Featured Grant Story: Contemporary Art Museum Plainview

What is Contemporary Art Museum Plainview? The mission of Contemporary Art Museum Plainview is to connect the local community to a larger cultural dynamic, bringing people and ideas together through contemporary visual art. Contemporary Art Museum Plainview (CAMP) began in 2017 as an initiative led by creatives in the Plainview area to revitalize an old warehouse to serve as a nonprofit arts organization focusing on the “new west” in contemporary art.

Contemporary Art Museum Plainview in Action CAMP presented three major exhibitions from March 2018 through December 2018. The Big Flip focused on the art of skateboarding while Patent Pending showcased the art of inventing. Their last exhibition for 2018 was Yellow City Art, an in-depth look at the art of Amarillo and the West Texas area.

These three exhibitions helped Plainview experience a significant spike in tourism. People from all over the region, as well as the world trekked to CAMP to view the exhibitions with some guests from places as far away as France and Korea. Plainview is becoming a hub for the arts between Amarillo and Lubbock.

Also benefiting from the CAMP exhibitions were the youth in the Plainview community. Young people were able to learn about self-expression in a safe and positive environment, increasing the chances they will stay in the area and contribute to future social and economic growth. The availability of arts programing increased and youth at risk experienced the restorative power of art through CAMP’s Art on Board collaboration with area students. The program allowed CAMP to work with children in the Hale County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program. Another CAMP program, Camp Kids, offered weekly classes on a sliding scale and filled up within the first hour. This camp gave children in Plainview the chance to enjoy and appreciate art like they never had before.

Another CAMP community project, the East End Mural Project allowed a dozen local artists to be employed during the project. The Second Saturday events at CAMP also paid artists, musicians, sound technicians, and caterers and continually brought in a wide variety of the community to enjoy the museum and the developing art alley. The programming for CAMP in 2018 was a massive success. The community projects increased community involvement and awareness of what contemporary art is all about.

To learn more about Contemporary Art Museum Plainview, please visit them online at www.contemporaryartmuseumplainview.org or on Facebook.