(Mission, TX) – The National Butterfly Center and the Upper Valley Art League announce Art in the Park, a summer program for artists of all ages in the Rio Grande Valley.

From June 6 – August 21, 2015, the gardens and grounds at the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, will be open at no charge to members of the Upper Valley Art League for plein aire painting, sketching and photography. Works produced on site or in the studio from field studies and observations in the outdoors may be entered into the juried competition and show for the chance to win scholarships and prizes.

All who are interested are encouraged to attend the kick-off event for this program at the National Butterfly Center at 9 AM, Saturday, June 6. A guided tour of the property will be provided at this time, along with instructions for participants and deadlines for the contest.

“Since the mid-1800’s artists have used scenes from the outdoors to create wonderful works that use natural light, color and movement to illustrate their subject,” states Marianna Trevino Wright, executive director of the center. “Two paintings that come to mind are Claude Monet’s iconic Waterlilies, and Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth. Whether artists are staging scenes in the gardens or rendering their own interpretations of flora and fauna from images captured here, who knows what may be seen or produced by local talent this summer.”

In order to participate in Art in the Park, one must be a member of the Upper Valley Art League. One of the oldest nonprofit organizations in the Rio Grande Valley, UVAL has been meeting the needs of artists in south Texas, since 1935. Guidelines for the program, competition categories, and full contest rules, along with the membership application, may be found online at www.uppervalleyartleague.org. Winning submissions will be on display at the National Butterfly Center from September 19, through the end of November.

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The National Butterfly Center is committed to ‘Growing Connections’ between people, plants, and the winged wonders that pollinate and propagate all that grows around us. We do this through educational and environmental initiatives that cultivate meaningful understanding of the processes that create sustainable ecosystems. The Center is open to the public, for visitors and members, seven days/week.

To learn more about the National Butterfly Center, and how you can join us, visitwww.nationalbutterflycenter.org, or call 956.583.5400. Your annual membership or charitable gift impacts the beauty of our community and helps preserve the biologically diverse, natural treasures of deep South Texas.