Student artist Anthony Hurlburt is shown launching his “Explosion of Thought” floating sculpture at the 2008 “Art on Water” art exhibition at the City Hall Reflection Pool at Bayou City Art Festival Downtown. “Art on Water” artist applications are available at www.bayoucityartfestival.com/art-on-water . Deadline to submit original floating, stationary or kinetic designs for the 2009 event is September 18.

Call for Entries: Bayou City Art Festival Downtown’s Art on Water, Oct. 9-11

HOUSTON (July 7, 2009) – It’s time to get the creative juices flowing for the Call for Entries for Bayou City Art Festival Downtown’s annual “Art on Water” floating art exhibition. The event, located in Houston’s City Hall Reflection Pool, 901 Bagby between Walker and McKinney Streets in Hermann Square, is the centerpiece of the Bayou City Art Festival Downtown October 10-11, 2009.

Individuals, groups and students are invited to design original floating, stationary or kinetic art pieces for the water-locked art display. “Art on Water” is launched October 9 and is up through Sunday, October 11. The pieces are on view to approximately 30,000 art festival patrons.

“Art on Water,” presented by Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown, invites artists to submit a rendering and description of their artwork for consideration now through September 18.  Bayou City Art Festival Downtown staff and invited outside jurors will select fifteen (15) pieces for the exhibit. Festival art jurors will award cash honors to the first ($500), second and third place ($250 each) artists on Sunday, October 11. Festival patrons will also select a Patron's Choice award ($250).

No advertisements or name recognition is allowed on the artwork. Other requirements are as follows: size, maximum six-foot base; no height restrictions. Materials must be waterproof and non-bio-degradable. The floating work must be weighted with plastic weights. Use of any material that will disintegrate, dissolve or in anyway damage the reflecting pool or stain the water or concrete is strictly prohibited.

Bayou City Art Festival Downtown primes the heart of the city for a weekend of art in the city. The juried fine art festival, framed by Houston’s world-class skyline, is a one-of-a-kind outdoor gallery with its highly acclaimed mix of visual, performing, culinary and interactive arts.
   
Over the two-day festival, art lovers enjoy downtown’s newly fashioned pedestrian promenades in and around City Hall. Walker, Bagby and McKinney Streets, closed to vehicular traffic, are lined with artists’ booths where patrons can interact with 300 juried fine artists one-on-one. The Festival also encompasses Houston Public Library Downtown Plaza and Sam Houston Park, which are home to the Capital One Bank Creative Zone for children’s interactive art projects and international food and wine cafes, respectively.
   
The City of Houston and Houston Parks & Recreation Department, Budweiser, Capital One Bank, KTRK-TV, Houston Chronicle and Legacy at Memorial high-rise apartments are among the Festival sponsors. The Festival is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.
      
Over the past 37 years, the Art Colony Association, producer of Bayou City Art Festival Downtown in the fall and Bayou City Art Festival Memorial Park in spring, has raised more than $2.5 million for local nonprofit organizations. The Art Colony Association is a 501 C-3 organization.       

For further info, go to www.bayoucityartfestival.com, or call (713) 521-0133. # # #