The Arts Council had originally specified that there would be six “Certificate of Merit” pieces selected. But because of the overall impressive quality of the artistic work of all the entries, the judges ended up selecting seven pieces.

In fact, the scores of many of the art pieces that were not chosen as “Certificate of Merit” winners were very close to the top seven scores as well.

The "Certificate of Merit" winners were "Lo, I Am With You Always" by Carol Pace, "Freedom" by Lou Violette, "Father Time" by Eddie Watson, "Earth Angel" by Mary Norvell, "El Estudio Amarillo" by Dennis O'Bryant, "Magical Sticks" by William Simpson, and "Me" by Curtis Graff.

On behalf of the Arts Council, board president Christina Anderson extended congratulations to the “Certificate of Merit” winners and all the 30 local artists who entered--"We thank everyone who participated in making this inaugural year of “The Great East Texas Arts Competition” a huge success. We look forward to the arts competition building through the years and continually reaching out to more artists in our tri-county region."

The seven “Certificate of Merit” winners will now “go on the road” as part of “The Great East Texas Arts Roadshow” in which the works will be displayed at various venues, events, and historic sites in towns in the Harrison, Marion, and Panola County region. Presently scheduled are events in Marshall, Jefferson, Carthage, Waskom, Hallsville, and Jonesville. A detailed "Arts Roadshow" schedule will be announced soon.

Go to the gallery to se art work by clicking below.