As a teenager, Sara Morgan was a volunteer at the Art Museum of South Texas.
She would help with the Christmas Tree Forest event and be an extra hand during an art gala. In 2013, she became the assistant director of the museum. Six years later, she was named director.
“When the position came up here for assistant director, I said, ‘That’s my job. I want that job,'” Morgan said inside her office. “I was really happy to get back into not just the arts, but the Art Museum of South Texas. I love this museum.”
Across the Watergarden, Karen Stevenson leads the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History as president and CEO.
She joined the museum in 2023. Previously, she was in charge of Fredericksburg’s National Museum of the Pacific War. When she saw an opening to lead Corpus Christi’s museum, she said she didn’t hesitate for more than a heartbeat.
“You know that movie ‘Up’? It felt like I had gathered all my balloons together to bring me here,” Stevenson said in her office. “This museum has such great history and such a tender place in our community’s heart, but it also has so much potential, especially with the communities and industries around us.”
The women lead Corpus Christi’s major museums in the downtown area, and both have plans for growth. From educational programs to new exhibits, Morgan and Stevenson are listening to guests on how to make their museums more enticing.
Opening the museums
The Art Museum of South Texas was the first to open in Corpus Christi.
It began as the Centennial Museum in South Bluff Park; the Corpus Christi Art Foundation changed the name to the Centennial Art Museum in 1944. The centennial part of the name eventually dropped out of usage until most called the location the Corpus Christi Art Museum.
Nearly 30 years later, a group of civic leaders and philanthropists reached out to architect Philip Johnson to build a new art museum along the Corpus Christi Bayfront. In 1972, the Art Museum of South Texas opened its doors.
After realizing an expansion was needed, the Art Museum board hired architect Ricardo Legorreta in 1998 to design a building to complement the Johnson building. The new expansion debuted in 2006.
“The fact that we have a Philip Johnson building and a Ricardo Legorreta building in Corpus Christi — I don’t think people realize the importance of that,” Morgan said. “The first thing I fell in love with was the building itself. Then you come inside, and I think it’s equally interesting on the inside as it is on the outside.”
The Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History opened in 1957. Originally, it was called the Corpus Christi Junior Museum.
The museum was aimed at reaching children with educational programs, allowing them to touch artifacts and interact with exhibits.
As time, visitors, education levels and technology changed, so did the scope of how the museum could better serve the community. Stevenson said the museum now shows how Corpus Christi helps shape lives.
“It’s certainly through the environment and the economic drivers of the area,” Stevenson said. “It’s energy, it’s heavy industry, it’s water, land and air. Now, we’re showing our guests how those things all fit together.”
New exhibits
Stevenson said she and her team are in the process of developing a seven- to 10-year strategic plan to help guide the museum into a new way of telling Corpus Christi stories.
When she joined the museum three years ago, she said she did an analysis to see how old all the current exhibits were. Stevenson said the gamut ran from 1988 to 2014.
“Those who have been coming to the museum will recognize a lot of things that are familiar and nostalgic,” Stevenson said. “We have an array of exhibits that are really wonderful and compelling, but a little bit long in the tooth.”
Since joining, Stevenson has helped start two exhibit renovations: the Galvan Ballroom exhibit and the Kenedy Gallery. The old Aztec marketplace is now focused on mid-century Corpus Christi history.
Currently, Stevenson said the staff is in the process of developing an exhibit about Purple Heart recipients in the Coastal Bend area, an exhibit on local artist Fred Orchard and a “Collaboratory” — an intergenerational STEM lab where families can create things. Other big exhibit ideas are also in the works.
The project “needs to be flexible and innovative enough to really reflect Corpus Christi, because there’s so much here,” Stevenson said.
Keeping the building in shape
One’s biggest opportunity is one’s biggest challenge, Morgan said.
“If I say what first attracted me was the building, I would say that the building is my biggest nemesis,” she said with a chuckle.
The Art Museum of South Texas sits right on the Bayfront in Corpus Christi with beautiful views seen through large windows. It is also a prime hurricane location.
While the museum has not suffered any large calamities, making sure the museum stays in tip-top shape is a concern for Morgan. To help with this, large technology upgrades are in the works.
The Digital Studio is also being revamped to be more interactive for adults and not just the youth, potentially in part through lecture series.
“We take good advantage of having fun in the museum with adults, like our artRageous and ARTball parties, but I’d like to utilize the space in a way that’s more closely tied to education and exhibitions,” Morgan said.
Bringing people in
At the end of 2025, Morgan said the Art Museum of South Texas had visitors from all 50 states and 28 countries.
But Morgan said a large portion of the community has never visited the museum or hasn’t visited in a long time.
“That’s a key target point for us: How do we get people in here?” Morgan asked. “If we can just get people in the door for the first time … we just want them to show up. We want them to feel like this is a place that’s familiar to them and that they want to come back to.”
Four monthly events are helping bring guests into the museum and entice them to return: First Friday, Second Saturday, Third Thursday and Fourth Sunday. Each event features free admission and docent-led tours, and Third Thursday includes local vendors and live music starting at 5:30 p.m.
Stevenson said trying to bring people into the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History can be a hassle, especially with the location being “a little out of the way.”
“But since I’ve been here, our visitation has been incrementally increasing,” Stevenson said. “We continue to welcome about 10,000 kids every year on field trips.”
Sharing an experience
While walking around the Art Museum of South Texas, Morgan pointed out a small exhibit featuring birds and nests.
“These are from the Museum of Science and History,” Morgan said. “It shows how we try to help each other when we can.”
While settling at her desk, Stevenson said the exhibit is a “perfect example” of ways for the two museums to collaborate.
“Sara is a trusted partner of mine,” Stevenson said. “Our missions are certainly very distinct and different, but there are so many ways we intersect. We both truly care about serving our community.”
Both said they would not be able to do what they do without the help of their staff, as well as the help of guests. Stevenson said her guests have given her insight into the community and the museum.
She recalled meeting an older man with his grandchild during STEM Day by the Bay in July 2025.
The two were sitting on the floor building a bridge out of Popsicle sticks and talking about how the bridge would work. The man told Stevenson he hadn’t cared much about science or history as a child, but now the making of the bridge was an experience he could share with his grandchild.
Stevenson said she knew every guest had to have that same experience.
“I need every guest to find themselves here — to find something that relates to them here,” Stevenson said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Have a story idea? Contact him at john.oliva@caller.com.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: How the Art Museum, Museum of Science and History keep momentum
Reporting by John Oliva, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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