Now in its 18th year, the annual Rising Eyes of Texas exhibition, hosted by the Rockport Center for the Arts, opens on Feb. 16 and will remain on display through Mar. 31. The collegiate juried exhibition includes artworks in a variety of mediums, including painting, sculpture, video art, prints and more.
The exhibition, which first began in 2007, showcases undergraduate and graduate visual arts students from schools across the state of Texas. This year, 29 artists from 17 Texas universities and colleges are represented. Ashley Burnett is the sole Coastal Bend-based student included in the exhibition and attends Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
“Rising Eyes of Texas has become a showcase for many students who are primed to have successful art careers,” said Catey Arnold, the newly appointed curator of exhibitions for Rockport Center for the Arts. “We are proud to provide the opportunity for these emerging artists to get the exposure they deserve and to give our guests a glimpse into the future of contemporary art in Texas.”
As a juried exhibition, participating artists compete for a share of the $2,000 prize money, made possible by the Christopher and Jessica Giesey Rising Eyes of Texas Scholarship Fund. This year’s juror, Tracey Saucier, director of the Beeville Art Museum, will select three “best in show” works to share the prize fund.
In addition to the selected “best in show” pieces, for only the second year, the “Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions Award” – which includes a prize of $500 and is selected by the Rockport Center for the Arts – recognizes an artist’s piece and artist statement. The “Giesey Award” is awarded by the Giesey family and consists of a $500 cash prize. This award is meant to spotlight creativity, originality and artistic merit.
Event benefactors Jean and Charles Giesey are long-time patrons of the arts and donors to the Rockport Center for the Arts. In addition to the prize fund, the Giesey family’s contributions aid in student submission fees for the exhibition. Their generosity allows artists, regardless of means, the chance to showcase their work in a gallery setting as such.
The exhibition will be on display in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery and is free and open to the public. A public reception featuring the exhibiting students, their faculty and juror Saucier, will take place at the Rockport Center for the Arts on Mar. 9 from 5-7 p.m.
An excellent showcase of Texas’ up-and-coming artistic talent, the Rising Eyes of Texas exhibition is sure to delight art lovers in the Coastal Bend.
