The museum was established in 1983 through a private donation from local art patrons and philanthropists Herb and Kate Dishman.

Architect Marvin Gordy designed the building with Upper and Lower Gallery exhibition spaces, offices and a lecture hall.

In 2003, the building was officially renamed the Dishman Art Museum to reach a larger audience in the Southeast Texas community.

The collection includes 50 prints from European and American artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

All print processes are represented in this collection and many of the works are from the formative years of European abstractionism.