City of San Angelo: Culture And Arts
City of San Angelo: When one thinks of culture and arts it is most commonly a general term of reference to the various expressions of art and culture for the people of a particular geographic area in order to identify or convey themselves to others in specific ways.
What’s So Special About Art And Culture In The City of San Angelo?
Culture and arts are an important part of the City of San Angelo’s history and our city has been a great supporter of artists and performers from all over the region.
The first public mural in the U.S., El Tovar in San Antonio, was painted within the city limits in the 1850s. In 1880, the first public art exhibition in Texas, was an event hosted by the San Angelo School of Fine Arts to celebrate the dedication of the Texas State Capitol.
In the first half of the 20th Century, the City Council had designated various city blocks from downtown to the University Area as special cultural zones and made it a crime to deface public property.
In 1954, the city’s first concert at the Municipal Auditorium was played by a local band called the San Angelo City Brass Band. This concert was broadcast regionally over radio station KSVK, later KTSX.
The “Saddleback Days” Arts Festival in 1964 introduced the first live theater performance within the city, the production of Charles Gans’ “The Man Who Came to Dinner”, which featured the first local television personality, David Corley. In 1990, the city was awarded the designation of “Hispanic City of the Year” by a private, national Hispanic organization.
On April 11, 2010, San Angelo hosted San Angelo Fest, the largest one-day event in the city’s history.
Many people and organizations within the City of San Angelo have supported art exhibitions, performances, workshops, performances, classes, and art openings throughout the years.
Here’s just a sampling of some of the cultural and arts activities going on now and in recent memory:
The City’s newest cultural and arts facility, the Historic Park Theatre, was re-opened in 2012 in a renovated historic space that once saw the performances of the traveling “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus”.
Many of the city’s downtown festivals bring talented artists and performers to our area from across the country and around the world.
San Angelo Symphony Orchestra
The San Angelo Symphony Orchestra is composed of more than 300 professional musicians who perform classical music concerts, pops concerts, and educational programs to children, adults, and the military throughout San Angelo and the surrounding region.
SA Symphony and Arts Foundation
The San Angelo Symphony and Arts Foundation is an affiliate of the Texas State Symphony Orchestra. Both organizations perform concerts throughout the year and offer special cultural arts programs for all ages in their historic downtown venue, the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts.
San Angelo Museums
With a combined total of 35,000 square feet in two historic buildings, the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame Museum and the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts is one of only a few museums in the state to boast two separate collections.
Historic Preservation Commission
The role of the City of San Angelo’s Historic Preservation Commission is to enhance the quality of life for local citizens as well as preserve the city’s historic properties and districts and provide for their maintenance. The Historic Preservation Commission must be satisfied that the proposed project or changes to the City’s existing conditions do not detract from the structures’ contribution to the City’s historical or cultural heritage and that they meet the design standards of current day construction. The City maintains a city historic building, a city historic district, and a historic district overlay district within its limits.
San Angelo Parks and Recreation
With 1,150 acres and an extensive trail system, the city’s parks department is active in conservation, environmental protection, recreation, and education. Over the last 50 years, the department has created a network of parks and open spaces on more than 200 acres of its property.
San Angelo Economic Development Corporation
The mission of the Economic Development Corporation is to generate economic and community development opportunities within the San Angelo region, including the City of San Angelo.
SA Convention and Visitors Bureau
The San Angelo Convention and Visitors Bureau is a registered foreign agent for the City and the region of San Angelo. Through its affiliation with the Greater San Angelo CVB and the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce, we assist the travel industry while also promoting the city as vacation and tourism-related destination. In addition, we market and manage the city’s business facilities with the hope that visitors will plan extended stays in San Angelo, or become residents.
San Angelo Civic Theatre
San Angelo Civic Theatre is a performing arts center located in San Angelo, Texas, United States. It hosts approximately 300 events annually including musicals, operas, dance, comedy, symphony, plays, and other presentations including the San Angelo Symphony, performing groups for children, teenagers, and adults including Musical Theater, the Civic Light Opera, the Texas Ballet Theatre and others. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
The San Angelo Civic Auditorium was begun in the 1920s as an addition to the Civic Center. The venue was renovated in 1989 to a space with a maximum capacity of 1,200.
In 2006, the theatre board voted to seek accreditation from the National Association of Theatre Owners.
In 2008, the Texas State Preservation Board recommended that the theatre be designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
In 2015, San Angelo Civic Theatre underwent a $60 million renovation and a new lobby, box office, expanded restrooms, and three new rehearsal levels were added. Along with the renovations, capacity was increased to 1,900 seats and the stage size was expanded from 100×63’ to 110×78’.
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