CAMP: the Contemporary Art Museum Plainview is first of its kind in this dusty rural community of Plainview Texas. Population 22,000, this small Texas Panhandle town is perched just west of Caprock Canyons where once Comanche hunted buffalo and traded captives with New Mexico Comanchero’. The museum serves as a unifying anchor for the diversified community and contributes to the recent cultural revitalization of downtown and Main Street. The museum is starting out as a private collection and works on loan, but will soon transition into an artists led non-profit organization. CAMP will provide regular programming including four major exhibitions of contemporary art, summer workshops and space for artistic experimentation for Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico artists. The museum will be a destination for local artists, art organizations, schools, community members and visiting collaborators.
Though Plainview Texas might seem an odd place for Contemporary Art to find a home, the talent and opportunity has presented itself and our team believes it can make a substantial difference in the quality of creative life in this and surrounding communities.
As the biggest windmill farms in the world start cranking up in the Texas Panhandle. Plainview is expecting a boom town mentality to breath new life into both local business and cultural involvement. All anyone has to do is take a look at what has happened in Marfa Texas over the past forty years to see that small towns are ready for big art. Though Marfa lacked shopping malls and skyscrappers, the art there continues to attract tourist from all over the world.
The 20 Best Small Towns to Visit, according to the Smithsonian article published in 2013, were picked according to geography, concentration of museums, art galleries, theaters and historic sites, along with other cultural blessings.
