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The J. Wayne Stark Galleries is an art museum on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. It is run by the University Art Galleries Department, which is a part of the Division of Student Affairs. The art gallery is named after J. Wayne Stark, the first director of the Memorial Student Center.Mission statementThe mission of the J. Wayne Stark Galleries is to provide educational opportunities in the visual arts and humanities for both campus and community as well as to engage in active stewardship of the art collections through research, interpretation, preservation and exhibition.HistoryThe program began in 1973 with the creation of the Office of University Art Collections and Exhibitions run by J. Wayne Stark, then Special Assistant to the President for Cultural Development. This office began to catalog the existing collections at the university as well as securing new acquisitions.In 1990 construction began on the Stark Galleries, thanks to a generous seed gift by Sara and John H. Lindsey ‘44, of Houston. Additional funding for the structure came from other donors and the university. The Stark Galleries opened to the public in February 1992.From 2009, the Memorial Student Center had been undergoing a major renovation and the Stark Galleries had been temporarily closed. The Stark Galleries received another generous contribution from Mary and James B. Crawley of Norman, Oklahoma for the renovation project. The gallery reopened on April 21, 2012 featuring about 10,000 sq. ft. of exhibition space in four galleries, catering facilities, and an education room. The Crawley Gallery and the Lindsey Gallery in Stark Galleries are named after the two biggest donors.The programming activities for Stark Galleries are managed by the University Art Galleries Department.About J. Wayne StarkJohn Wayne Stark was born 16 December 1915 in Lamesa, Texas. After graduating from high school in the small west Texas town of Winters, Stark received a bachelor's degree in history from Texas A&M in 1939. He attended the University of Texas Law School but withdrew before graduating to serve in World War II.