Field Report: Lubbock's Art Scene in the High Plains
Lubbock, Texas, home to 273,071 residents, is celebrated as the birthplace of Buddy Holly and a vibrant center for creativity, nurturing artists like Terry Allen and Joe Ely. The First Friday Art Trail, organized by the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA), draws thousands of visitors each month. The downtown arts campus, known as the Charles Adams Studio Project (CASP), complements Texas Tech University's Landmark Arts, which features curated exhibitions. Founded in 2020 by Danielle Demetria East, the East Lubbock Art House (ELAH) focuses on the historically Black East Side. Cultural highlights include the Cactus Theatre, Buddy Holly Center, a 108-foot fresco by Peter Hurd, the Robert Bruno Steel House, and the legacy of the 1970 F5 tornado and the Lubbock Lights of 1951.
Key facts
- Lubbock, Texas, population 273,071, elevation 3,232 feet, is a creative hub on the high plains.
- LHUCA (Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts) is a nonprofit kunsthalle in a former fire station, managing the First Friday Art Trail.
- CASP (Charles Adams Studio Project) encircles LHUCA's Plaza, forming a downtown arts campus with galleries and artist studios.
- East Lubbock Art House (ELAH) was founded by artist Danielle Demetria East in 2020 to serve the historically Black East Side.
- Co-Opt Research + Projects is an artist-run gallery and performance space in a disused strip mall.
- The Tablelands Center for Bioregional Art, on a farm northwest of Lubbock, features earthworks and The Tap (2022) by M12 Studio.
- Robert Bruno's Steel House, begun in 1974, is an unfinished Corten steel structure now operating as an Airbnb.
- The 1970 Lubbock tornado (F5) was used by Tetsuya 'Ted' Fujita to confirm the Fujita scale.
- The Lubbock Lights of 1951 remain unexplained.
- Buddy Holly was born in Lubbock; other musicians include Terry Allen, Joe Ely, and Legendary Stardust Cowboy.
Entities
Artists
- Buddy Holly
- Terry Allen
- Joe Ely
- Legendary Stardust Cowboy
- Danielle Demetria East
- Robert Bruno
- Peter Hurd
- Tetsuya 'Ted' Fujita
- Christopher B. Stubblefield Sr.
- Bayne Gardner
- Jon Revett
- Isaac Dunne
- Natalie Hegert
- Matt Holley
Institutions
- LHUCA
- Charles Adams Studio Project
- Charles Adams Gallery
- 5&J Gallery
- Landmark Arts
- Texas Tech University
- East Lubbock Art House
- Co-Opt Research + Projects
- Cactus Theatre
- Buddy Holly Hall
- Buddy Holly Center
- Lubbock Symphony
- Ballet Lubbock
- National Ranching Heritage Center
- Museum at Texas Tech University
- Tablelands Center for Bioregional Art
- M12 Studio
- Cotton Court Hotel
- Midnight Shift
- La Diosa Cellars
- Dirk's Signature Chicken and Bar
- Flippers Tavern
- Hub City Records
- Caprock Canyons State Park
- Visit Lubbock
- Southwest Contemporary
Locations
- Lubbock
- Texas
- West Texas
- United States
- Santa Fe
- New Mexico
- Ransom Canyon Lake
- Llano Estacado
- Caprock Canyons State Park