54th Annual Rockport Art Festival Scheduled for July 4th Weekend

by Jessica Fuentes June 2, 2022
A photograph of festival booths set up in a grassy area. The image appears to have a blue watercolor painted on top of it.

Rockport Art Festival

The Rockport Center for the Arts (RCA) has announced that its annual art festival and art auction gala will take place during the first weekend of July.

First launched in 1969, this year marks the 54th anniversary of the Rockport Art Festival. The annual event welcomes an estimated 10,000 attendees and over 120 artists from across the United States, and is a major fundraiser for RCA.

In a press release announcing the event, Karen Ernst, the festival chairman said, “We are very excited to once again be hosting this grand tradition on July Fourth weekend in Rockport. For over 50 years, the Rockport Art Festival has been a holiday gathering place for artists, patrons, and tourists alike under the tent on Aransas Bay… It is both a celebration of creativity and the premier place to collect original works of art in a vast array of media and price points, as well as a causal festival experience for families complete with great food vendors, live music, a beer garden, and children’s activities.”

The festival is a two-day event that will take place on Saturday, July 2 (10 am – 6 pm) and Sunday July 3 (10 am – 5 pm) at the Rockport Festival Grounds at 1500 E. Laurel, Rockport, TX 78382. 

A painting of a small boat tied up at a boat dock. The white boat with blue trim sits in deep blue waters and is set against a light blue sky with a low pink cloud. Artwork by Jeffrey Neel McDaniel.

Jeffrey Neel McDaniel, “Fulton Harbor, Early May, Late Afternoon,” oil on canvas, 40 x 30 x 1.5 inches.

Since 1993, each year a committee chooses an artist to design a poster for the festival. This year’s poster will feature original art by Corpus Christi-based Jeffrey Neel McDaniel. Mr. McDaniel is a painter best known for his pieces inspired by nature. Most of his work features seascapes, though past bodies of work focus on the Texas Hill Country and Big Bend. RCA will choose one of Mr. McDaniel’s paintings to create a poster and a giclée print for the event. Both posters and prints will be available for purchase. 

Additionally, the original painting chosen will be unveiled at a solo exhibition of the artist’s work at RCA and will be available for purchase at the Art Auction Gala. The auction will take place the evening of Friday, July 1.

For more information about and to purchase tickets for the festival and auction visit RCA’s website.

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