Jason Bly, an Associate Professor at the Juanita and Ralph Harvey School of Visual Arts at Midwestern State, was recently honored to serve as the juror for the Art St. Louis XXXV, a show featuring 52 artists.

Bly, who teaches painting and drawing, enjoyed a chance to view so many fine works.

“Being asked to juror the regional show was a great honor,” he said. “There were over 500 works submitted, so narrowing down to the final 52 pieces in the show was a task. I know some artists had been exhibiting for over 40 years, while others were new to the annual exhibition. It was a pleasure to speak with all during the opening night about their processes and thematic choices.”

Robin Hirsch-Steinhoff, Art Saint Louis’ artistic director, discussed the reason for Bly’s selection to laduenews.com. “We bring in different people to serve as our jurors – selecting the artworks from all that are submitted for jurying – and awards judges for each show, so it’s never the same juror or awards judge twice. (He previously lived and worked in St. Louis and even exhibited in some of our shows at Art Saint Louis.”

Bly enjoys contributing to the arts at MSU Texas and the Wichita Falls area, too.

“At the university level, the faculty at MSU all encourage students to apply to local and regional shows, including the annual student exhibition held in the spring,” Bly said. “It is a good learning experience for undergrads and very encouraging to witness the recognition our students receive. I love seeing their work, craft, and identities grow.”