76092: How are the artists selected? What about the featured artists?

Messing: The AITS jury meets in November to select the 150 invited artists to the show. In addition, the jury selects the featured artists, looking for excellence, the “wow” factor, the best of the entries.

Christine Adele Moore is one of the artists featured at this year’s Art in the Square.

Featured artists ship us paintings for the “Strokes of AITS” exhibit that will hang in Southlake town hall until AITS opens in April.

Our jury is made up of seven artists. Jurors rank art 1-5 (5 the highest) and are “blind” meaning no names are seen. Our jury makeup changes from year to year.

The jury looks at over 5,000 art images over the next day and a half. It’s a busy couple of days, but it is so fun. We receive 650-700 applications a year, so our show is quite competitive.

76092: How has Art on the Square evolved over time?

Messing: Our goals for art have been the same: showcasing for our community the very best talent we can. As application numbers have risen, so has the quality of art. Every year I am impressed with the level of the submissions.

We also try to keep the show fresh. So people come year after year to see what’s new, what they’ve seen before that spoke to them, and maybe they are ready to purchase.

AITS is consistently in the top 10 fine art shows in the country. The ranking is based on sales of art.

The show takes a village to run with hundreds of volunteers and support from the city and Southlake Town Square.

From the vast landscapes of Africa to the changing seasons of the Midwest, Coreen Johnson’s oil paintings capture the beauty and atmosphere of the world around her.

76092: How many artists will be showcasing their work at the festival this year?

Messing: We will have 150 artists in attendance. We’ve been at this number for many years. In the festival’s early years, we had fewer artists of course. We had 40 at our first show and then 80 at the second. 

This current number of artists allows us to offer plenty of space. We offer 5-10 feet in between all booths so that artists can hang on outside tent walls.

This “spread” layout makes for a better viewing experience for our attendees. And allows our artists some flexibility to optimize and enhance their display.

76092: Is there a specific artist or type of work that you’re looking forward to showcasing?

Messing: The jury selects art based on excellence, the elements of design: line, shape, space, value, form, texture and color, but also composition, uniqueness, creativity and the gestalt.

We strive for a variety of styles from realistic/traditional to abstract, from colorful to neutrals, different mediums—2D-oil, acrylic, drawing, watercolor, printmaking, mixed media, 3D- wood, metal, mixed media, ceramics, jewelry, glass, fiber and photography. 

We want to showcase talent, creativity and a stimulating eye-catching artistic view while also appealing to a variety of tastes to a range of people. 

The artists must be on site for the show. This allows visitors to get to know the artists and learn more about their work.