Presented by Jessica & Christopher Giesey Rising Eyes of Texas Fund
March 7 - April 20, 2025
McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery
Reception Saturday, March 8th, 5-7pm
RISING EYES OF TEXAS
Rising Eyes of Texas, presented by the Christopher & Jessica Giesey – Rising Eyes of Texas Scholarship Fund is a yearly collegiate juried exhibition showcasing paintings, sculptures, video art, prints, and more by select Texas undergraduate and graduate visual arts students that returns to Rockport Center for the Arts March 7–April 20.
Hosted annually since 2007, this year’s show features the work of 33 artists from 13 universities and colleges across Texas, including The University of Texas, Texas A&M University, Texas State University, and the University of North Texas. The exhibition will be held in the McKelvey Charitable Fund Gallery and is free and open to the public.
The jurying committee surveyed 157 submissions, reviewing over 350 individual artworks. This exhibition will include sculpture (mixed-media, textiles, wearable sculpture, blown glass, kiln formed glass, ceramics, metal), painting (oil, spray paint, acrylic), printmaking (lithography, serigraphy, mezzotint, dry point etching), drawing (charcoal, graphite, colored pencil, white charcoal), mixed-media works and more. Every year, Rockport Center for the Arts hosts a statewide, juried exhibition for undergraduate and graduate students emerging in the visual arts. Cash prizes are awarded for first, second and third place.
Submission fees are now just $5 for up to three artwork submissions. Rockport Center for the Arts wishes to support fledgling artists as they begin on their upward journey in the art world.
Event benefactors Jean and Charles Giesey are long-time patrons of the arts and donors to Rockport Center for the Arts, including the scholarship fund which provides Rising Eyes of Texas prize money and assists students with submission fees to provide opportunities to all, regardless of means. A member of the RCA board of directors for six years (2014–2019), Jean served as board chair in 2017, leading a 100-day recovery campaign to successfully restore operations after the RCA facility was destroyed that year by Hurricane Harvey.
Sara Morgan, Director, Art Museum of South Texas
This year’s esteemed juror is Sara Morgan (Director, Art Museum of South Texas). Morgan will select the top three Best of Show to share in the $1,150 purse. Past jurors have been 2024, Tracy Saucier (director of the Beeville Art Museum), 2023 - Tanja Peterson (gallery director, Redbud Arts Center), 2022 - Joseph Cohen (artist, and founder of Davis Cohen Fine Art), 2021 - Rigoberto Luna (co-owner Presa House), 2020 - Rebecca Gomez (independent curator, former curator Mexic-arte Museum), 2019 - Hollis Hammonds (Professor of Art, St. Edwards University), 2018 - Rainey Knudson (founder of Glasstire).