The 55th Annulal Delta Exhibition officially opens today at the Arkansas Arts Center in the Winthrop Rockefeller Gallery. The Delta runs through March 10.

Since 1958, the Delta has grown into one of the most anticipated Arkansas Arts Center exhibitions of the  year!

It actually predates the opening of the Arkansas Arts Center but was originally presented at the time the plans for the Arts Center were being finalized.

This juried exhibition features innovative and provocative two and three-dimensional works in all media. Each year, more than 900 entries are received from artists who live in or were born in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee or Texas.

A guest juror selects works for the exhibition and a Grand Award and two Delta Awards for the top works in the show.  The Delta represents the dynamic vision of the artists of the Mississippi Delta region and offers visitors a glimpse into the contemporary art scene.

This year’s Delta is sponsored by Dianne and Bobby Tucker and the Munro Foundation.  The Grand Award is supported by The John William Linn Endowment Fund.  The Exhibition is supported by the Andre Simon Memorial Trust in memory of everyone who has died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The juror for the 55th Delta is Monica Bowman.  She is the owner of The Butcher’s Daughter contemporary art gallery in Detroit, Michigan. Since 2008, she has curated over 20 exhibitions in Detroit and New York. Her gallery regularly participates in the PULSE contemporary art fairs. The gallery has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and W Magazine. Bowman teaches Business Practices for Fine Artists at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies. She earned her M.A. in Museum Studies from Georgetown University with a specialization in Contemporary Art from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in New York. Bowman will select the artworks to be exhibited and assign the $2500 Grand Award and two $750 Delta Awards.