Del Mar College Art Program Opening 59th Annual CAIN National Art Show Feb. 21 with Celebratory Reception with Public Invited
Article by: Richard Guerrero, Jr. Nearly 70 carefully selected works in 2-D, 3-D and digital media from 21 states await gallery visitors as part of the 59th Annual CAIN National Art Show, which opens with a celebratory reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21. Formerly known as the Annual National Drawing and Small Sculpture Show, the newly renamed CAIN National Art Show is a long-running juried exhibition of contemporary artists from virtually every corner of the United States. “We are proud of what the CAIN National has done for Del Mar College and the Corpus Christi art community,” says Kirstin Dale, DMC Associate Professor of Art, who also serves as the Art Program Coordinator and Gallery Manager. “For six decades, we have built a permanent collection of incredible 2-D and 3-D art, all of which is available for the public to view.” The Friday evening opening reception and two-month art show are located in the Joseph A. Cain Memorial Art Gallery of the Fine Arts Center on the college’s Heritage Campus, 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404), get directions and campus map. The 59th Annual CAIN National Art Show runs through April 25 with gallery hours scheduled Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays by appointment. Both the reception and show are free and open to the public. The Feb. 21 reception features catering by Citrus Bistro and a cash bar. During the event, three prize-winning artworks will be announced, and these selections will be added to Del Mar College’s permanent art collection. The event is also part of the college’s 90th Anniversary observances scheduled through the fall 2025 semester. For more information about the 59th Annual CAIN National Art Show, visit the gallery’s website at delmar.edu/gallery or contact the Art Program at art@delmar.edu or 361-698-1216. The CAIN National Art Show features a wide array of works selected by 2025 juror Alejandro Macias, a distinguished painter and draftsman with a notable career in the arts. Macias, who has garnered recognition for his artistic achievements, including prestigious residencies at the Vermont Studio Center, The Studios at MASS MoCA and Uncool Artist in Brooklyn, New York, recently received the Lehmann Emerging Artist Award. His solo exhibitions have been held at Texas venues, such as the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in Lubbock and Presa House Gallery in San Antonio as well as the Tucson Museum of Art in Arizona and Latch-Key Gallery in New York City. A Brownsville, Texas, native, Macias is an Assistant Professor of Painting and Drawing at the University of Arizona School of Art in Tucson. Macias describes a two-pronged approach to curating DMC’s national exhibition, saying, “I am often seeking works that speak to me and help me remember what matters most in my life: family, place, identity, cultural empowerment and sociopolitical concerns affecting our country today. On the other hand, I also value works that are playful, mysterious and aesthetically and technically proficient.” Prior to the Friday opening reception, Macias will deliver a lecture where he will discuss his artwork, perspectives and insights. The lecture is scheduled in Richardson Performance Hall on Heritage Campus on Thursday, Feb. 20, starting at 11 a.m. This year’s CAIN National Art Show attracted record-breaking number of submissions to date – 1,020. A total of 64 artists who submitted 67 works (a little less than 7 percent) were selected. Artists from 21 states spanning from California to Maine are represented, including 34 Texas-based artists with five from Corpus Christi. Additionally, three of the selected artists are alumni of Del Mar College’s Art Program. The exhibition will showcase: · 17 paintings · 11 drawings · 17 sculptures · 2 photographs · 9 ceramic works · 2 prints · 2 digital media works · 6 alternative media pieces Macias hopes the exhibition leaves a lasting impact on gallery visitors. “My hope is that any viewer that gets to see this work together leaves the exhibition inspired and altered. I truly believe that art can heal, transcend and disseminate across time, culture, race and religion,” he said.