In just a few months, a wonderful opportunity for local Amarillo artists and residents will be ending. The Arts in the Sunset that was established by Ann Crouch to give artists reasonably priced places to work & sell art will be closing all individual galleries and ending the First Friday Art Walks that have provided residents of Amarillo & the surrounding areas an art & entertainment filled Friday night each month.

Last month, all artists were notified that all galleries must be moved out of after the First Friday in August. The Crouch Foundation, established after founder Ann Crouch’s death in 2017, will only be keeping the Amarillo Art Institute and the Panhandle Art Center. The remainder of the Sunset building that housed Amarillo’s very first mall in 1960, and has been home to many artists for the last 20 years, will likely be demolished and made into a parking lot.

The closing of the Sunset will be a loss for Amarillo’s art community. We’re sad to see it go, but we’re so happy we had an opportunity to be a part of it for a bit.

P.S. This Friday will be one of the last First Fridays. We’ll be open in 83H and so will many other galleries!

xo -Reese