FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The Rio Brazos Annual Juried Art Exhibition is back, after a year off for the pandemic.
The exhibition, now in its 23rd year, will be on view at the Dora Lee Langdon Center Art Gallery weekends from noon to 5 p.m. through Sunday, May 2, with a closing reception 2-4 p.m. the final day. Additional viewing hours are available by appointment.
The reception, sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisors and Tony Mobly and Taylor Mobly, is open to the public and includes an opportunity to meet the juror, Fort Worth artist and educator Diane Durant, who will talk to artists and hand out awards.
Proceeds support the Tarleton Art and Digital Media Studies program and student scholarships.
Durant curated the exhibition for a diverse range of genres, styles, media and treatments while highlighting work with distinctly individual artistic sensibilities. With over 430 submissions from across the nation, choosing just 50 was a challenge.
“I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of submissions, not to mention the wide range of media,” she said. “As I was looking through the entries, several themes started to emerge, but I was especially intrigued by the overall uses of color, line and texture.
“As a photographer, I appreciate the direct representation of a subject, but I saw so much strong work that played with representation in such creative ways, that the exhibition seemed to create itself. Plenty of noteworthy pieces — technically mind-boggling, to be honest — ended up not being included and made the final decisions very difficult.”
The artists in the exhibition come from as near as Granbury and as far away as New York and California. Their pieces are just as diverse — some wistful and nostalgic, others satirical or filled with humor.
The work ranges from highly technical to subtle and symbolic, presented in a variety of media — drawing, photography, painting, mixed media, even sculptures made of clay and concrete. The featured artists:
Collin Adams (Lake Charles, La.)
Heidi Almosara (San Antonio, Texas)
Ruda Anderson (Dallas, Texas)
Scott Anderson (Hartford City, Ind.)
Hebe Brooks (Houston, Texas)
Jeff Brown (Sunset Beach, N.C.)
Lynne Buchanan (Arlington, Texas)
Joanna Burch (Forney, Texas)
Tao Chen (Glastonbury, Conn.)
Katherine Cooper (Tucson, Ariz.)
Sharon Crary (Napa, Calif.)
Ron Crouch (Fort Worth, Texas)
Karen Cruce (Richmond, Texas)
Jack Delaney (Tyler, Texas)
Barbara Doberenz (Granbury, Texas)
Kara Donatelli (Lubbock, Texas)
Michelle Fox (Colorado, Texas)
Kristen Franyutti (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Curtis Frederick (Rockwall, Texas)
Kara Greenwell (San Diego, Calif.)
Jeanette Hammerstein (Bloomington, Ind.)
Thomas Holton (Temple, Texas)
Erika Jaeggli (Dallas, Texas)
Jeremy Jones (Garland, Texas)
Ruth A. Keitz (Los Fresnos, Texas)
Robin Kenny (Franklin, Texas)
Lean Lawless-Smith (Waxahachie, Texas)
Sue Lezon (Chazy, N.Y.)
Layl McDill (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Ashley Miller (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Susa Nawrocki (Columbus, Miss.)
Martina Noble (Sherman, Texas)
Stephanie Paine (Lafayette, La.)
Kay Reinke (Waco, Texas)
Jason Stout (Martin, Tenn.)
Erika Nina Suarez (Fort Worth, Texas)
Roger Walkup (Baltimore, Md.)
Mary Wemple (Houston, Texas)
Joan Whitcomb (Fort Worth, Texas)
Corinne Whittemore (McAllen, Texas)
Kay Wirz (Granbury, Texas)
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.