History

The Collectors Circle at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art is an exciting way for community members to gain first hand experience in the world of art collecting, while at the same time making new friends and substantially contributing to build upon the museum’s already impressive permanent collection of works on paper by American artists past and present. The membership in the Collectors Circle is important to the collection mission of the WFMA. The cost of membership is $250 per person annually to participate in an exciting process to acquire works of art for the Museum’s permanent collection. Contributing to the Museum in this way is important because all funds are designated specifically to the purchase and care of works in the Collectors Circle Collection, which is part of the Museum’s permanent collection. Members of the Collectors Circle are actively involved in the process of selecting artworks for the permanent collection. Danny Bills, the museum’s Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, researches and locates artworks which are in line with the parameters of quality and condition prescribed by the Museum’s Collections Development Plan. Once the potential new purchases have been chose for consideration, Collectors Circle members are invited to a wine and cheese event where Mr. Bills gives a short presentation describing each artwork and how it would fit into the collection. Collector Circle members participate in a round of votes to choose artworks for the collection. Rounds of votes continue until either all of that year’s funds are used up or all of the artworks the members wish to add to the collections are purchased. The Museum has been collecting art since 1967 and has amassed an important collection of American art with more than 3000 objects in the permanent collection. After the museum merged with MSU in 2005, the Collectors Circle was formed to continue the collecting mission and to ensure that no state funds are used to purchase art for the Museum’s permanent collection. Over the years members of the Collectors Circle have contributed significantly for artworks to be added to the permanent collection including significant works by Luis Jimenez, David Bates, Mary McCleary, Donald Sultan, Chuck Close and many others.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the 2019 Collectors Circle contact the museum at 940-397-8900.