UHV becomes art gallery for area students
Display cases at the south and west entrances to the University West building, 3007 N. Ben Wilson, showcase drawings and paintings with subjects ranging from a child receiving butterfly kisses from a monarch to the Incredible Hulk angrily smashing a wall.
The public is invited to view all 14 works of art created by area sixth- through 12th-graders and vote for the People’s Choice Award. The award has a $50 prize. Attendees only have until May 22 to cast their votes.
During the last 20-odd years, the art show simply grew too big to have all of the works displayed at Victoria Mall like they were in the past, said LeOlive Rogge, executive director of the Cultural Council of Victoria.
This year, the council called upon area institutions like UHV to step in and serve as impromptu galleries. Some 156 works of art are on display at Victoria Mall, First Victoria’s downtown location, Wells Fargo Bank at One O’Connor Plaza downtown, The Victoria College Continuing Education Building, Victoria Independent School District Central Office, Prosperity Bank at Navarro and Houston Highway, and the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts.
“We’re anxious to know the public’s response for having it at so many locations this year,” Rogge said. “We feel like the voting will let us know how many people stopped and studied the exhibit and voted for their favorite.”
The number of votes will determine which locations will get more art next year, she said.
“I love having the work of our fine local artists on display at UHV, especially from our very talented young people in the area,” UHV President Tim Hudson said. “I hope we see great voter turnout so we can have even more of this beauty and talent on display next year.”
The winners of the People’s Choice Awards from each of the seven locations will be displayed until June 1 at the Welder Center.
Students in the 11th and 12th grades who receive a first-place award will win a $100 scholarship to The Victoria College. Artwork will be graded on a point system and awarded places.
For more information about the contestants and display locations, visit the Cultural Council Web site at www.culturalcouncilofvictoria.org.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 80 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.
