AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) — For more than four decades, the Christmas Roundup has raised funds that benefit the educational programs of the Amarillo Museum of Art which ultimately serves to enrich the diversity of cultures on the High Plains.

Christmas season is still a few months away, but the Christmas Roundup is getting ahead of both Rudolph and Santa Clause.

“Last year, we hosted over eight thousand shoppers and merchants,” said Amanda Jarnagin, Alliance President of the Amarillo Museum of Art. “But what many of them don’t know is that Christmas Roundup is actually a fundraiser for the Amarillo Museum of Art Alliance.”

It’s the 43rd year of the event, which goes from Nov. 3-5, and will give the public plenty of opportunities to knock out some early Christmas shopping.

“We’ll have over a hundred and seventy different vendors or merchants, and they’re from all over the Panhandle. They come in and bring a booth so that way, the Amarillo community has somewhere to go shopping and they can see a little bit of everything from all these different local organizations,” she explained.

Jarnigan told KAMR Local 4 News that the museum has about 3,000 pieces of art in its permanent collection, all of it a part of the museum’s mission.

“Art can be both social and emotional, and artists often find stolen and just space to unwind through their craft,” expressed Jarnagin. “It also funded this new interactive gallery called the art space. And this is for all visitors at the museum. This allows you to make a connection with works from our permanent collection through written prompts hand on activities and technology.”

Jarnigan tells us AMOA also centers around education.

“Frequently guiding students and senior citizen groups through tours here at the museum, or they’re visiting the students and the senior centers by taking art outreach programs to them. A moa supports all twenty six counties of the Texas Panhandle, and that’s sixty two school districts.”

Including it’s new initiative, Museum-In-Residence.

“A partnership with AISD (Amarillo Independent School District) to bring TEAK (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) approved lessons with art experiences to kindergarten through second graders on a consistent basis for the entire school year,” Jarnigan noted.

Jarnagin tells us the Museum-In-Residence initiative addresses the lack of art education in the standard curriculum, by allowing students the opportunity to create and explore the world of art.

For more information on AMOA, click here.