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ARTFEST – MSC Visual Arts Committee
MSC Visual Arts Committee
Texas A&M University Recognized Student Organization

ARTFEST

ArtFest is the annual student art competition and exhibition sponsored by the Memorial Student Center’s Visual Arts Committee.

Collage exhibit of artworks submitted for ArtFest 2018
ArtFest 2027

ArtFest 2027 will be on display in the James R. Reynolds Student Art Gallery from January 20 to March 10, 2027. The top three winners of ArtFest will receive a cash prize. Winners will be announced publicly at the reception in the James R. Reynolds Gallery (date to be determined). Admission is free and artists, friends, faculty and family members are invited to attend.

Artwork submissions will be collected in the Reynolds Gallery during the week of December 1- 3rd, 2026 so save the date now!

Early bird submission fees start November 1st, 2026 on the MSC Visual Arts Committee Marketplace eStore. Tickets must be purchased in advance.

All submissions must be ready to hang (with hooks, picture wire, brackets or other hardware on the back). 3-dimensional submissions must be freestanding, or you must provide some form of support. If you are unsure how to prepare your work, review page 3 of the ArtFest 2027 Rules and Instructions, or email vac@tamu.edu.

Follow our Instagram @msc_vac or watch this space for important submission updates.

How to Submit Artwork to ArtFest 2027

Review Instructions

Review the ARTFEST 2027 rules and instructions and follow them carefully

Complete Form

Complete the Artist Information Form Online. You will receive an automatic email copy of your submission form as confirmation.

Pay Fees

Pay your submission fees at the MSC Visual Arts Committee Marketplace eStore. (Early bird submission tickets ($6) will open November 1, 2026. Regular Price tickets ($*8) start November 8)

Submit Artwork

Drop off your artwork(s)* at the James R. Reynolds Gallery during the week of December 1st – 3rd, 2026. (Anyone who submits an Artist Information Form or pays their submission fees on the Marketplace eStore will receive an email with the drop off schedule).

*Film submissions can be sent by file transfer to vac@msc.tamu.edu, or brought to the James R. Reynolds Gallery on a USB data stick.

Save the Date

The ArtFest 2027 Winner Announcement and Reception will be held in the James R. Reynolds Gallery to announce the winners of ArtFest 2027 (Date TBD). Admission is free and all artists, friends, faculty and family members are welcome to attend.

ArtFest 2026 Winners and Exhibit

Congratulations to our 2026 winners featured below!

Sierra Fuentes MFA Visualization, from Vero Beach, FL Sofi Oil painting “This painting began with a quiet moment at home during winter break, a few days after Christmas. I found my little sister asleep on the living room couch, wrapped in her pink blanket. Her pose reminded me of Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, a print of which hangs in my great-grandmother’s house. I’m drawn to these kinds of small connections, where an ordinary moment unexpectedly echoes something from memory. They’re the kinds of links I look for when I make work. When I paint, I focus on shape and pattern. Even if an image softens beyond what I initially draft, it begins with structure: lines, grids. In the end, the image rests on a framework, or a link, that the viewer may never fully see.”

FIRST PLACE

Sierra Fuentes

MFA Visualization, from Vero Beach, FL

 

Sofi

Oil painting

 

“This painting began with a quiet moment at home during winter break, a few days after Christmas. I found my little sister asleep on the living room couch, wrapped in her pink blanket. Her pose reminded me of Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, a print of which hangs in my great-grandmother’s house. I’m drawn to these kinds of small connections, where an ordinary moment unexpectedly echoes something from memory. They’re the kinds of links I look for when I make work. When I paint, I focus on shape and pattern. Even if an image softens beyond what I initially draft, it begins with structure: lines, grids. In the end, the image rests on a framework, or a link, that the viewer may never fully see.”

 

Ethan Brooks Visualization major, from Aledo, TX. 21st Oil Painting “My whole life I’ve struggled with anxiety, and I never really related to any visual representations I’ve seen in the past. I wanted to create a painting that showed a realistic interpretation of my personal anxiety. I utilized color and value to differentiate the different emotions within the painting.”

SECOND PLACE

Ethan Brooks
Visualization major, from Aledo, TX.

21st
Oil Painting

“My whole life I’ve struggled with anxiety, and I never really related to any visual representations I’ve seen in the past. I wanted to create a painting that showed a realistic interpretation of my personal anxiety. I utilized color and value to differentiate the different emotions within the painting.”

 

Jasmine Truong Neuroscience major, from Sugar Land, TX. Sweet Skies and Moolicious Vibes Acrylic Painting “Jasmine Truong loves to paint skies and credits this piece as her most complex attempt at painting clouds. Many elements in this painting resemble parts of her hometown, such as the sky and hay bale field, as she used photos she personally took during early morning sunrises as references. This piece was created as a submission to the Houston Rodeo, where it went on to win a blue ribbon.”  

THIRD PLACE

Jasmine Truong
Neuroscience major, from Sugar Land, TX.

Sweet Skies and Moolicious Vibes
Acrylic Painting

“Jasmine Truong loves to paint skies and credits this piece as her most complex attempt at painting clouds. Many elements in this painting resemble parts of her hometown, such as the sky and hay bale field, as she used photos she personally took during early morning sunrises as references. This piece was created as a submission to the Houston Rodeo, where it went on to win a blue ribbon.”

 

Grace Styskal Business Honors major, from Houston, TX. Sylvie in Yellow Oil Painting “Portrait of my cat, done in oil paint.”  

POPULAR VOTE WINNER

Grace Styskal
Business Honors major, from Houston, TX.

Sylvie in Yellow
Oil Painting

 

“Portrait of my cat, done in oil paint.”

 

Previous Winners

"Opening Day" Painting by Toryn Autry. Three hunting dogs in pursuit in a field of grass.
"Likeness" pencil drawing by Samica Joshua. Portrait of a man looking straight at the viewer.
Photograph by Will Pierce. A comet in the night sky over The Aggie Barn.
Sierra Fuentes MFA Visualization, from Vero Beach, FL Sofi Oil painting “This painting began with a quiet moment at home during winter break, a few days after Christmas. I found my little sister asleep on the living room couch, wrapped in her pink blanket. Her pose reminded me of Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, a print of which hangs in my great-grandmother’s house. I’m drawn to these kinds of small connections, where an ordinary moment unexpectedly echoes something from memory. They’re the kinds of links I look for when I make work. When I paint, I focus on shape and pattern. Even if an image softens beyond what I initially draft, it begins with structure: lines, grids. In the end, the image rests on a framework, or a link, that the viewer may never fully see.”
Ethan Brooks Visualization major, from Aledo, TX. 21st Oil Painting “My whole life I’ve struggled with anxiety, and I never really related to any visual representations I’ve seen in the past. I wanted to create a painting that showed a realistic interpretation of my personal anxiety. I utilized color and value to differentiate the different emotions within the painting.”