HOUSTON, TX.- This spring, two exhibitions, a commemorative publication, and a benefit gala will cap the 2007-08 anniversary year of the Core Program at the Glassell School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Over the past 25 years the Core program has become an internationally regarded platform, a destination for curators and critics seeking new talent, and a respected forum for artists, and critics to discuss, debate, and develop their work. Together, the events mark the program’s 25th anniversary and celebrate its ongoing commitment to the art community. The Core Program is headed by Joseph Havel, director of the Glassell School, and MFAH director Peter C. Marzio, who took the helm of the MFAH in 1982—the program’s founding year.

Over the years, ten Core artists have been featured in the Whitney Biennial Exhibitions, two have received MacArthur fellowships, and several have been selected to show their work at prestigious international biennials, including Venice, Istanbul, and Lyon. Additionally, the Core Program’s critical studies residents have gained similar recognition, including senior editing positions at prominent national art publications. While in Houston, Core artists not only define their artistic ambitions, but also bolster the local arts scene by teaching, engaging in community projects, and interacting with other artists. Many have made Houston their permanent home, further reinforcing and expanding the city’s population of working artists.

The two exhibitions open Friday, March 7: 2008 Core Artists in Residence Exhibition, this year’s edition of the annual show of Core resident work, on view at the Glassell School of Art, and Learning by Doing: 25 Years of the Core Program at the MFAH, on view in the museum’s Audrey Jones Beck Building. This two-part exhibition will highlight works by Core fellows that the MFAH has collected or that are promised gifts. The first segment of this exhibition will be on view through June 2008; the second segment will open in July 2008.