The mission of the Old Jail Art Center is to be the primary cultural resource for the region, providing visual art, performing art, and local history resources for residents and visitors alike, and fostering memorable experiences for all. Since 1989 OJAC has been included in the select group of museums nationwide that are accredited by the American Association of Museums. Only 1 in 10 museums in the state of Texas are accredited. Serving a core audience of 25 rural counties, the Old Jail Art Center is one of the only free and accredited art museums between Fort Worth and El Paso. Because many of the local school systems do not offer any art education in their curriculum, OJAC addresses the needs of the students by providing innovative art education programs throughout the year. Adults, too, are enriched by special programming. With the 1996 addition of the Stasney Center for Education and the 2009 addition of a Distance Learning studio, OJAC now offers educational programming.