Yesterday, we learned that Thom Mayne will design the new Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. But did you also know Denton is on its way to getting a new venue as well: The Museum of Texas Art & Culture.

Plans for this project of the Greater Denton Arts Council will be unveiled at a reception at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Center for Visual Arts. Executive Director Margaret Chalfant was obviously in the middle of planning Sunday’s event but she took time out to tell me this:

The new museum will be located on the former Rayzor Ranch, at the northern end of park space adjacent to Heritage Trail. Allegiance Development bought the land from the Rayzor family and is developing a 400 acre “walkable urban community” on the site. The developers donated five acres of land, worth $2.4 million, to the museum. The Rayzor family, who stipulated that some of the land should be used for museums, donated $100,000 in seed money for the project and are contributing additional money for matching funds. The Arts Council aims to raise $30 million for the project.

What will be in the museum? What will it look like? Keep reading.

The museum will display the work of established artists and artisans who lived and worked in the state. Organizers are beginning to accept donations and meet with collectors of Texas art and artists, as well as universities and other museums. “We’re hoping that some of our Texas art collectors will want to give a collection or part of a collection,” says Chalfant.

There will also be displays related to early Texas crafts – with an eye toward explaining how everyday items like ceramics and weaving evolved into artisanal work.

The architectural work thus far, by Ominplan (North Park) has been pro-bono. Plans are for one large building surrounded by smaller ones. The Texas barn inspired the design, says Chalfant.  But that idea is loosely interpreted – exposed wood, yes, but floor to ceiling windows and other more contemporary features that make the place look far more like a home for art than for animals.