Old newspaper articles give a glimpse into the history of the Palette of Roses Art League. The league is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year.

For 70 years, the Palette of Roses Art League has been inspiring creativity and bringing artists together within the Tyler community.

Diane Reis, president of the art league, recently began looking through old scrapbooks which highlight the role the league has played in the community since its start in 1952.

“It’s been like going through gemstones,” Reis said. She referred to the scrapbooks as treasures and the “brushstrokes” of the art league, noting how the pieces of history reflect the league’s accomplishments over the last seven decades.

The Palette of Roses Art League, a nonprofit, was officially formed in June of 1952 by a group of about 15 amateur artists who wanted to see art become a part of the Tyler community, she said.

At the start of the league, presidents quickly changed, Reis said. One would progress the league for a while before another president would come in to progress it further.

“We have had a lot of just really incredible people come and move into Tyler that really moved the art league forward and did some great things for it,” Reis said.

To get the community involved, the Friends of the League and Patrons of the League were also created.

“It was never just an artist’s thing – it was to do something that impacts the community, and gets the community involved in what’s happening in the art world,” Reis said. “Their goal was to work together and encourage one another as well as educate each other and the community.”

In November 1952, the league held its very first art show where close to 1,000 people showed up to see the art, according to Reis. There were a lot of Tyler artists, some from other areas of East Texas and even Shreveport.

Later on, the league became part of the Texas Association of Fine Artists based in Austin, which allowed the organization to bring art exhibits to Tyler that featured not just Texas artists but international artists as well, Reis said.

Members of the league themselves were involved in displaying their work throughout the country, she said. It is special to be able to say you purchased a piece of art from a local, talented Tylerite rather than an art gallery somewhere else, Reis added.

“I think that’s one of the things that often is a misconception for people when they look for art,” she said. “A lot of people think they need to go to Dallas and go to some expensive art gallery and invest thousands and thousands of dollars in art, and you can do that, but there’s so much talent locally.”

In its first years, the league accomplished much and left an impact on the community, she said.

In an old newspaper article, Reis found a quote from Nov. 13, 1953 that read, “Tyler will become a center of art activity, and this region will be engaged in veritable artistic Renaissance.”

This quote stands true to the goals of the league when it was founded, which included using art to “rejuvenate” the community, she said.

“We have so much talent (in Tyler) and it’s almost like this best kept secret,” Reis said. “In order to share art with people, you’ve got to get the word out. For people to be able to come in and appreciate what’s there, you’ve got to have it shown and you’ve got to work together in community to get that publicity out and let people know what kinds of things are happening.”

Today, the league still holds its annual art show in conjunction with the Texas Rose Festival where the approximately 80 members can display their work. This year they also have an exhibit displayed at the Rose Garden Center that Reis said will continue to be on display after the festival.

The league’s art show first coincided with the Rose Festival around 1956, Reis said. For around 15 years the league has held the show in the Rose Garden Center. In recent years the Rose Garden has even become “home” to the league and is where they hold their meetings.

Seven decades later, Reis said, “overall the goal still is the same: to enrich people’s lives with art and to realize what creative expression can mean for a community.”

In October, the league will be holding a private celebration for its 70th anniversary. Then on Oct. 13, the league’s art show at the Rose Garden Center will be open to the public to enjoy.

This year four large paintings were donated by artists in the league to be auctioned off at a silent auction during the weekend of the Rose Festival, Oct. 14 through 16. The funds raised at this auction will go toward a scholarship for a student who wants to pursue the arts in college, Reis said.