RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 21, 2005) — The Texas Visual Arts Association (TVAA) High School Art Competition will be held at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) from Feb. 24 to March 13 in the Main Gallery and the Mezzanine Gallery of the Visual Arts Building on campus.

This juried exhibition will offer scholarships and financial awards from TVAA and UTD to promote excellence in the visual arts among gifted Texas high school students. The competition is co-sponsored by TVAA, UTD, Asel Art Supply, Frame-Up and Mullican Art Supply.

Winners will be announced at a closing reception in the Main Gallery from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. The award for first place is $500. Second- and third-place awards are $300 and $200, respectively, and honorable-mention awards are $50 each. UTD will present scholarships for the most outstanding work, and the TVAA will present additional special awards. Five Dean’s Awards of $100 each from the dean of UTD’s School of Arts and Humanities, Dr. Dennis Kratz, also will be presented.

The art exhibition is free and open to the public. The Visual Arts Building is open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays, except for the closing reception on March 13.

Jurors for the exhibition will be Randall Garrett, Ted Kincaid and Nancy Whitenack . The jurors will select more than 130 works for the exhibition from an estimated 1,300 works that were submitted.

More information about the event can be found at http://ah.utdallas.edu/season0405/tvaa.htm.

For more information on the Texas Visual Arts Association and entry requirements, please visit http://www.tvaa.org/.

For information about the many musical, arts, theatre, dance and other performances and exhibitions held throughout the year at UTD, please call 972-UTD-ARTS (972-883-2787), e-mail utdarts@utdallas.edu, or visit the School of Arts and Humanities’ Web site at http://ah.utdallas.edu/. Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations may call 972-883-2982, Texas Relay Operator: 1-800-RELAYVV.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.