Founded in 1958 by the Junior League of Longview, the Longview Museum of Fine Arts (LMFA) was established with guidance from renowned arts leader Jerry Bywaters, a founding member of the Dallas Nine and a key figure in Texas Regionalist art. Over the following decades, the museum grew from a juried exhibition program into a permanent institution, opening its current Tyler Street location in 1998. Today, LMFA houses a permanent collection of more than 1,200 works spanning the 19th century to the present and presents rotating exhibitions featuring Texas-based, national, and internationally recognized artists.

LMFA’s mission is to enrich lives and create a passion for the arts. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit and a founding member of Longview’s Texas Commission on the Arts–designated Cultural District, the museum serves more than 12,000 visitors, members, and students annually from East Texas and surrounding counties.

LMFA currently operates full programming—including exhibitions, administrative offices, education classes, and community programs—at its Tyler Street location, while its Fredonia Street building serves as an event center and home to special programs, pop-up exhibitions, and the museum’s popular live music concert series. Acquired in 2021, the Fredonia Street facility will ultimately expand LMFA’s footprint to more than 50,000 square feet, positioning the museum as a growing cultural hub in an underserved region where it is the only art museum within a 30-mile radius.