Each year, Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) hosts multiple professionally-juried art shows as part of the effort to create more opportunities for established and emerging artists alike to connect with the viewing public. On Wednesday, March 7, VAA will host an opening reception for the 35th Juried Open Exhibition from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with an awards presentation at 7 p.m. This event is the 82nd juried exhibition VAA has produced since its founding in 1981. It will be on display from March 6 through April 28 at BLUEorange Contemporary Art Gallery, 1208 West Gray, Houston 77019. Artists, art enthusiasts, collectors, curators, and emerging collectors are invited to attend. For collectors it is very important to note that VAA takes no commission on sales; all sales are handled directly with the artist.

The exhibition was juried by Molly Glentzer, Arts Editor at Houston Chronicle. According to Ms. Glentzer, “I most admire, as James Turrell once said, ‘art that has some ambition to it.’ Each piece that made the final cut has stayed with me because it is elegant, exudes the intelligence of its maker and maybe unsettles me a bit – it’s good when art makes us not just think, but think twice.”

The selected works are in various mediums by the following artists: Cameron Alexander, Molly Block, Daniel Brents, Cara Cansler, Shanti Conlan, Scott Cunningham, Mark Dean, Fay Deng, Kathy Drago, Alix Dunn, William Dunn, Karen Eisele, Eddie Filer, Steve Fisher, Margit Gergely, William Gerrish, Leslie M. Guzmán, Erik Hagen, Doug Hiser, Margaret Howell, Veronica Ibarguengoitia, Cedric Ingram, Ted Kurland, Austin Magruder, Silvia Majocchi, Yasuyo Maruyama, Ron Masters, Ami Mehta, Tracey Meyer, Anita Nelson, Clark Nunn, Anthony Pabillano, Jessica Phillips, Erika Pochybova, Ellen Ray, Diane Rosaz, Maria Elena Sandovici, Marlo Saucedo, Nicci Sevier-Vuyk, Barbara Shaw, Rusy Singh, John Slaby, Laura Sprague, Robert L Straight, Lyn Sullivan, Kay Tasuji, Jennifer Thompson, Penelope Warga and Terry Wheeler.

Exhibiting artists have the opportunity to give a short presentation on their work and answer questions from the audience. The artist talk is Saturday, March 17, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The participating artists will be Molly Block, Alix Dunn, Doug Hiser, Cedric Ingram, Austin Magruder, Yasuyo Maruyama, Tracey Meyer, Anthony Pabillano, Jessica Phillips, Maria Elena Sandovici, Marlo Saucedo and Robert Straight.

Visual Arts Alliance (VAA) is an educational organization for serious practitioners of the visual arts and interested members of the general public. Founded in Houston, TX in 1981, VAA is an all-volunteer-run, 501(c)3, nonprofit organization. In addition to educational and recreational programs, VAA also produces professionally juried art exhibitions providing opportunities for members and non-members to have their work professionally judged and viewed by the general public. VAA does not take commissions on any sales. For membership details and more information, visit www.visualartsalliance.org.