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Art Museum of South Texas

Corpus Christi, Texas

Art

Located in a region where the ethnic majority is Hispanic (55%), the Art Museum of South Texas creates programs that bridge Hispanic, Anglo and other audiences. The Museum is funded through a partnership with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the City of Corpus Christi and donations from the private sector.

The original museum facility was designed by leading American architect Philip Johnson, and opened to the public in 1972. A new wing is under construction today - now 75% complete - which has been designed by another internationally recognized architect, Ricardo Legorreta of Mexico City.

Archaeology, Art, Culture, History, Library, Science, Specialized

The Billie Trimble Chandler Arts Foundation, Inc. dba, The Asian Cultures Museum, was founded as a nonprofit organization in 1974. The Museum represents the vision of one woman-Mrs. Billie Trimble Chandler. Beginning in the late 1950's, Mrs. Chandler lived and taught English in Japan for over seventeen years. During this period, she collected thousands of artifacts and commissioned numerous works of art. Upon her return to Corpus Christi, these objects became the core of the Museum's collections. The collection was later expanded to include items from other Pacific Rim nations and the Indian subcontinent. Reflecting this broader scope, in 1982, the institution became The Museum of Oriental Cultures.