Top (from left to right): First Place - inject print "Garden of Earthly Delights" by Eric Tomberlin of Weaverville, N.C.; Third Place - mixed media on canvase "Untitled 3-2" by Michael Blair of Denton; Bottom: Second Place - oil on linen "Portrait of a Romance" by Elizabeth Barlow of San Francisco.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - At the April 14 opening of "Texas National 2012," juror Dave Hickey announced the winners of the annual exhibition present

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The SFA Friends of Music will be accepting reservations through the end of this week for Extravaganza 25, the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music's annual gala banquet. The banquet is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 26, in the Grand Ballroom of SFA's Baker Pattillo Student Center.

This year's Extravaganza, "Sterling Stars," celebrates the 25th anniversary of the gala banquet, which features gourmet dining, performances by student soloists and ensembles, and the presentation of student awards.

Joshua Dennis and Tiffanny Hamilton rehearse a scene from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata."

Stephen F. Austin State University graduate vocal students Joshua Dennis of McKinney and Tiffanny Hamilton of Longview rehearse a scene from Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata," which the SFA School of Music and School of Theatre will present at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, through Saturday, April 21, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

2012 Teaching Excellence Award winners (top left to right): Dr. Louise Stoehr, Dr. Betty S. Johnson and Dr. Clint Richardson (bottom left to right): Dr. Heather Olson Beal, Lauren McAdams Selden and Dr. Erin Brown (far right): Kimberly Squyres

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Seven Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members will be honored for their teaching abilities at the annual Teaching Excellence Convocation at 3:30 p.m.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Symphonic Band and University Band of Stephen F. Austin State University will present a joint concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The University Band will open the concert with Randall Standridge's energetic "Steel," which features electrifying percussion and syncopation, said David W. Campo, SFA associate director of bands and the ensemble's conductor.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - East Texans can be among the first to hear the newest works by three acclaimed playwrights during the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre's 2012 Festival of New American Plays Tuesday, April 24, through Saturday, April 28.

"Every two years, we invite some of the best playwrights in the nation to participate in our biennial event," said Scott Shattuck, director of the SFA School of Theatre.

SFA Associate Professor of Costume Design Angela Bacarisse shows Houston junior Megan Thomas how to equally space the buttons on one of nearly 60 costumes to be used in the SFA production of Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata." The opera will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 19, through Saturday, April 21, in W.M. Turner Auditorium.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The Stephen F.

Hosted by the SFA Gardens, the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series will feature horticulturist Steven Chamblee in a presentation entitled "Garden Harmony 101" at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 19, in the Agriculture Building, Room 110, at 1924 Wilson Drive on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m.

NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - World-renowned art critic Dave Hickey will present a lecture presentation from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 13, in the Stephen F. Austin State University Wright Music Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

The following day, Hickey will announce his choice of winners of "TEXAS NATIONAL 2012" during the exhibition's opening reception from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches. As the exhibition/competition's juror, Hickey chose from the 1,600 entries received works by 84 artists from 23 states.