The oil painting “Strength” by Dilleen Marsh is one of the more than 200 pieces of art on display in the annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale this year from Feb. 13 through March 27 at the Sears Art Museum Gallery on the Dixie State University campus.

(ST. GEORGE, Utah – Jan. 25, 2016), For USN  –  The annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale, recognized as one of the biggest art events in the state of Utah, kicks off its 29^th year on Friday, Feb. 12, in the Sears Art Museum Gallery on the Dixie State University campus.

The Sears Dixie Invitational, which features approximately 220 works from 120 renowned artists this year, includes a symposium and opening gala in addition to the exhibit itself.

All works on display were done in traditional realism style and range from photo-realism to stylized works. Media on display include bronze, ceramic, watercolor, mixed media, oil and pastel created by artists from all over the U.S. and well-known Utah and local artists. Created as a way to get art in people’s homes, the show only features the works of artists who have been invited to participate.

“The Sears Dixie Invitational, entering its 29th year, is a living testimony to the value of fine art to a living university,” Dr. Jeffery Jarvis, dean of Dixie State’s School of Visual and Performing Arts, said. “The tradition of art of the highest quality, available at a range of reasonable prices, all to benefit a university gallery is one of DSU’s proudest.”

DSU Sears Dixie Invitational: Attendees of the 2015 annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale peruse the art on display in the Sears Art Museum Gallery. This year’s gala is set to take place on Friday, Feb. 12, in the gallery, which is located on the Dixie State University campus.

This year’s event will kick off at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 12, in the Dolores Dorè Eccles Fine Arts Center Concert Hall with an art symposium featuring 2015 Purchase Prize Winner George Handrahan.

Handrahan, who has won more than 70 major awards, has been painting the landscapes of Utah, California and New England for more than 40 years. Raised in South Weber, Handrahan creates art that is characterized by both his lifetime affinity with nature and his knowledge of art principles, design and composition. His primary objectives are to capture those instants in nature where form, color and light are constantly changing. His paintings invite the viewer to see color they might otherwise have missed, sense a mood frequently ignored and share in the beauty of a transient time and place.

Admission to the symposium is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

Later that day, the opening gala will commence with an art preview at 4 p.m. in the gallery, offering attendees the opportunity to be the first to view the art and select the pieces they are interested in purchasing. The opening gala reception will follow at 6 p.m. in the Eccles Fine Arts Center Grand Foyer. The reception will feature background music and delicious food as well as an atmosphere that encourages attendees to mingle with one another.

“The Sears Dixie Invitational is all about the arts,” Karman Wilson, assistant director of cultural arts at Dixie State University, said. “The reason we are there is to focus on the exhibited art, and the gala creates a sense of excitement and encourages people to visit about art.”

Tickets for this semiformal event are $75 per person and are available by contacting Susan Taysom at 435-652-7903 or taysom@dixie.edu.

The Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale was conceived as a way to fun the preservation of the art on the Dixie State University campus. The annual event is the only fundraiser held each year in support of the university’s Sears Art Museum Gallery.

The exhibit will open to the public on Saturday, Feb. 13, and will be on display through March 27. Featuring extended hours for this exhibit, the gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 2 to 6 p.m. Sundays. Sears Art Museum Gallery is locatedin the Dolores Dorè Eccles Fine Arts Center on the DSU campus at 155 S. University Ave.

The oil painting “Pine Valley Mountain” by Del Parson is one of the more than 200 pieces of art on display in the annual Robert N. and Peggy Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale this year from Feb. 13 through March 27 at the Sears Art Museum Gallery on the Dixie State University campus.

For more information, contact Karman Wilson, assistant director of cultural arts, at Dixie State University, at wilson@dixie.edu or visit www.dixieculturalarts.com/sears-museum-2.