MEDIA CONTACT:
Vanessa Ormsby, RCA Communications Manager
(361) 729-5519 / vanessa@rockportartcenter.com
RISING EYES OF TEXAS EXHIBIT TO FEATURE COLLEGIATE ARTISTS FROM ACROSS TEXAS
Students vie for share of $2,000 in prize money; juror Tracy Saucier to select “best of show”
ROCKPORT, Texas (Jan. 25, 2024) — Rising Eyes of Texas, a yearly collegiate juried exhibition showcasing paintings, sculptures, video art, prints, and more by select Texas undergraduate and graduate visual arts students, returns to Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) Feb. 16–March 31.
Hosted annually since 2007, this year’s show features the work of 29 artists from 17 universities and colleges across Texas, including Abilene Christian University, Baylor University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Houston Christian 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.
“Rising Eyes of Texas has become a showcase for many students who are primed for to have successful art careers,” said Catey Arnold, interim 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.”
Juror Tracy Saucier, Director of the Beeville Art Museum, will select the top three “best in show” who will share in the $2,000 purse supplied by the Christopher and Jessica Giesey Rising Eyes of Texas Scholarship Fund. The show also includes two additional awards: The “Barrow Foundation Curator of Exhibitions Award,” a $500 prize recognizing the artwork and artist statement, selected by Rockport Center for the Arts; and the “Giesey Award,” also a $500 cash prize, awarded by the Giesey family for creativity, originality, and artistic merit.
A public reception with the participating art students, their faculty, and Saucier will be held at RCA on March 9, 2024, from 5–7 p.m., which coincides with the monthly Austin Street Art Walk a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring RCA and other galleries located in downtown Rockport.
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.
This year’s juror, Tracy Saucier, serves as the Director of the Beeville Art Museum in Beeville, Texas. In addition to curating and designing its many exhibitions, she works closely with the Beeville Independent School District on the development and implementation of the museum’s extensive educational art program, providing events and activities designed to stimulate the imaginations of the young people in Bee County. She also serves as executive director of the Joe Barnhart Foundation, which continues to create and fund new opportunities for the people of Beeville and the surrounding areas, including the Beeville Art Museum.
In 2018, due to the lack of exhibition space in Rockport following Hurricane Harvey, Saucier and RCA Executive Director Luis Purón collaborated on an exhibition held at the Beeville Art Museum celebrating Rockport artists, underwritten by the Joe Barnhart Foundation.
Saucier joins a list of esteemed jurors for past events including Tanja Peterson, author and gallery director, Redbud Arts Center (2023); Joseph Cohen, artist, and founder of Davis Cohen Fine Art (2022); Rigoberto Luna, co-owner Presa House (2021); Rebecca Gomez, independent curator, former curator Mexic-arte Museum (2020); Hollis Hammonds, professor of art, St. Edwards University (2019); and Rainey Knudson, founder of Glasstire (2018).
Rockport Center for the Arts is located at 204 S. Austin Street. Hours of operation are Tuesday–Saturday 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, noon–4 p.m. Admission is free. Visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519 for more information.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Find a complete list of participating artists and their universities on the following page.
About Rockport Center for the Arts and The Rockport Conference Center (The ROCC)
The new 1.2-acre Rockport Center for the Arts is located a block away from Aransas Bay in the heart of the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Designed by the award-winning team at Richter Architects, the state-of-the-art campus features a two-story, 14,000-square-foot, visual arts and education building with four galleries and five classrooms (204 S. Austin St.); a one-story, 8,000-square-foot conference and event center, known as The ROCC, including a 4,400-square-foot ballroom and culinary arts kitchen (106 S. Austin St.); with a 16,000-square-foot Sculpture Garden serving as a visually inspiring transition space between the two buildings. The hours of operation for the showroom, galleries, and gift shop are Tuesday–Saturday from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday from noon–4 p.m. Admission is always free. For information on event space, or to book an event, call (361) 450-8033. For general information and to become a member, visit rockportartcenter.com, follow RCA on Facebook, or call (361) 729-5519.
About Austin Street Art Walk
Austin Street Art Walk is a collective effort of the Rockport Center for the Arts and Moon Over Water Gallery in partnership with Rockport galleries, restaurants, and businesses located along Austin Street in the Rockport Cultural Arts District. Scheduled the second Saturday of each month, April through December, from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Art Walk is a free, alfresco, walkable art experience featuring an ever-changing mix of participants and art mediums such as paintings, ceramics, jewelry, photography, textiles, as well as live music, artist demonstrations, food and more. Follow us on Facebook for more information.
2024 Rising Eyes of Texas Exhibiting Artists by University/College
Abilene Christian University
Colleen Gostomski
Austin College
Danielle Amaegbo
Baylor University
Sophia Collins
Ava Dryden
Houston Christian University
Victoria Armenta
Crystal Billing
Dominic Clay
Anthony Gordon
Hailey Harvey
Chloe Hudspeth
Delaney McRitchie
Constintine St. John
Lamar University
Taylor Balsano
Stephen F. Austin State University
Rebecca Talbot
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
Ashley Burnett
Texas State University
Kassie Brown
Karlina Higdon
The University of Texas at Arlington
Aubrey Barnett
Chris Crayton
The University of Texas Permian Basin
Karen Pecina Aguilar
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Dominique Flores
Marvely Neme
University of Dallas
Mikey Hernandez
University of Houston–Clear Lake
Cooper Walker
University of North Texas
Cami Bosquez
Carter Cordes
Diego Ponce Hernandez
West Texas A&M University
Anna Vongkaysone
Texas Christian University
Kimberlyn Moore