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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University's 21st annual Art About Agriculture touring exhibition of fine art, Tour 2003, opens to the public on Tuesday, March 11, in the Giustina Art Gallery of OSU's LaSells Stewart Center.

An artists' reception and awards presentation, free and open to the public, will take March 11 in the lobby of LaSells Stewart Center from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The exhibit continues in the Guistina Gallery through April 27. It will travel to Silverton in May, Madras in July and Grants Pass in August.

The Art About Agriculture tour exhibit and artists' awards are sponsored in partnership with the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and the E.R. Jackman board of directors, OSU Foundation.

This year, Art about Agriculture entries were required to have agriculture or natural resources themes. Media include and were limited to drawing, photography, printmaking, and video. Artists living in Alaska, British Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington were eligible to apply. Entry regulations vary from year to year.

The jurors selected 28 artists to exhibit 43 artworks in the tour show. A total of 106 artists entered the competition. One artist, Susan Lowdermilk, was invited to participate in the show by Shelley Curtis, curator of Art About Agriculture.

Jurors granted two honor awards and 12 purchase awards to artists. Purchased art is accessioned into the Art About Agriculture permanent collection of contemporary fine art. This collection includes 175 artworks displayed publicly throughout Oregon and other parts of the Pacific Northwest.

The 2003 Art About Agriculture tour and hosts' receptions schedule:

Oregon Garden Grand Hall, J. Frank Schmidt, Jr. Pavilion
May 1-31: 879 West Main Street, Silverton (Contact: Ben Gentile: 503-874-8268)

Art Adventure Gallery
July 1-26: artists' reception on Thursday, July 3, 5:30 to 7:30 p. m., 185 S.E. 5th St., Madras
(Contact: Coralee Popp: 541-475-7701)

Grants Pass Museum of Art
Aug. 1-25: artists' reception on Friday, Aug. 1, 6 to 9 p.m., 229 S.W. G St., Grants Pass
(Contact: Don Brown: 541-479-3290)

For more information, contact Shelley Curtis, curator and manager of OSU's Art About Agriculture, 541-737-2662.