Several longstanding Texas galleries and arts institutions are celebrating milestone years in 2026, including the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC), the Beeville Art Museum (BAM), the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum in Austin, and galleries in Houston and Fort Worth.
Gallery Sonja Roesch
Gallery Sonja Roesch first opened in Neubrunn bei Wuerzburg, Germany, in 1991, then relocated to Houston in 1996. The gallery is celebrating with a 35th Anniversary Exhibition featuring 28 artists who represent its “commitment to showcasing minimalist aesthetics,” as stated in a press release. Included in the exhibition are German artists Susanne Ackermann and Madeleine Dietz, both of whom are among artists who have been with the gallery since its origins; Algerian-born painter Mokha Laget; and artists with Texas ties, including Hills Snyder and sculptor Mac Whitney, who died in 2025.
With her enduring dedication to minimalist art, Ms. Roesch claims inspiration from midcentury Paris gallerist Denise Reís, described by Art Basel as notable for drawing international attention to geometric abstraction and kinetic art.
The exhibition opened in January and is on view through Saturday, March 28.
Kimbell Art Museum
The Kimbell Art Museum will celebrate the 125th birthday anniversary of its internationally renowned architect Louis I. Kahn, with a two-day, weekend event on Friday, February 20, and Saturday, February 21.
Mr. Kahn’s 1972 design for the Kimbell “put the institution on the architectural map,” according to Architect magazine. Sue Ann Kahn, the architect’s daughter, published Louis I. Kahn: The Last Notebook in 2024 to honor the 50th anniversary of Mr. Kahn’s death. The facsimile edition reproduces Mr. Kahn’s final sketchbook, called “an artifact of historical importance” by the Kimbell.
Ms. Kahn and Eric Lee, the Kimbell’s Director, will hold a free public conversation on Friday, February 20, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., with the book available for sale in the museum bookshop.
On Saturday, February 21, from 11 a.m. to Noon, Fort Worth sculptor Cameron Schoepp will give a free lecture on his artwork in relation to the Kahn building as part of the museum’s ongoing program “The Artist’s Eye,” which invites living artists to speak about their work in connection to the Kimbell’s collection and architecture.
Throughout the weekend, the Kimbell will offer complimentary snacks and beverages, and free Kimbell Kahn keychains to visitors. Docent-led architecture tours will be offered both days at 1 p.m.
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft
In January, HCCC announced that it would be celebrating its silver anniversary throughout 2026. In a press release, HCCC identifies itself as “one of the few organizations in the nation dedicated exclusively to fine contemporary craft,” with an artist residency program, regular exhibitions, craft sales, workshops, and educational programming.
The center opened September 22, 2001, with six resident artists and Defining Craft I: Collecting for the New Millennium, a touring exhibition that originated at the American Craft Museum in New York City. At the time, the exhibition was lauded by the Houston Chronicle, which noted that it “immediately establishes HCCC as a first-class craft venue.” The newspaper credited Sara Scholes Morgan and Bill Morgan, arts advocates who had relocated to Houston from Kansas City, and Ann Shaw Lancaster, a fiber artist and arts administrator, with establishing the venue. Mrs. Morgan was its first President and Ms. Lancaster its first Executive Director.
HCCC will host the “Crafting a Legacy Spring Luncheon Honoring Sara Morgan” event on Thursday, April 30. Other events scheduled throughout the anniversary year are Clutch City Craft, opening Saturday, February 28, and running through Saturday, August 8; the Iconoglass and Material Inheritance: Silver Anniversary exhibition featuring stained-glass work, opening Saturday, September 5, and on view through January 30, 2027; and a “Hands-on Houston 25th Birthday Celebration” on Saturday, September 5, with birthday cake and craft activities.
Beeville Art Museum
The BAM is also celebrating its 25th anniversary, with a free evening event. “Rooted in Art: Enriching our Community for 25 Years” will take place Tuesday, March 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the museum.
Speakers at the event will include Tracy Saucier, BAM Director; Lou Adele May, representing the Joe Barnhart Foundation, the museum’s funder; BAM enthusiasts, including members of the Mendoza-Martinez family; and representatives of the Beeville Independent School District. Los Troyanos, the A.C. Jones High School Mariachi band, will provide musical entertainment for the evening.
Fort Works Art
On March 28, Fort Works Art in Fort Worth will celebrate its 10th anniversary with simultaneous exhibitions in its three gallery spaces: two group exhibitions of gallery artists and a solo installation of illuminated sculptural forms by internationally active artist Crystal Wagner.
Ms. Wagner’s exhibition will be funded by Gallery of Dreams, a nonprofit created by Lauren Saba, Fort Works Art founder.
The Fort Works Art website defines the institution as “Existing somewhere between a gallery, a cultural center, and a museum,” and in a press release, Fort Works Art describes challenges it and other art venues face: “Somehow against logic, economics, weather, construction, closed streets, a global pandemic, and the slow erosion that takes out most independent galleries, Fort Works Art is ten years old.”
Ms. Saba states that the 10-year celebration is not only about the past, but about the future: “For me, this is not a victory lap. It’s a turning point.”
The daylong celebration will run from Noon to 9 p.m., with an outdoor community block party beginning at 6 p.m. featuring art installations, live music, local vendors, and food trucks.
Archway Gallery
Archway Gallery in Houston proudly calls itself “Texas’ longest-running artist-owned and operated gallery” in an announcement of its 50th anniversary. Fifty Forward, an exhibition celebrating the gallery’s “unwavering commitment to elevating Houston’s creative spirit,” will open on Saturday, April 11, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and run through Thursday, April 30. The show will feature self-portraits by current Archway artists.
Homecoming, a complementary group exhibition featuring former and current Archway artists, will open at The Jung Center on Saturday, March 14, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The title refers to The Jung Center as Archway’s original home, when it opened in 1976 as the project of 12 Houston artists: Elaine Adams, June Adler, Judy Bush, Mary Bush, Joan Calabro, Dorothy English, Joyce Gould, Janet Hassinger, Marianne Hornbuckle, Stephanie Nadolski, Hilary Page, and John Zanders.
Harold Joiner, Archway Gallery Director, said, “To know that the original small group of artists has now expanded into more than 30 creatively eclectic minds — still succeeding in a rapidly changing world — is astounding.”
Learn more about Archway Gallery’s past and present, including a schedule of events, on its website.
UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum
On Thursday, April 16, the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum in Austin will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a Garden Party event. A fundraiser to support the institution’s growth and programming, the party will feature bites from more than 25 Austin restaurants, wine, cocktails, and live music.
Amanda Turner, the Chef de Cuisine at Olamaie notable for her southern cuisine, will serve as guest of honor.
The VIP portion of the Garden Party will run from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., accessible via $500 tickets, with $225 general admission following from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. To learn more about the UMLAUF collection, exhibitions, events, and programming, visit the organization’s website.
February 17, 2026: This story has been updated to include the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum event.
