27th Annual Rio Brazos Art Exhibition
The Tarleton State University Department of Visual Arts & Design is thrilled to announce the 27th annual Rio Brazos Juried Art Exhibition. This year’s exhibition will be juried by artist Layla Luna. Open to all varieties of media, this exhibition aims to curate a selection of exemplary contemporary work from artists around the country. All proceeds from the exhibition will go to scholarships for the Department of Visual Arts & Design at Tarleton State University.
The exhibition will open on April 5, 2025 at the Dora Lee Langdon Cultural & Educational Center in Granbury, Texas and runs every weekend through April 27th. The exhibition is sponsored by Tarleton State University, the City of Granbury and numerous local and regional businesses. Over $2,000 in artist awards are anticipated.
Apply online through our Call for Entry page, coming soon!
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
1-10-25 Call for entry opens
3-1-25 Deadline to receive entries (11:59p.m. MST)
3-7-25 Notification of acceptance through email
3-27-25 Artwork mail deliver deadline
3-29-25 Artwork hand-deliver date
4-5-25 Show opens at Langdon Center in Granbury
4-27-25 Closing Reception and Awards Ceremony
4-27-25 Show closes
Any questions, please contact Chris Ireland, Rio Brazos Exhibition Coordinator, ireland@tarleton.edu
AWARDS
The juror will select up to 50 images for the exhibition. Of those works selected, they will be eligible for the following awards:
The David and Claudia Southern Award for Best in Show = $1000
Up to 2 Juror’s Selection Awards of $500
Up to 5 Honorable Mention awards of $100 each
ABOUT THE 2024 JUROR
Layla Luna is an exhibiting painter with a focus on southwestern landscapes and the author/illustrator of a children’s story series called The Lolly Stories. The exploration of home, nature, and storytelling are the major components of both her painting practice and illustrations. She is a member of Artspace111 Gallery in Fort Worth.
Luna was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1975. She received an MFA in Painting from Texas Christian University in 2016 and a BFA in Painting from Arizona State University in 2008. She studied at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand where she obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art in 2011. Artist-in-residence programs around the country have played a large role in feeding her need to explore and make work in new environments. Currently, Luna resides in Azle, Texas with her daughter, husband, and three pups.
HOW TO ENTER
You may enter through our Call for Entry (CAFÉ) page. The entry fee for this year’s exhibition is $40 for 3 images. You may submit additional pieces for 5 dollars each. The exhibition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. Artists of all mediums and genres are encouraged to apply, although we require that the work has been made in the last 3 years and has not been featured at previous Rio Brazos exhibitions.
SALES
All work entered must be available for sale. A 25% commission is collected upon sale.
Proceeds from the commissions will go directly to student scholarships. The Dora Lee Langdon Center will conduct all sales during the exhibition. Price, not including tax, must be listed on entry.
ACCEPTED DELIVERY/RETURN OF ARTWORK
If your work is accepted, it must be ready to hang or it will not be displayed. Please no saw tooth hangers, wire hangers are preferred for 2d works. Framed & hung works may not exceed 50″ in any direction, including frame, nor weigh more than 12 lbs. 3-dimensional works may require artist or agent installation followed by height regulation and may not exceed 60″ in any direction. The exhibition committee reserves the right to exclude works from the exhibition that are not gallery ready, ready to hang, or are received in an unsatisfactory condition.
A prepaid return UPS or FedEX shipping label must be provided with your work for prints to be returned to you when the exhibition concludes. Please keep a copy of the prepaid return shipping label and your receipt. Prints will be return-shipped in the container in which they were received. We will exercise all due care in handling your artwork but will not be liable for loss, theft, damage or replacement of artwork, nor liable for damage during shipping. Please consider insuring your work.
Please ship work with a prepaid return shipping label to
Tarleton State University
Department of Visual Arts c/o Rio Brazos Exhibition
Box T-0650
Stephenville, TX 76402
Shipments must arrive before March 27th. No packing peanuts, please!
You may drop off your work in person on Saturday, March 29th at the Langdon Center in Granbury. The gallery will be open from 10 am to 1pm. If you would like to make arrangements, please contact the Exhibition Coordinator, Chris Ireland, at ireland@tarleton.edu.
If you intend to attend the closing reception and awards ceremony, you may pick up the work after the reception.
ABOUT THE LOCATION AND SPONSORS
The Dora Lee Langdon Cultural and Educational Center is nestled one block off Granbury’s historic square in the Brazos River Valley and serves as a focal point for the fine arts in the Lake Granbury area. The Langdon Center serves as the cultural and educational hub of the downtown area in cooperation with the City of Granbury and Tarleton State University.
Part of the A&M System since 1917, Tarleton State University offers affordable undergraduate and graduate degrees from locations in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco and online. The main campus of Tarleton is located 31 miles southwest of Granbury in Stephenville. Founded in 1899 as a private, liberal arts college, Tarleton is now one of the state’s fastest growing institutions with an enrollment exceeding 15,000 and serves as the educational and cultural flagship of the Cross Timbers region.
You may enter through our Call for Entry (CAFÉ) page. The entry fee for this year’s exhibition is $40 for 3 images. You may submit additional pieces for 5 dollars each.
The exhibition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older. Artists of all mediums and genres are encouraged to apply, although we require that the work has been made in the last 3 years and has not been featured at previous Rio Brazos exhibitions.
Programs and Opportunities
Tarleton Art Society is a student-run organization that brings together like-minded individuals from various artistic disciplines to promote artistic knowledge. Each year there is a wide range of activities hosted by this organization, including fundraisers, mural painting, field trips, New York City visits, and workshops. For more information, contact Tim Harding, Faculty Advisor.
The Visual Arts & Design Department and the Communication Studies Department of Tarleton State University are proud to present the 16th annual Tarleton Student Film & Moving Media Festival. This competitive cinematic event screens every year in the Spring, giving all Animation and Moving Image students a chance to show off their work!
The Digital Media Studies program includes a state-of-the-art Vicon Motion Capture System, as well as professional video and digital imaging studio equipment. Our facilities also feature 2D and 3D printers and scanners and other digital fabrication devices.
Every semester the Department of Fine Arts holds a number of visiting artist lectures and workshops featuring artists from the Dallas/Fort Worth area as well as nationally; here, artists visit and lecture about their experiences and work. Recent workshops included 19th-century process photography as well as advanced sculpture casting. Lectures are free and open to the public.
The Tarleton Game club is a student-run art club at Tarleton that meets weekly, usually in FA room 162. Tarleton Game Club is a club that promotes game design, games, game development and more for Tarleton students and staff. Each year the club hosts tournaments, LAN parties, designs their own games, and enters game design competitions. See the Tarleton Game Club Facebook page and the Steam page for more info.
