"You don't need to know anything about art to enjoy it, and it's free to walk in," Rockwall Art League president Tammy Pennington said in Blue Ribbon News' preview of this year's show.
The bigger change is where you walk in. The league's 26th Annual Juried Fine Art Show & Sale runs October 16 through 18 at The Center at Rockwall City Place, 108 E. Washington St., in downtown Rockwall. For the last three years the show hung in Cavender Nissan of Rockwall on the I-30 frontage road. This year the league also brought in new size and delivery rules, moved the show from September to October, and set up a Sunday schedule that puts the awards, the sales and the art pickup into the same late-afternoon window.
Six Shows, Three Addresses
The show has never had a permanent home. The table below covers the years the league's announcements are on record in Blue Ribbon News.
| Year | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Conference Center at Rockwall Golf and Athletic Club | Sept. 21–23 |
| 2022 | Community Room at Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club, 2600 Champions Drive | Sept. 23–25 |
| 2023 | Cavender Nissan of Rockwall, 1700 I-30 Frontage Rd. | Sept. 22–30 |
| 2024 | Cavender Nissan of Rockwall | Sept. 27–29 |
| 2025 | Cavender Nissan of Rockwall | Sept. 12–14 |
| 2026 | The Center at Rockwall City Place, 108 E. Washington St. | Oct. 16–18 |
The 2023 move to the dealership had stated reasons. The league's announcement that year said the space offered more room and light, would let the league widen its pool of artists, and came with plenty of parking. That was also the year the exhibit ran nine days. The 2026 move has no published explanation. The league's coverage simply calls The Center the show's "new home." One housekeeping note: the league's general Art Shows page still carries last year's "back at Cavenders" wording. The dedicated 2026 show page lists the downtown address, and that is the one to follow.
A City Room With a Posted Capacity
The Center is a city facility. The City of Rockwall's parks page for The Center rents out its Lone Star Room and lists its capacity at 216 seated or 426 standing. The building has hosted city business for years. City Notes listed a City Shred Event there in October 2021.
The league changed its entry rules in the same year it moved into that room. Its 2026 show page lists these changes:
- Hand delivery only. Every piece is dropped off and picked up in person, and shipped work is not accepted.
- A size cap on wall work. Two-dimensional pieces can be no larger than 36 by 36 inches, frame included.
- A weight cap on sculpture. Sculptures are limited to 50 pounds.
- A new schedule. Take-in, the reception and the awards all moved to new times.
The league doesn't say whether the room drove these rules. For visitors, the result is easy to picture. A wall of pieces no wider than three feet hangs differently from a showroom with oversized canvases, and every artist in the show will be in the building at least twice, to deliver and to collect. Take-in happens the same morning the show opens, from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, and the judging follows that afternoon.
What 387 Entries Became
This year 143 artists submitted 387 works, and a three-person jury picked about half of them. The result is 192 original works by 119 artists, up from 111 artists last year. Those artists come from 49 cities in Texas and Oklahoma, and 30 of them are from Rockwall.
There are eight categories: oil, acrylic, watercolor, drawing, photography, sculpture, mosaic and mixed media. Mixed media includes digital art this year. Acrylic is the largest category, with 36 of the 192 works. The league's previews give a sense of the range. Cindy Ingram of Wylie entered a stained-glass mosaic titled "Delighted With Myself (Flying Pig)." Fort Worth artist Jimmie Shealey used oil paint with gold and silver leaf in "Orange rose red." Aimee Conaway of Plano entered "Pancham," an acrylic painting.
Judges Dana Brock and Rachel Townsend Cerny will award up to $6,600 in cash. Best in Show gets $1,000, and each category pays $500 for first place and $200 for second.
How the Weekend Runs
The schedule spreads three days of events across the room, and each day has a different purpose:
- Friday, Oct. 16, 5:30 p.m. A ribbon cutting with the city and county opens the exhibit to the public.
- Friday, 6 to 7:30 p.m. The artists' reception, with awards announced at 7.
- Saturday, Oct. 17, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The longest open day. An Artists' Social with the judges runs from noon to 1:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 18, noon to 4 p.m. The last day, with final awards announced at 3 p.m.
Friday evening is the ceremonial opening, and Saturday has the most open hours for a long look. Sunday's 3 p.m. awards then set off everything else. The league's calendar says artwork pickup and art sales start right after the final awards, and pickup closes at 5 p.m.
Sunday Afternoon for Buyers
Most of the work is for sale. Prices start at $50, purchases are handled at the show, and part of each sale supports the league. Since the walls stay full until the final awards, anyone hoping to carry a piece home that day should plan on Sunday afternoon. Between 3 and 5 p.m., the awards, the sales and the artists' pickup all happen in the same room.
There is also a cheaper option. The league is selling a select group of miniature works for $25 each, and the proceeds fund its scholarship program for Rockwall-area high school students. That program includes the Tom Collins Memorial Scholarship. The league is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) founded in 2000, and its ArtReach and SHINE programs serve the special-needs community.
Ballots From Six Cities
Visitors can vote for the People's Choice Award all weekend. It is one of nine special awards. The others are chosen by the mayor of Rockwall, local medical professionals, local publishers, Rockwall County representatives, and representatives from Rockwall, Fate, Heath, McLendon-Chisholm, Royse City and Rowlett. With those judges, the show works as a county-wide event, and this year it takes place downtown.
The new location puts the show among other downtown stops. In August the city issued certificates of occupancy to three businesses near the square: A Little Kitschy Home & Gifts Boutique at 114 N. San Jacinto St., The Modern Blonde Salon at 218 E. Rusk St., and Revolution Esthetics at 101 E. Bourn St. The Rockwall Herald reported on August 18 that none had announced a grand-opening date. We haven't found a confirmed opening since then, so check a shop's hours before planning a stop around it.
Event details come from the league's posted schedule and Blue Ribbon News as of October 12, 2026. Times can change, and rockwallartleague.org has the latest information.
At The Agency Rockwall, we pay close attention to how a room presents what's in it, whether that's a gallery wall or a living room ready for its listing photos. If you'd like to know how your home would present to today's buyers, request a complimentary home valuation.
