Galveston Art League Holds 12 Monthly Shows Per Year

A gallery guest checks out artwork accepted into a past juried
competition hosted by the Galveston Art League in its downtown gallery, 2117A
Postoffice St. A judge determines which entries into juried shows will be exhibited
and which artists will receive cash prizes and ribbons.

The Galveston Art League hosts 12 shows per year at its downtown gallery, 2117A Postoffice St., with entries for a judged February show due soon.
The league’s changing displays of diverse works, many of them with a coastal theme, helped Galveston
Art League earn a Reader’s Choice Award for best art gallery from The Galveston County Daily News in
2018. 
The physical gallery is open noon to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and virtual shoppers are welcomed
24/7 at www.GalvestonArtLeague.com.  
Nine of the Art League’s annual exhibits are member-only art shows/sales that last roughly a month.
Member artists – some of them emerging and some who are well-established – exhibit up to three
works per person; featured artists display about a dozen pieces near the front of the gallery. All pieces
are offered for sale; wall art is ready to hang. If an artist sells one item, he or she may replace it with a
new item for no additional entry fee. 
There is a Featured Artist of the Month at each member show. This artist, who is required to hold a
professional membership in Galveston Art League, exhibits about a dozen artworks near the front of the
gallery. The league advertises to promote the featured artist.
Entry fees for members are $30 for each of the first two pieces and $10 for a third; members who have
volunteered for six or more hours over the past two months receive a 50 percent discount on their entry
fees, meaning they pay only $35 to enter three works. All works exhibited during member shows are for
sale.
And as mentioned earlier, February is one of the three months (in addition to May and September),
when the Galveston Art League hosts juried competitions. Entries for the Winter Juried Show 2021
should be dropped off at the league’s downtown Galveston gallery between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Jan.
25 (and by appointment only on Jan. 24). The show runs Jan. 29-Feb. 21.
The competitions are open to non-members as well as members 15 and older. The February prospectus
– which has full details on entering the winter show – is available via a link in the black sidebar on the
Art League’s homepage. Members’ entry fees are $15 for the first two pieces and $5 for a third. Non-
members pay $20 per entry.
A judge from outside the organization – an accomplished artist, art educator, or experienced judge with
a strong educational background in art – evaluates the entries. The judge determines which works pass
muster to be displayed in the exhibit, which ones will not be displayed, and which ones will receive
awards. 
Categories for juried shows are photography, works on canvas or board, works on paper, 3-D wall-hung
art, and 3-D freestanding works such as sculpture, art dolls, woodcarvings, jewelry, pottery, and

metalwork. Cash prizes are given to the best of show and first- and second-place recipients. Third-place
and honorable-mention ribbons also are awarded.    
Most art in Galveston Art League juried shows is for sale, but artists who participate in these shows may
also designate entries as not for sale. Juried-show pieces that are sold must remain in the gallery until
the juried show concludes.
The Galveston Art League, established in 1914, has never had a salaried member on staff. The league
charges only a 20 percent commission on gallery sales. Commissions are one revenue stream in the
organization’s budget. Other support comes from membership and sponsorship fees, show fees, direct
contributions, an annual fundraiser gala (canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic), and modest
tuition to attend adult and children’s workshops that will resume post-pandemic.
To learn more about Galveston Art League, please visit www.GalvestonArtLeague.com; to find details
about memberships (fees are tax-deductible), please click on “Join” at the top of the homepage. To
contact someone in the organization, please call 940-222-1958 or email [email protected].