Exhibitions and programs reflect the diverse cultural characteristics of the region and encourage interaction between artists and the community. The Center collects, preserves and interprets artifacts relevant to Lubbock's most famous native son, Buddy Holly, as well as to other performing artists and musicians of West Texas. Changing exhibitions in the visual arts provide an arena for celebrating the technical virtuosity and creative talents of fine artists at work in a region distinguished by vast distances and a rich tradition of creative resources.

The West Texas Walk of Fame, featuring the Buddy Holly statue, by sculptor Grant Speed, is located inside the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, just west of the Center, on the corner of Crickets Avenue and 19th Street. The Plaza is open to the public dawn to dusk, year round. The West Texas Walk of Fame, and its induction process, are a project of Civic Lubbock, Inc. 

The Buddy Holly Center, a historical site, has dual missions; preserving, collecting and promoting the legacy of Buddy Holly and the music of Lubbock and West Texas, as well as providing exhibits on Contemporary Visual Arts and Music, for the purpose of educating and entertaining the public.