The CAIN National Spring Art Show is returning to Del Mar College this semester, marking 60 years of the nationally recognized exhibition.

Founded in 1966 by Joseph A. Cain, the CAIN National was created to bring professional artwork from across the country to Del Mar College. Each year a guest juror from outside the region selects artwork from hundreds of submissions, providing students with exposure to diverse artistic styles and curatorial perspectives.

This year’s exhibition was juried by Brooklyn-based artist Tabitha Whitley.

Whitley has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the Fashion Institute of Technology and a Master’s in Fine Arts in Painting from the New York Academy of Art. Her notable works include a group show at the Brooklyn Museum “Brooklyn Artist Exhibition” and a solo show at Gracie Mansion, “From Roots to Radiance: Embracing Her Soft Era.” Whitley’s art has also received attention in from publications like The Wall Street Journal and The Guardian.

“As an artist, I have spent much of my career on the applicant side of art competitions, so I understand how meaningful an opportunity like this can be,” Whitley expressed in an interview with Del Mar College’s Media Relations. “With that in mind, I gave careful consideration to each of the nearly 1,000 works submitted.”

For this year’s art show, 985 entries were submitted. Fifty-five pieces will be in the exhibition, including 25 sculptures and 30 two-dimensional artworks.

The 60th annual Cain National Artists, spanning across 18 states, include: Liz Baldwin, Melanie Berardicelli, Jasmine Best, Aaron Booker, Steven Bradbury, Kimberly Callas, Andrew Chalfen, Dave Clark, David Collins, Eddina Coppage, Javier Coronado, Bharathi Dev, Maritza Duncan, Karen Eisele, Michael Foerster, Audrianna Gonzalez, Ronald Gonzalez, Charles Gray, John Halligan, Omar Harb, Carol Hayman, Anastasia Hood, Jesse Howard, Rebecca James, TK Kuk, Andrea La Valleur-Purvis, Nancy Lamb, Kristin Lindseth, Kai Lum, Jason Makepeace, Mikayla Malik, Mikayla Malik, Valerie Mann, Molly Mansfield, Elena Masrour, Doug McAbee, Tom McIntire, Sarah Merola, Brigid OKane, Kate Oltmann, Mesoma Onyeagba, Taylor Ramsey, Taylor Ramsey, Eric Michael Rauseo, Joshua Reyes, Lyle Rushing, Soup Russell, Carmen Schaefer, Yomarie Silva-O’neal, Jordan Stanford, Zachary Stensen, Carlos Villarreal, Michelle Williams, Saffron Williams, Jingshuo Yang

A Spring Art Talk with Juror Tabitha Whitley will be held Thursday, February 12 at 11 a.m. in Richardson Performance Hall on Heritage Campus.

An opening reception for the CAIN show will be on Friday, Feb. 13 from 6-8 p.m.in the Fine Arts Center. The building is located off Ayers Street, between Fern Street and Tompkins Street.

The show along with the art talk and opening reception are free and open to the public. The show runs weekdays Feb. 16 through April 17. The gallery is open from Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m. to noon, except during Del Mar College’s spring break March 9-14.