EXHIBITIONS

Our engaging exhibits offer a unique blend of art and history, sure to captivate and inspire visitors of all ages.

Enjoy our rotating traveling exhibit, showcasing diverse and exciting art from various artists and collections. Additionally, explore highlights from the prestigious Presidential Archives permanent collection, offering unique insights into American history.

NOW ON VIEW

Presented by Sewell Family of Companies

HALSTON: INVENTING AMERICAN FASHION

December 6, 2025 - March 22, 2026

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1980, Black Silk & Sequin, “Firework” Gown, ASU FIDM Museum

NOW ON VIEW

ON LOAN FROM EXHIBITS USA, NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS, AND MID-AMERICA ARTS ALLIANCE

1968: A Folsom Redemption

December 6, 2025 - March 15, 2026

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STAMPEDE

In 1940, artist Tom Lea created the mural Stampede for the Odessa, Texas Post Office as part of the New Deal, under a U.S. government contract. Measuring 5 1/2 feet by 16 feet, the mural was originally glued to the wall above the postmaster’s office door. In 1970, it was moved, framed, and displayed in the new post office until 2013. As part of a pilot program with the USPS, the Ellen Noël Art Museum and Odessa Arts restored and housed the mural, which now resides in the Museum's Gallery under a 25-year renewable loan. Inspired by his work illustrating Frank Dobie's book on longhorns and the song Little Joe the Wrangler, Lea chose a cattle stampede as the mural's theme.

Tom Lea (American, 1907-2001), Stampede, 1940, Oil on Canvas, On loan and displayed with permission from the United States Postal Service.

Check out the Ellen Noël Art Museum’s

Permanent Collection

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

HOME, LOVE, & LOSS

Apr 2 - Jul 19, 2026 | ON LOAN FROM THE NELDA LEE AND MCKNIGHT GALLERIES.
This exhibition brings together more than 66 works from the esteemed collections of Art Bridges, the Amarillo Museum of Art, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Art Museum of South Texas, and the Ellen Noël Art Museum. Artists whose work is on view in this exhibition include Georgia O’Keeffe, Fairfield Porter, John Marin, Thomas Hart Benton, T.C. Cannon, Melissa Miller, and Luis Jimenez, among many others.
This powerful collection of paintings, photographs, and works on paper, delves into the milestones and challenges of family and community life—from birth to aging, and from the bonds of joy to the fractures of loss. The exhibition invites visitors to reflect on how we form families and communities, how those relationships are disrupted by adversity such as illness, poverty, or immigration, and how they are fortified through love, celebration, and resilience.