Dear UTRGV students and faculty,
We are excited to announce that UTRGV will host the 4th Cross Connections 2024 International Design Festival in both the Spring and Fall seasons. The jury panels reviewed 525 entries from 20 institutions worldwide, facing challenges in selecting works and awards due to the high quality of submissions by talented design students and educators. Selected entries from UTRGV were chosen by a couple of international jury members, who are also part of the One Show Award jury panel. Additionally, a few student works from UTRGV received official recognition by another international jury. The winners will be announced on February 26, March 29, and September 19, 2024. For detailed information on awards, please join us at the opening receptions at the following exhibition venues below to celebrate student successes.
Cross Connections 2024 Juried Exhibition at UTRGV
Date: March 18 – 21, 2024
Closing Reception: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., March 21, Thursday
Exhibition Venue: UTRGV Visual Art Gallery
Announcement for the honorable mentions of juried exhibition and design competition and two Special Judging Awards of Design Competition: 6:30 p.m., March 21, Thursday.
Cross Connections 2024 Juried Exhibition at BMFA
Date: April 9 – 27, 2024
Opening Ceremony: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., April 9, Tuesday.
Exhibition Venue: Permanent Collection Gallery, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art
Award Announcement for Grand, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards for the design competition:
6:30 p.m., April 9, Tuesday
Cross Connections 2024 Juried Exhibition at IMAS
Date: June 1, 2024 – September 8, 2024
Opening Reception: 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., May 31, Friday
Exhibition Venue: Clark Gallery, International Museum of Art & Science
Award Announcement for the Best of Show Awards and Special Judging Awards for the juried exhibition:
5:30 p.m., May 31, Friday.
Cross Connections 2024: Professional Exhibition Venues
- Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, Brownsville, USA (BMFA)
- International Museum of Art and Science, McAllen, USA (IMAS)
- The Goldstein Museum of Design, St. Paul, USA
- The Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Belgium, Brussels, Belgium (KVAB)
- Cheng Center for Contemporary Art, Beijing, China
- The Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
- The Museum of Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, Dalian, China
Cross Connections 2024 Juried Exhibition on the Global Stage
(Co-Host of Exhibition, Exhibition Venue and Exhibition Duration)
The Cross Connections International Exhibition is a collaborative event that will be gracefully hosted by participating institutions across various global venues, as outlined below. The sequence of exhibition venues follows an arranged chronological order based on the exhibition time.
| The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Milwaukee, WI, USA) Exhibition Venue: UWM Arts Center Gallery | April 8 – 22, 2024 |
| Luxun Academy of Fine Arts (Dalian, China) Exhibition Venue: LAFA Museum of Fine Arts (Dalian Campus) | April 16 – 30, 2024 |
| Truman State University (Kirksville, MO, USA) Exhibition Venue: Truman State University – Art Gallery | August 26 – October 9, 2024 |
| University of Minnesota (Twin Cities, MN, USA) Exhibition Venue: The Goldstein Museum of Design | September 5 – 20, 2024 |
| Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, TX, USA) Exhibition Venue: TAMUCC University Gallery | September 5 – 20, 2024 |
| LUCA School of Arts (Ghent, Belgium) Exhibition Venue: The Royal Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Belgium (KVAB) | September 5 – 20, 2024 |
| Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing, China) Exhibition Venue: Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts | September 20 – 30, 2024 |
| Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave (Barcelos, Portugal) Exhibition Venue: IPCA Gallery | September 26 – October 10, 2024 |
Cross Connections 2024 Curatorial Committee
Ping Xu, Associate Professor of Visual Communication Design, UTRGV
Elena Macias, Professor of Art, UTRGV
Marcelo Ramirez, Chief Curator, International Museum of Art & Science
Deyanira Ramirez, Executive Director, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art
February 8, 2024
Selected Entries from UTRGV, Chosen by an International Jury for the CC-2024 Juried Exhibition
The submissions from UTRGV, highlighted below, are set to be showcased at the Cross Connections 2024 International Exhibition of Visual Communication Design & Emerging Media Design. Honorable mentions for this juried exhibition will be officially unveiled on March 21, 2024, by Dean Jeffrey Ward of the College of Fine Arts and Professor Ed Pogue, Director of the School of Art & Design, at the UTRGV Visual Art Gallery. The awards ceremony for the juried exhibition is scheduled for September 19, 2024, at the International Museum of Art & Science. This event will be presided over by Dr. Jeffrey Ward, Dean of the UTRGV College of Fine Arts, and Marcelo Ramirez, Chief Curator of IMAS.
The Cross Connections 2024 Exhibition Jury
 Robin Landa Distinguished Professor of Graphic Design, Michael Graves College at Kean University, New Jersey | One Show Awards Jury, HOW Design Competition Jury, ADCNJ Award Winner, GDUSA Award Winner, Authored 26 graphic design books and articles featured in publications such as Harvard Business Review, Columbia University Press, FastCompany graphic design magazine and Inc magazine. |
 Kent Lu Chief Creative Officer & General Manager, Bates Advertising, Shanghai | Former Executive Creative Director, DDB China One Show Asia Awards – Jury 2018, 2019, 2020 AdStars Jury – 2017, 2018 Digitaling Awards Jury – 2021, 2022, 2023 One Show Awards Winner 2016, Longxi Creative Awards Winner 2017. |
UTRGV’s Award-Winning Entries Recognized by International Jury for CC-2024 Design Competition
The entries from UTRGV, selected by international jury for design competition, will be showcased on the Cross Connections 2024 Design Competition’s website as well as in the event book of Cross Connections 2024. The award announcements for the design competition will take place on March 18, 2024, at the UTRGV Visual Art Gallery, and on April 9, 2024, at the Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, with UTRGV upper administration and the director of Brownsville Museum of Fine Art presiding over the events.
The Cross Connections 2024 Design Competition Jury
 Robert Hower MFA – Cranbrook Academy of Art | President, and Executive Director, United Designs Alliance 2022-2023 Professor & Chair Emeritus, Department of Art & Art History, The University of Texas at Arlington. Robert Hower, with an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art, served as President of the United Designs Alliance from January 2022 to December 2023. Prior to this, he held key academic roles, notably as Chair and Professor Emeritus at the University of Texas at Arlington, overseeing significant growth in the department, including the establishment of a nationally recognized MFA program. His artistic contributions have been showcased in prestigious exhibitions worldwide and are housed in esteemed collections such as the Minnesota Museum of American Art and the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Engaging actively in interactive projects and collaborations with organizations like the U.S. National Park Services and Warner Brothers, Hower’s influence extends both nationally and internationally in the realms of art and design. |
 Chien Hwang MFA – ArtCenter College of Design | Head of Creative, Gusto, San Francisco Former Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Worldwide, Greater China London International Awards (LIA) Jury – 2023 AdStars Jury – 2008, 2000, Chien Hwang has been at the forefront of leading creative teams worldwide, providing support to some of the most renowned brands on the planet, such as Apple, Pepsi, GE, HBO, Frito-Lay, FedEx, Mars, and Mercedes-Benz. His exceptional contributions have not only garnered recognition in prestigious publications like Adweek, AdAge, Graphis, CA, and Archive but have also been celebrated at esteemed awards shows, including Cannes, AICP, LIAA, and New York Festivals. Chien takes great pride in witnessing former members of his creative teams now assuming leadership roles in departments and organizations across the globe. His unwavering commitment revolves around fostering creative communication and nurturing meaningful human connections, both in the professional sphere and in his personal life. Chien continuously explores the limitless possibilities that arise at the intersection of technology, creativity, and heartfelt endeavors. |
Conflict-of-Interest Guidelines
When considering the potential ethical implications of participating in a competition hosted by UTRGV, it’s essential to address concerns related to conflicts-of-interest and the perception of an unfair advantage. To uphold transparency and ensure that UTRGV’s role as a hosting and curatorial institution doesn’t compromise the competition’s fairness and impartiality, and participants and judges are not influenced by UTRGV’s hosting role, specific rules have been established by the curatorial committee of the Cross Connections 2024 event:
Faculty members from the hosting institution (UTRGV) are permitted to submit their work for consideration in the Cross Connections Juried Exhibition. However, their work must be selected by the jury panel. However, faculty work from the hosting institution is ineligible for awards in both the juried exhibition and the design competition.
Student work from the hosting institution (UTRGV) can participate in the Cross Connections Juried Exhibition and Design Competition to compete for various awards, including Gold Awards, Silver Awards, Bronze Awards, Honorable Mentions for the design competition, and Special Judging Awards of the Juried Exhibition. However, student work from the hosting institution is not eligible to compete for the Best of Show Award in the Juried Exhibition or the Grand Award in the design competition.