Exhibitions

Exhibitions at the Preservation Texas Institute will be presented in dedicated gallery spaces throughout Texas Hall, Louisiana Hall, and other campus buildings. These galleries will offer permanent and changing exhibits that interpret the layered history of Tehuacana and the campus itself, exploring its educational legacy, architectural evolution, and broader significance within Texas history. This foundational narrative will help visitors understand the importance of place-based preservation and the role this site has played over time.

Rotating exhibitions will focus on broader themes in Texas architecture and material culture, drawing from our collections, including important  examples acquired from the Dallas County Heritage Society after the recent closure of the Dallas Heritage Village. These shows will highlight building traditions, vernacular design, craftsmanship, and the diverse cultural influences that have shaped the built environment and decorative arts in Texas. By pairing historical interpretation with visual and tactile elements, the galleries will encourage visitors to think critically about the physical fabric of the state and its preservation.

Pictured: Mid 1800s jug made by Milligan Frazier, a formerly enslaved Marion County potter, is an example of an object owned by Preservation Texas that would be featured in an exhibition on Texas stoneware.

Additional gallery space will be devoted to Texas books, archives, and related materials, emphasizing the written and documented record of the state’s past and its importance in understanding historic places. These exhibitions will draw from the Preservation Texas Institute‘s library and archives, exploring the power of books and records in shaping historical memory.

Pictured: The work of El Paso book designer Carl Hertzog (1902-1984) will be an important part of the Preservation Texas Institute Library, and the basis for future exhibitions about Texas books. Hertzog was as close friend of Dr. Robert Sparkman and his wife Willie Ford (Bassett) Sparkman, who owned Bassett Farms.

Texas art and photography will also be an important part of the exhibition program. Works by artists and photographers who have documented or interpreted Texas landscapes, architecture, communities, and heritage will be featured. These exhibitions will connect creative expression to preservation by demonstrating how the visual arts have helped capture and communicate the spirit of place. Altogether, the exhibitions program will make the Institute a cultural as well as educational destination.

Pictured: Art exhibits focused on depictions of architecture and landscapes will be organized at the Preservation Texas Institute. Untitled painting of a barn, 1949, by Ramon E. Oeschger (1925-1992), who earned a B.A. in fine arts from the University of Houston. From an anonymous collection pledged to Preservation Texas.