No matter where you look, art is all around us here in Collin County. In Frisco, you can sit under one of the largest public art pieces in the state, a beautiful, colorful fiber sculpture made from the same material NASA used for the Mars rover, or, you can explore a vast private collection of contemporary sculptures that’s open to the public for all to enjoy. Head to McKinney, and you’ll find fine art coming out of a converted cotton mill adorned with magnificent murals. Swing by Plano or Allen and pursue intimate boutique galleries with local art. It’s all part of the diverse visual arts scene that’s continuing to grow in the county.
“I definitely have seen growth in more artists coming to Plano looking for opportunities,” says ArtCentre of Plano’s executive director, Suzy Jones. She’s not alone in that observation — and it’s not just Plano, either. Artists are coming to cities all around the county. Art Club of McKinney president Kathryn Iklé says McKinney has become an art magnet for both creators and connoisseurs. Likewise, Suad Bejtovic, the president of the Visual Arts Guild of Frisco, has seen his nonprofit’s membership quadruple over the course of the last three to four years.
It all adds to the county’s growing artistic history, which dates all the way back to the 1800s. Local Profile found 1890s excerpts from the McKinney Weekly Democrat-Gazette discussing George R. Wear’s art gallery. After a fire burned the gallery in 1892, Wear planned to open again in October of the same year. A September 15, 1892, edition of the newspaper said the reopened Wear’s Art Gallery would be “the best arranged gallery ever opened in McKinney, and we hope all who want fine work will give him a call.” More than a century later, Collin County is still home to some of the best-arranged galleries and exhibition spaces you can find. With such a growing pool of artistic talent flowing through the local community, there’s no shortage of exciting opportunities for art aficionados to explore and discover. “I personally know the wealth of talent that we have in this area and really want to see it thrive and expand as our community expands,” says Allen Arts Alliance executive director Wendy McIntyre of her local arts community.
For more proof, just look around — better yet, get out and explore.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about some of Collin County’s premier artistic destinations. Whether you’re looking for an evening gallery reception, a stroll through a garden full of gorgeous sculptural works or an adventurous scavenger hunt, an artistic excursion awaits you in Collin County.
Make This One of Your First Stops in Downtown McKinney
LAST Art Gallery
105 W. Louisiana St., McKinney
lastartgallery.com
LAST Art Gallery has been a part of McKinney Downtown Square since 2014. Five years later, the gallery shifted to become a co-op, and its membership now includes 57 artists, several of whom operate directly from the gallery’s studios.
Why You Should Go: LAST artists live or work in the local area, but some have had their art recognized around the country and even globally. The gallery brings together artists from a wide range of mediums, including ceramics, textiles, paint and jewelry. Beyond the variety of remarkable works for sale, visitors can also take part in workshops hosted by member artists at the gallery.
Explore a New Exhibition Each Week
The Cove
402 N. Tennessee St., McKinney
thecovemckinney.org
With around 40 exhibitions annually, The Cove is one of the best venues to see new art in Collin County. As an initiative of McKinney’s Arts and Music Guild, The Cove is a cooperative space for member artists to display their works.
Why You Should Go: The space features movable walls, allowing artists to contort the gallery setting to fit their creative visions. Exhibitions are free to attend and often include drinks, art lessons or other unique opportunities tied to the exhibiting artists. Since the venue rotates exhibitions on a near-weekly basis, there’s always something new to look forward to seeing at The Cove.
Embark on a Grand Scavenger Hunt for Small Art
Tiny Doors
Across downtown McKinney
visitmckinney.com/mckinneytinydoors
The Tiny Doors installation is a collaboration between area artists, McKinney Main Street and Visit McKinney. The project began after Andrew Jones, currently the city’s cultural district director, came to Visit McKinney with the idea for the installation. A couple of years later, the idea became a reality with the aid of coordinating artist Beth Fields, as people now have a chance to go on a scavenger hunt of sorts to discover all the small artistic doors across the area’s businesses.
Why You Should Go: No two Tiny Doors are alike, and each one brings a different whimsical feel to the scavenger hunt. Finding all the Tiny Doors is bound to take you to some of the city’s unique and enjoyable locales, too, doubling down on the fun. New doors have been added since the project began in 2023, with plans already underway to further celebrate new additions to the installation in 2025.
Tour McKinney’s Original Art Museum
Heard-Craig Center for the Arts
205 W. Hunt St., McKinney
heardcraig.org
The Heard-Craig Center for the Arts holds the distinction of being the first art museum in McKinney. The center was originally built in 1900 by Stephen Heard and Lillian Heard and later philanthropically gifted to more than 20 groups in the city by their daughter, Kathryn Heard-Craig.
Why You Should Go: The center continues to host over 20 different art and literary organizations to this day and curates an extensive regional art collection featuring renowned artists like Frank Klepper, Guy Wiggins and more. The center frequently hosts additional programming, such as art history lectures, tours and other community events, continuing its rich history as a destination for artistic development in McKinney.
Visit an Artistic Venue with a Hundred-Plus-Year History
The McKinney Cotton Mill
610 Elm St., McKinney
mckinneycottonmill.com
The McKinney Cotton Mill dates back to 1910. Fifty years later, it was known as the largest denim manufacturer in the world. Now, more than a hundred years after it began, it’s recognized as a space for artists.
Why You Should Go: Inside, you’ll find an astounding array of artists and mediums. Sister nonprofits MillHouse McKinney and MillHouse Foundation both call the space home. MillHouse Foundation organizes markets and artistic events from the mill, and Millhouse McKinney oversees a massive workspace for more than 30 resident artists and photographers who take part in its business league designed for women in creative industries. Also residing in the mill are the canvas works of LX Artworks by Lindsay Ekstrom, who counts Dak Prescott, Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy among her clients. The mill also features the acclaimed works of Leticia Herrera and the dazzling designs of Bloom Galleries. You can even visit Glaze Ceramic Studio and try your hand at throwing clay or learn how to make a new look by creating your own hat at Bay Willow Design.
Experience an Energetic New Gallery
McKinney Art Gallery
118 E. Louisiana St., McKinney
mckinneyartgallery.com
McKinney Art Gallery is a recent addition to downtown McKinney, opening its doors in March 2023. The 2,500-square-foot gallery is home to more than 50 member artists and four studio spaces where artists are creating new works nearly every day.
Why You Should Go: The gallery’s owner, Justin Zimmerman, calls it an “energizing” atmosphere with “something for everyone and every space.” Painters, potters, woodcarvers and artists in all sorts of mediums sell their spectacular works in the gallery. In other words, the gallery is a place not only to admire exceptional art but also to purchase a piece for yourself.
Celebrate and Appreciate the Diverse Allen Arts Community
Blue House Too Art Space and Gallery
970 and 980 Watters Creek Blvd., Allen
bh2.allenartsalliance.org
Blue House Too is a fine art gallery and neighboring art space operated by the Allen Arts Alliance. As of writing, the gallery is set to host visual arts exhibitions alongside performing arts events. The neighboring art space hosts local arts organization meetings and educational opportunities that are open to the public.
Why You Should Go: Under the Allen Arts Alliance’s direction, Blue House Too aims to spotlight the talents of the city’s wide-ranging artistic community. McIntyre calls the local arts community “an undiscovered gem” and aims to showcase the breadth of its abilities at Blue House Too. “We just look for every opportunity to foster community engagement and enhance access to the arts and the cultural scene,” she says, calling it her mission to raise awareness of the remarkable artistic community in the city.
Check Out the Center for Fine Art in Plano
ArtCentre of Plano
902 E. 16th St., Plano
artcentreofplano.org
Located inside the historic Saigling House, the ArtCentre of Plano brings exciting exhibitions from diverse area artists to the city, as well as educational and community engagement opportunities.
Why You Should Go: ArtCentre’s annual Texas Sculpts exhibition showcases striking sculptural work from talented artists across the state and marks just one of the exciting exhibitions it hosts. On top of its role as an exhibition space, the ArtCentre of Plano takes great pride in its free yearly summer program for children, JumpStart for Arts. The interdisciplinary camp gives children a chance to develop a lasting connection to the arts when they may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience them. “It’s just giving back to the community,” Jones says of producing the camp each year. “We all work together and make sure that these kids have that joy.”
Uncover the Next Generation of Collin County Artists
The Art Gallery at Collin College
2800 E. Spring Creek Parkway, Plano
collin.edu/department/artsgallery/
The Art Gallery at Collin College offers a chance to see both the talents of the next generation of North Texas artists and the works of established artists, galleries and local organizations in the area.
Why You Should Go: The gallery hosts around 10 exhibitions a year, including two student exhibitions, a faculty exhibition and exhibitions featuring local arts organizations like the Richardson Civic Art Society and Dallas’ 500X Gallery. Collin College Art Gallery coordinator Dr. Anna Fritzel says the college’s talented students produce impressive work that can often be seen inside the gallery.
Stop By One of the Largest Public Art Installations in Texas
Kaleidoscope Park
6635 Warren Parkway, Frisco
kaleidoscopepark.org
HALL Park is home to over 200 pieces of art across its 162 acres, but there’s no work quite like Janet Echelman’s Butterfly Rest Stop, which is inspired by the annual migration of monarch butterflies and designed to resemble the form of a milkweed flower, the food source for monarch caterpillars.
Why You Should Go: Butterfly Rest Stop spans 165 feet in length, with its highest point 65 feet in the air. The installation is composed of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fibers, which change color and form based on the conditions and the light around them as the installation floats in the air. The installation marks the centerpiece of the recently opened Kaleidoscope Park, a new development within HALL Park.
Take an Artistic Stroll Past Renowned Sculptures
Texas Sculpture Garden
6801 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco
texassculpturegarden.org
HALL Park is also home to the Texas Sculpture Garden, a four-acre section that’s welcomed guests into the park since 2002. It’s billed as the largest collection of private contemporary sculptures available for public viewing. The garden, much like the park itself, is the vision of Craig Hall. The developer and entrepreneur’s love of the arts has led him to play a major role in the local arts scene, including through the creation of HALL Park and the Texas Sculpture Garden.
Why You Should Go: The garden’s collection features more than 40 eye-catching sculptural works between the 20 pieces displayed in the garden and the additional works in the Lakes III building lobby. Guests can see works by artists such as George Tobolowsky and Mac Whitney, whose sculptures have resided in museums and galleries around Dallas-Fort Worth, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Center for Contemporary Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, as well as internationally in Germany, India, Italy, Israel and other locales. The private collection celebrates the works of local Texas artists and is open to the public year-round for a stroll past superb art.
Discover Gorgeous Art in Frisco
Frisco Discovery Center
8004 N. Dallas Parkway, Frisco
friscotexas.gov/1260/Frisco-Discovery-Center
There are two galleries worth of exceptional art to discover at the Frisco Discovery Center. The Grand Gallery and Community Gallery each host free-to-attend rotating exhibitions throughout the year. That includes three juried exhibitions by the Visual Arts Guild of Frisco, a nonprofit that boasts nearly 400 artist members, and the Frisco ISD Faculty Art Showcase. Keep an eye out for individual artists’ exhibitions and receptions at the center, as well as other artistic programming, such as Theatre Frisco productions at the center’s Black Box Theater.
Why You Should Go: The Frisco Discovery Center regularly displays the amazing talents of the local Frisco arts community. In one of the recent shows at the gallery, the Visual Art Guild of Frisco’s Crème de la Crème exhibition, rising star artist Camila Salinas won the best-in-show award. The former Frisco ISD student is pursuing a BFA in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design and has already amassed more than 1.5 million social media followers, thanks to her artistic abilities.
Continue Your Art Excursion Outside Collin County
Don’t let traffic deter you from discovering these unique art destinations outside of Collin County. If you’re looking to find internationally acclaimed museums filled with awe-inspiring art or, perhaps, even an out-of-this-world galactic journey full of mind-bending works, look no further than one of these artistic adventures.
Travel to One of Dallas’ Most Storied Museums
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 N. Harwood St., Dallas
dma.org
Founded in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art has long been a must-stop destination for art lovers in North Texas.
Why You Should Go: With more than 25,000 pieces in its collection, the museum is full of stunning works, including paintings by Claude Monet, sculpture and canvas works by Pablo Picasso, like The Guitarist, and selections to explore from many other masters, like Gauguin, Degas and Pissarro. In addition, rotating 2025 exhibitions, such as Nature and Artifice: Works on Paper from Dürer to Rembrandt, allow attendees to see even more exceptional works. The exhibition of rarely seen works from the museum’s collection runs through July 28 and charts the transformation of landscape works by Northern European artists from the 15th to 17th centuries.
Admire More Than 300 Masterful Sculptures in the Dallas Arts District
Nasher Sculpture Center
2001 Flora St., Dallas
nashersculpturecenter.org
Adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the heart of the Dallas Arts District, the Nasher Sculpture Center has been featuring the sculptural works of world-renowned artists since 2003. Museumgoers will find exhibitions and works from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection, in addition to incoming exhibitions from other museums and collections, amid its galleries and outdoor sculpture garden.
Why You Should Go: The Nasher spotlights selections from its stunning collection of sculptural works, which includes many modern masters. From Jeff Koons’ Louis XIV and Willem de Kooning’s Seated Woman and Clamdigger to works by Gauguin, Miró and Picasso, there’s no shortage of sculptural brilliance to admire at any given time at the Nasher.
Spend a Day With World-Class Spanish Art
Meadows Museum
5900 Bishop Blvd., Dallas
meadowsmuseumdallas.org
The Meadows Museum is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025. Located on the SMU campus, the museum is known for its extensive collection of Spanish art.
Why You Should Go: Exquisite works from the likes of Goya, El Greco, Picasso and many other masters reside within the Meadows. The museum is also hosting 60 works from Puerto Rico’s Museo de Arte de Ponce as part of its spring exhibition, The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce. The exhibition, running through June 22, will include works by Peter Paul Rubens, Élisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun and John Singer Sargent, among other renowned artists.
Appreciate a Diverse Collection of Amazing Asian Art
Crow Museum of Asian Art
Edith and Peter O’Donnell Jr. Athenaeum, 777 Loop Road SW., Richardson; 2010 Flora St., Dallas
crowmuseum.org
With an original location in the Dallas Arts District and a recently opened second location on the UT Dallas campus, the Crow Museum of Asian Art now provides two opportunities for art lovers to experience its collection of captivating works. The new location will expand the museum’s mission and reach out to neighboring cities like Plano. “Many people in this area or coming to visit us haven’t been to the downtown location yet,” said Caroline Kim, the director of development of the Crow Museum, in a Local Profile interview. “This will all be new to them.”
Why You Should Go: The museum states that it celebrates the diversity of Asian artwork, organizing its collection not by country but by the themes and overlapping qualities that unite its works. It’s a globally minded approach seen in the ongoing, aptly named exhibition, Ancient Echoes, Modern Voices: The Crow Collection Goes Beyond, running through August 25 at the new museum space. The inaugural display spans eight galleries and includes hundreds of works, as well as an immersive multimedia installation.
Extend Your UT Dallas Trip by Exploring the Next Generation of Artists
SP/N Gallery
3020 Stewart Drive, Richardson
bass.utdallas.edu/spn-gallery/
Opened in October 2017, the SP/N Gallery spotlights the talents of UT Dallas students in a 6,000-square-foot gallery complex, including two conjoined gallery spaces.
Why You Should Go: The 2024-25 season exhibitions include Family Portraits: Queer Representation in the Comer Collection, running from March 12 to April 30, and the Spring Juried Undergraduate Exhibition in May. Additionally, keep an eye out for exhibitions featuring selections from the Jerry and Marilyn Comer Collection of Photography. The collection contains more than 1,500 photographs dating from 1940 to today and includes works from prominent female artists, portfolios chronicling the Civil Rights Movement and other significant historical highlights.
Go on a Mind-Bending Artistic Adventure Through Space
Meow Wolf — The Real Unreal
3000 Grapevine Mills Parkway, Suite 253, Grapevine
meowwolf.com/visit/grapevine
Meow Wolf invites attendees to experience an epic artistic odyssey in The Real Unreal. The arts company creates massive, immersive installations around the country in cities such as Houston, Santa Fe, Denver and Las Vegas. Meow Wolf’s experience at Grapevine Mills takes you to a suburban home overrun by portals to worlds beyond.
Why You Should Go: Over 40 local Texas artists contributed to the experience, creating a litany of eye-catching realms that are full of secrets, surprises and interactive elements to explore. You can take in the bright wonders of The Neon Kingdom or explore the streets of Lamp Shop Alley, where common, everyday machines might not be what they seem. There’s also an arcade, a washing machine slide and plenty of other unique interactive attractions to explore.
Dip Into Denton’s Gifted Visual Arts Community
Patterson-Appleton Arts Center
400 E. Hickory St., Denton
dentonarts.com
The Patterson-Appleton Arts Center is home to the Greater Denton Arts Council. The council uses the space for diverse exhibitions and events, including those that showcase the works of local arts organizations like the Denton Quilt Guild and the Visual Arts Society of Texas.
Why You Should Go: The center hosts more than 20 different exhibitions each year in its multi-use space, which includes an art studio, a dance rehearsal hall and a sculpture garden. The center is currently hosting the 38th annual International Materials: Hard + Soft Contemporary Craft & Conceptual Art Competition and Exhibition. The exhibition typically features extraordinary works of glass, wood, fiber, paper and metal, but it has expanded this year to include digital media and conceptual art.
This article was originally published in Local Profile's March/April issue. Read more here.
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