Three winners top the submissions to the first USTMAX Center art competition in collaboration with the Conroe Art League. Following the opening reception on Oct 7, 2021, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., art lovers can enjoy the paintings for the next three months as they are displayed inside the natural “gallery” at USTMAX.

The contest theme was “Hope.” The winning paintings inspire hope in all who see them. Judges selected the following pieces:

• “Unseen Things” by Wendy Moreland, who wrote that her painting is “an abstract acrylic created by saving layers of design and quieting busy areas…To me, this finished work is reflective of life and an individual’s journey.”
• “Hope in the Garden” by Gene LeRoy, who explains, “Planning a garden shows hope for the future. Tending a garden shows determination and patience. Walking a garden brings pride and peace. Whatever the endeavor, it starts with hope and ends with peace.”
• “Hope Takes Flight” by Julie Wright, who said this work “celebrates the courtship dance and incredible conservation story of one of North America’s rarest birds: the Whooping Crane. Careful breeding efforts…have provided a beacon of hope for the preservation of other endangered species.”

The three winning entries will be available for purchase at the Oct. 7 reception.

“The Conroe Art League and USTMAX are grateful for all the submissions we received,” Dr. Carla E. Alsandor, senior director for the USTMAX Center, said. “It was amazing to see such range and beauty in the works.”

With so much artistic talent in the Conroe area, the micro-campus and CAL hope to make the competition into a recurring event.

Alsandor added, “Our goals are to become active participants in, and supporters of, the arts community and to welcome new visitors to the USTMAX Center.”