87R7319 CJM-D
 
  By: Darby H.C.R. No. 24
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The city of San Angelo has become a vibrant showcase
  for the visual arts, featuring a variety of engaging public
  artworks as well as a diverse mix of outstanding museums,
  galleries, and studios; and
         WHEREAS, The hub of the city's arts community is a 200-acre
  cultural district along the south bank of the Concho River, which is
  anchored by the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts; the recipient of a
  number of prestigious national awards, SAMFA includes an extensive
  permanent collection and also serves as the headquarters of the
  Center for the Advancement and Study of Early Texas Art; in
  addition, the museum sponsors an arts education program that draws
  over 33,000 children each year, and it hosts several prominent arts
  events: the San Angelo National Ceramic Competition,
  EnPleinAirTEXAS, and the Richard and Pam Salmon Sculpture
  Competition, which brings large-scale works to Sunken Garden Park;
  other attractions in the cultural district include the Fort Concho
  National Historic Landmark, which has served as the site of the
  American Plains Artists juried exhibition; and
         WHEREAS, San Angelo also boasts the Pop Art Open Air Museum,
  which features free public works by Texas artists; the display is
  organized by the Art in Uncommon Places organization, and that
  group has partnered with Downtown San Angelo, Inc., to create
  another outdoor site, Paintbrush Alley, to exhibit paintings
  inspired by Texas culture and the classic motion picture Giant;
  other public art projects include some 100 colorful sheep
  sculptures found throughout town that have been painted by local
  artists and the Historic Murals of San Angelo, which depict iconic
  scenes related to the area's past; moreover, the city is one of only
  three in Texas to have a permanent "Don't Mess with Texas" mural;
  and
         WHEREAS, The dynamic arts community in San Angelo encompasses
  nearly three dozen galleries and studios; more than 250 sculptures
  and statues are displayed at local businesses, schools, parks, and
  other locations, and the city is the site of such popular events as
  the Chicken Farm Art Center Open House, which has taken place each
  year for nearly a half century; and
         WHEREAS, San Angelo's art scene has drawn statewide and
  national attention from media outlets, including Western Art &
  Architecture, Texas Highways, and True West magazines; a further
  tribute to the city's cultural riches came in 2019, when the
  European Union ambassador to the United States selected 32 pieces
  of art on loan from the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts for display in
  his home in Washington, D.C.; and
         WHEREAS, The city of San Angelo has become an epicenter for
  art lovers from across the state and around the nation, and its
  unique concentration of talented artists, imaginative exhibits,
  and an enthusiastic arts community make it truly deserving of
  special recognition; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby designate the city of San Angelo as the official Visual Arts
  Capital of Texas; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
  391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
  until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
  passed by the legislature.