RICHARDSON, Texas (Feb. 6, 2003) -The Texas Visual Arts Association (TVAA) High School Art Competition will be held in the Main Gallery of the Visual Arts Building at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) from Feb. 21 to March 16. The exhibition, which is free to the public, will be open Mondays to Fridays from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays, except for the closing reception on March 16.

This juried exhibition, sponsored by the TVAA and UTD, will offer scholarships and financial awards from TVAA, UTD, and other area institutions and businesses in order to prompt excellence in the visual arts among gifted Texas high school students.

Winners of the competition will be announced at a closing reception from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. Monetary awards will be provided for first, second and third place as well as for honorable mention, and UTD and the Dallas Community College District will present scholarships for the most outstanding work. The TVAA also will present additional special awards. In addition, five Dean's Awards will be presented by UTD.

Jurors for the exhibition will be Benito Huerta, Victoria Montelongo and Greg Metz. The jurors will select more than 130 works for the exhibition from an estimated 1,300 works submitted to the competition.

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://www.utdallas.edu/ah/. 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 13,000 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 http://www.utdallas.edu/.