries on a single level: paintings, black & white photography, lithography, and an art garden. It also has a super cool little gift shop and an auditorium. The building itself is fun, as its atrium is surrounded by one-way glass. On the outside, it's a mirror; on the inside, you can watch visitors making funny faces. This feature has potential to become an avant-garde video project.
Right away in the atrium, the visitor finds classic cowboy statues by renown sculptor Fredrick Remington. Just beyond them, the front desk was managed by a staff member who, like everyone else on the trip, was friendly and knowledgeable.
To the left was the painting gallery. The eclectic collection of paintings included both artists from southeast Texas and big names, such as Salvador Dali and Alexander Calder. All of the paintings are beautiful, and many have Texas themes, portraying landscapes, small towns, and farmers from the state. Lithographs and photographs in the other galleries follow similar themes. The little garden attached to the museum was a nice surprise. It's filled with flowers and also has a statue dedicated to blue collar workers.
Not to be missed is the gift shop. While it sells mostly standard gift shop fare -- books, postcards, paintings by local artists -- I purchased a "primitive stringed instrument" created by Lufkin resident Carl "Mudbelly" Wallace. I'll talk about this in more detail in a future post.
To conclude, I had a great time at the Museum of East Texas. There's plenty of parking, admission is free, the galleries are well-lit and easy to navigate, and the gift shop offers unique souvenirs. This is a must-visit if you are in southeast Texas.