HOUSTON (January 29, 2013)- The 42nd Annual Bayou City Art Festival is invading Houston’s Memorial Park from March 22nd to the 24th to showcase more than 300 talented artists from across the nation, and to present Signe and Genna Grushovenko, as the spring festival’s featured artists. 

Signe and Genna were selected for this year’s coveted featured artist position after participating in Bayou City Art Festival more than 10 times throughout the past five years. The Greenville, SC residents, known as the “art couple,” have been partners in both art and life for more than ten years. Signe and Genna work collaboratively to create complex and colorful mixed media artwork, using vintage photos and oil paint. 

“I can't say how excited Genna and I are to be chosen as the featured artists,” Signe said. “In our experience, Houstonians are an informed and hospitable audience and we take every chance we get to have our work in front of them.”

Signe continues, “Several Houston clients have become perennial collectors and friends that we look forward to seeing year after year.We've both had our fingers crossed since our first spring in Memorial Park that we might one day be chosen for the 'featured artist' honor and are thrilled that day came.”

In addition to announcing the Grushovenkos as the Memorial Park Festival’s featured artists, Bayou City Art Festival is proud to announce two new opportunities for artists: The Emerging Talent Program and the Fresh Perspectives Program. The Emerging Talent Program was created to support young artists in the beginning stages of their artistic careers. It was designed specifically for artists with little to no experience exhibiting or selling their artwork. The six chosen young artists will receive mentoring through the Arts Festival, be placed in their own booths at the Emerging Talent area and are eligible to win the “Best Emerging Talent” award as determined by on-site judges.

The Fresh Perspectives Program was designed for professional visual artists who have already been juried, or selected, into the Festival, and want to explore new directions in their current work. The program encourages juried artists to collaborate with other participating artists during the festival and to create new work while on festival grounds. The purpose of the Fresh Perspectives Program is to encourage artistic exploration while maintaining the high standards of the jury process.

Kelly Kindred, Bayou City Art Festival’s executive director, is excited to offer the new Emerging Talent and Fresh Perspective programs. “The programs we’ve created will hopefully be an enormous learning opportunity for the young, talented individuals who are sure to have bright futures,” Kindred said. “By establishing the Emerging Talent and Fresh Perspective initiatives, we’re helping to foster more creative talent and pushing artists to reach their full potential.” 

The Bayou City Art Festival is a non-profit organization that provides financial support to non-profit partners and one hundred percent of proceeds are given to them. For its spring festival, Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park has partnered with 17 local nonprofit organizations, which volunteer their time and serve as Festival staff. These organizations include Bering Omega, SNAP and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. 

Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park is a Houston tradition that celebrates a wide variety of art forms by hundreds of nationally and locally celebrated artists and offers an array of exhibits where patrons can admire and purchase diverse medias of art. The Festival also features activities for children in the Green Mountain Energy Creativity Zone, dozens of food and beverage vendors, and live entertainment on the Houston Arts Alliance Local Roots, Global Culture Stage presented by the HAA Folklife + Traditional Arts Program. This year theBayou City Art Festival will be held at the Memorial ParkConservancy on Friday, March 22, Saturday March 23 and Sunday, March 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are free for members and children 2 and under. Non-members may purchase tickets online or at festival doors for $15 for adults and $3 for children 3 through 12. 

About Bayou City Art Festival: 

Established in 1972, the Art Colony Association(ACA) is a 501c(3) non-profit organization dedicated to producing high quality art festivals and events to provide financial support to local non-profit organizations. Over the past 40 years, the Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown in the fall and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park in the spring, has raised more than $2.5 million for local nonprofit organizations. The Festivals are funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance. Visit www.bayoucityartfestival.com for more information.