Artists and community connecting to create and celebrate visual arts!

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Monthly guest artist presentations
Monthly guest artist presentations
125-Mile Exhibition
175-Mile Exhibition
Merging Visions Exhibition
Merging Visions Exhibition
VAST Members Exhibition
VAST Members Exhibition
VAST artist workshops
Artist workshops
VAST mini shows
Mini shows during monthly meetings
Denton High School Competition and Exhibition
Denton High School Competition and Exhibition
VAST Artist's Day Out (VADO)
VAST Artist's Day Out (VADO)
Monthly critique group
Monthly critique group
Figure drawing studio
Figure drawing workshops
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Calendar

VAST Monthly Guest Artist Presentations

Everyone is welcome to attend the monthly meetings, which include a guest artist presentation featuring an art demonstration and lecture. Presentations are held at 6:45 pm on the first Wednesday of each month (September through May) at the Patterson-Appleton Center for the Visual Arts, located at 400 E. Hickory, Denton, Texas. The presentations are free for VAST Members and $5 for guests. A student attending with a VAST member (Educator Level) may also attend at no charge.

VAST Mini-Show Competition

Details for the Mini-Show:

All VAST member artists are invited to participate in the monthly Mini -Show exhibition and competition, held during regular monthly meetings from September through March. First and second place winners are determined by member votes which occurs during a break in the evening meeting. All monthly first-place winners are automatically entered in the competition for Artist of the Year, which is held and voted on by the membership during the May meeting (no regular mini-shows in April or May). There is no advance sign up or fee required to enter the mini-show; simply bring artwork to the meeting and register at that time. Cash awards, sponsored in 2022-23 by The Stafford Group, are given for both first and second place winners.

March 2023 Winners

Monthly guest artist presentationsMonthly guest artist presentations 125-Mile Exhibition175-Mile ExhibitionMerging Visions ExhibitionMerging Visions ExhibitionVAST Members ExhibitionVAST Members ExhibitionVAST artist workshopsArtist workshopsVAST mini showsMini shows during

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2023 Member Show

34th ANNUAL VAST MEMBERS EXHIBITIONAugust 25 – September 23, 2023Patterson-Appleton Arts CenterOpening Reception August 25, 5:00 – 7:00 pm CALENDAR (dates may change slightly) Saturday,

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NEW this year – Creative Stretch

VAST is introducing a second show called Creative Stretch. This competition is held during the 2022-23 monthly meetings, voted on by membership during the break, and will feature a monthly theme. There is no advance registration or fee, and a cash award is presented to the first place winner, sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama. A member artist may enter (and win) as many of these shows as desired.

THEMES:

September:
October:
November:
December:
January:
February:
March:
April:
May:

Photography
Fall Themed Artwork
Box Challenge*
Tiny Pieces (6″x6″ pieces or smaller)
Trash to Treasure – reused products only
Mardi Gras Themed Artwork
Spring Fling Florals Theme
(high school students show only)
3D Art (ceramics, textiles, sculpture)

Sept: Photography
Oct: Fall Themed Artwork
Nov: Box Challenge*
Dec: Tiny Pieces (6″x6″ pieces or smaller)
Jan: Trash to Treasure – reused products only
Feb: Mardi Gras Themed Artwork
Mar: Spring Fling Florals Theme
Apr: (high school student show only)
May: 3D Art (ceramics, textiles, sculpture)

*For the Box Challenge, at the October meeting there will be a limited number of boxes with identical supplies inside and specific ‘rules’ to follow. The November show will highlight the artist’s interpretation and construction from those materials, following the ‘rules’.

(Note: Any Creative Stretch pieces may also be entered in a regular Mini-Show during a different month if the artist so desires.)

Additional VAST Offerings

VAST also offers bi-annual artist workshops throughout the year, a monthly critique group,  September through May (excluding December), and invitational exhibitions of members’ artworks in the area (libraries and businesses)! VAST also sponsors an annual art competition for Denton County high school art students  with awards.

Memberships are valid from June 1 – May 31st, and there are various levels of memberships available.

Benefits of Membership

Student and Educator discounts available!!

All of this for only $37 a year!!!

Memberships are valid from June 1 – May 31st, and there are various levels of memberships available.

President's Message

         Kimberly Karl

From the President’s Paintbrush

Spring, it’s one of my favorite times of the year.  Everything is budding or blooming!  Each day when I check my online friends, pictures of flowers in bloom, birds stopping off for a snack at the feeders and children and grandchildren graduating proliferate post after post.  Why do I feel like I walk around with a silly smile on my face?  It becomes easy to explain.  I treasure each day and I hope you do too!
As artists, I think we are hyper-sensitive to beauty. How lucky are we?  At our March meeting, I was filled with a gratitude for the art teachers that had high school students enter the yearly art contest.  What a gift you are giving to our youth.  Their talent was a beautiful testament to your time and effort.
As a young person, I was never afforded the opportunity, or I didn’t recognize there even was an opportunity for me to participate in art.  Had it not been for a close friend nudging me to get busy on my bucket list, I may never have picked up a paint brush and dobbed that first bit of water on that luxurious paper!  Painting has given me a new sense of peace.  I will always be grateful for that first drop of paint spilling and spreading that provides me a sense of wonder.  I love to hang out with you as I know you share my excitement.  I see it in your work!
As you read this we will be on our way to the last VAST meeting of this year.  What a perfect time to create, create, create.  Pay close attention to each section of this newsletter and watch the website for information regarding the new date for the Members’ Show and what’s going on around town.  There’s lots of news in the ART world!
And watch for the date and place for the inaugural VAST Brown Bag Lunch get-together that will be held in June.  This will be a special time to hang out and get to know each other better.  I am asking you to bring something small in a bag so each person can “pick a prize” and go home with an original piece of art from a new friend!  Ideas might include:  a tiny jewelry saucer, a tiny framed photograph, a quilted coaster, a painting or let your imagination run wild.  Watch closely for more details!!!
I will miss you at the May meeting as I will be seeking out new subjects and visiting galleries in California with my talented daughter.  I am leaving your meeting in exceptional hands, our program chair, Carolyn Johnson.  Please enjoy the meeting, make a new friend, and as I always say, Take good care of you…..and keep creating!   See you at the member’s show in August.

VAST News

March 2023 Winners

March 2023 MINI-SHOW – 1st Place  Robin Butt   “Rough Seas”  Watercolor and ink      MINI-SHOW – 2nd Place  Carolyn Johnson  “Full Flight”   Watercolor    CREATIVE STRETCH WINNER  Madelyn

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2023 Member Show

34th ANNUAL VAST MEMBERS EXHIBITIONAugust 25 – September 23, 2023Patterson-Appleton Arts CenterOpening Reception August 25, 5:00 – 7:00 pm CALENDAR (dates may change slightly) Saturday,

Read More »