The oldest records available show that art teachers have met as an Art Section of the Texas State Teachers Association since 1919. Officers for the Art Section included a chairman, vice-chairman, and secretary. The first Chairman on record was Miss Margaret Culbertson of Dallas.

Programs in those early years included a number of outstanding speakers such as Miss Jessie Todd, Director of Art, University of Chicago; Dr. A.J. Stoddard, Superintendent of Schools, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Mr. C. Valentine Kirby, Director of Drawing for the State of Pennsylvania; Maholy-Nagy, School of Design, Chicago; and Ray Faulkner, Department of Art, Teachers College, Columbia University.

Minutes of the November 25, 1927, Art Section meeting in Houston reveal that it was voted to charge dues of $1.00 and also voted that the duties of Treasurer would be added to that of Secretary. The dues remained $1.00 for 27 years or until 1954 when raised to $1.50. A subsequent raise at some indeterminate date made it $2.00; another in 1961 made it $3.00. Dues continued to be raised. They rose to $5.00 in 1964, to $10.00 in 1974, and to $35.00 in 1975 when Texas became a unified State.

The Art Section continued to meet and the exact date this group organized the Associated Art Instructors of Texas is not known. It was probably in the late thirties. When organized, the stated purpose of AAIT was three-fold:

• To coordinate the art instruction of the schools of the State of Texas and to develop a greater interest and love of art in the pupil as a consumer and producer so that art will become a vital part of his daily living.
• To define and encourage studies and research related to art education.
• To act as a spokesman for art in total education and to promote a coordinate program of public relations.

From the time of its organization, the Association retained the name Associated Art Instructors of Texas until it was changed in 1950 to the Texas Art Educators Association. In 1966 the present name was adopted: Texas Art Education Association.

In the September 1927 issue of the Texas Outlook, art supervisors and others interested in promoting art in Texas expressed their appreciation to the editor of the Outlook for giving the art educators an art page in each issue. In reference to this art page is found the following: J.L. Long, often referred to as the "Father of Art" in Texas, has offered $25 for an accepted illustrated title for the art page.

The Art Page or Art Section, as both names were used, continued to be a regular part of each issue for ten years or until 1937. Mrs. Runnels, art supervisor in Fort Worth Public Schools, was editor for the entire time. However, during these ten years she became Mrs. Lucy Runnels Wright and her address changed from Forth Worth to Waco to Taylor.

To celebrate the Texas Centennial, a series of articles were written by the editor on Texas artists. Throughout the ten years the Art Section appeared in the Outlook, various members were urged to submit articles and photographs. In addition to articles by members, there appeared articles reprinted from art magazines and speeches given at the art section meetings.

The Art Teacher was being published in 1942 as the official publication of the Associated Art Instructors of Texas. The exact date of its first edition is not known. Newsletters were published by the presidents as needed. When The Art Teacher became Texas Trends is also unknown, but it was possible in the late forties as a 1951 issue bears the title Texas Trends.

The magazine gained national recognition when Suella Lacy was editor. She served two terms of office. During her terms as editor she served on a national committee for state publications and appeared on panels discussing state publications at NAEA conference.

For many years two issues of Trends were published each year. In 1967 a decision was made to print only one issue each year on a trial basis and several issues of newsletters. This practice has been continued.

During the World War II years, the organization did not meet; neither did TSTA. When TSTA resumed its meeting on November 29, 1946, in Houston, Grace Smith called a meeting of all art teachers for the purpose of reorganizing the AAIT. At the meeting, Ivan Johnson was elected President and a resolution was passed emphasizing that the organization was to be a democratic one with equal participation between classroom art teachers and those of college level. It was also decided that the official publication The Texas Art Teacher would be published again in February.

From 1919 until 1966 officers assumed duties in November at the Art Section meeting of the TSTA convention. Since 1966 the Constitution has been changed several times and also the time officers assume office. They now assume duties on January 1. A constitutional change in 1969 provided that officers be elected by mail with two names for each office on the ballot. New offices were also created. The Vice-President became the President-Elect and the First Vice-President's office was created.

Five art classroom teachers have served as president of the organization: Mary Free, 1948-50; Ida Nell Williams, 1964-67; Lourena Cook, 1973-75; Nancy Miller, 1981-82; and Cynthia Broderick, 1989-91. Ten college professors and five art supervisors have served as presidents.