Galveston Art League: Supporting Visual Arts Since 1914

​Galveston Art League, which operates a downtown Galveston gallery from noon to 6 p.m. on
weekends and sells 24/7 at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com, has been enriching the region’s arts
community for more than a century.
The nonprofit Art League was founded June 12, 1914, by seven women: Mrs. I.H. Kempner, Mrs.
Boyer Gonzales, Miss Frances Kirk, Miss Hattie Wittig, Miss Angela McDonald, Mrs. W.F. Beers,
and Miss Alice Black. The Art League has continued to promote the goals those visionary women
set some 106 years ago: 
• Nurturing art education and appreciation in the schools and homes of the city and beyond.  
• Soliciting the cooperation of public and private groups and individuals in support of visual arts. 
• Encouraging artists and art educators in Galveston, the surrounding region, and throughout Texas. 
• Holding exhibits and workshops for both adults and students.
The Art League gallery’s address, 2117A Postoffice St., is a relatively recent milestone in its history.
Before setting up shop there in 2004, the league benefited from the generosity of two other high-
profile institutions.
In 1968 the American Bank of Galveston offered its mezzanine as a permanent gallery space to be
used by the league. This location allowed the all-volunteer organization to have continuous
membership exhibits, featured artist and annual student art exhibits, and state circuit shows.
In the 1970s, the Rosenberg Library provided the league with space in its newly expanded building.
A permanent Art League collection at Rosenberg Library today contains the work of many nationally
known painters such as Eugene Speicher, Boyer Gonzales, Paul R. Schumann, Fredric Taubes, and
Percy Holt.
In 2003 the league’s board of directors set its sights on having a home of its own. A building fund
paved the way, and in April 2004, the Art League moved into leased space at 2117A Postoffice St.
In January 2008 the league purchased that gallery space. In September, eight feet of water filled the
space in Hurricane Ike. By June 2009, the gallery had been completely rebuilt and was again open
to the public.
And in December 2017, the Art League purchased the adjacent gallery at 2119 Postoffice St., which
approximately doubled its exhibition capacity and provided space for holding several low- and no-
cost workshops per year. (Workshops were suspended during the pandemic.)
The Art League hosts 12 exhibits per year: Nine of them are shows open exclusively to members

(with a Featured Artist of the Month displaying a dozen or so works), and three are juried shows
open to all artists 15 and older. The league’s website, www.GalvestonArtLeague.com, also posts
photos of artworks in each exhibit and offers online checkout for shoppers. Each exhibit lasts about
a month.
Galveston Art League is currently working on an exciting new website – with the same web address,
www.GalvestonArtLeague.com – that will provide a better virtual showcase for gallery artworks and
an enhanced shopping experience.
After the pandemic eases, Galveston Art League plans to expand its hours and resume its
workshops and monthly exhibit preview parties for members. In the meantime, the gallery is open
noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, with guests required to physically distance and to wear
facemasks over mouths and noses.
The Art League welcomes artists and non-artists to join its efforts supporting the region’s art
community. Its website offers information about membership levels (fees are tax-deductible) and
activities. The league also is grateful for direct contributions, which also are tax-deductible. For
questions, please call 940-222-1958 or email gallery2117@gmail.com.