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.

Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection

Organized by the Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA

On view September 4 - November 2, 2025

Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection explores the inventive ways artists repurpose money to challenge conventional ideas of value and worth.

By transforming bills and coins into striking, conceptual artworks, the artists in this exhibition reveal the deeper emotional and psychological implications of currency in our lives.

COMING SOON

Presented by Sewell Family of Companies

HALSTON: INVENTING AMERICAN FASHION

December 6, 2025 - March 22, 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. While our building is undergoing it’s renovations, Tom Lea’s Stampede mural is on display at the Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas.

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

On view July 17th - Oct 19th, 2025 | In Partnership with the Presidential Archives

Visiting the White House

Ever wondered what the rooms of the White House look like up close? This highlight exhibition showcases beautiful and detailed paintings of White House rooms by artist Oshawa Shoji. Alongside these elegant portraits, you'll also find a historic White House cookbook and other unique artifacts that give you a glimpse into life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Halston: Inventing American Fashion

Dec 6, 2025 - Mar 22, 2026
This exhibition celebrates the groundbreaking legacy of Roy Halston Frowick, the designer who revolutionized American fashion in the 1970s with his sleek, minimalist style. Known simply as Halston, he redefined modern glamour with his elegant silhouettes, luxurious fabrics, and effortless sophistication, dressing icons such as Jackie Kennedy, Liza Minnelli, and Bianca Jagger. His influence helped shape a uniquely American approach to fashion: bold, confident, and unapologetically modern.
Curated by his niece and biographer Lesley Frowick, Halston: Inventing American Fashion offers a personal and intimate look at the man behind the legend, showcasing rare garments, photographs, and archival materials that trace his creative journey and enduring impact on global style.
1968: A Folsom Redemption

Dec 6, 2025 - Mar 15, 2026 | ON LOAN FROM EXHIBTS USA
Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of a landmark event, 1968: A Folsom Redemption presents a W collection of photographs and memories captured by two fortunate journalists who bore witness to the historic Johnny Cash concerts at Folsom Prison. In January 1968, Cash, amid a career lull, seized the opportunity to record a live album within the confines of Folsom Prison. Freelance journalists Dan Poush and Gene Beley, were granted unprecedented access, offer firsthand accounts of their encounters with Cash and his entourage, shedding light on the backstage dynamics and Cash's connection with his incarcerated audience. For the first time ever, this travelling road show collection of thirty-one photos features a wide range of intimate photos with friends and family to a backstage meeting with country music legend Merle Haggard with the Man in Black.
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.