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While the community celebrates Tyler’s biggest event of the year, inside Tyler Rose Garden Center displays the talent of many members of the Palette of Roses Art League.

“It’s actually our 67th year of partnering with the Texas Rose Festival,” said Diane Reis, President of the Palette of Roses Art League. “This is our biggest event of the year.”

The art show, which is part of the 90th Texas Rose Festival, opened Thursday and continues through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Not only do locals and visitors get to see multiple forms of art, the mayor and the Rose Queen pick their favorites.

“The items are all judged and then we have a gift shop also with most items under $75 and the majority of the items in the show are for sale,” Reis said.

Founded in 1952, the art league is a group of artists and art lovers who join together to help each other grow in skills in a fun and supportive environment with monthly demonstrations, according to the Palette of Roses Art League website.

“This is wonderful for us,” Reis said. “It gives us a great opportunity to expose our visitors as well as our local residents of the incredible talent that is here, right in East Texas. The members of our league are made up of Tyler residents and surrounding areas.”

The art league meets the third Thursday of the month at the Tyler Rose Garden.

“It’s a community of artists that work together to encourage each other and to grow in their art and then offer that experience out to our community,” Reis said.

The art league currently has 80 out of the 165 artists being represented at the annual art show, giving people the opportunity to see work they might not ever see. The show also acts as an opportunity for local artists to be supported.

“Art changes the way people view life,” Reis said. “When you’re exposed to art, it really opens your eyes to a lot of beautiful things and creativity.”

From oil paint, acrylic to watercolors to three dimensional, all types of art are represented.

“We also have oil pastels,” Reis said. “We have potters, sculptors, we have fiber artists that do weaving and work with felts… a lot of beautiful wearable art as well. So it’s really open to all mediums.”

According to Reis, you don’t have to be a bona fide artist to be in the art show; you just have to be a member of the Palette of the Roses Art League, which has a yearly fee of $35.

“If you love art and you want to learn and grow, we definitely have a place for you,” she said. “But we also invite people to become a member that way and then two other ways to support the arts of East Texas is to become a patron or a friend of the league. We give shoutouts to those that help support the league and that helps us keep this going.”

Reis said donations are tax deductible.

“I would like to shout out to Liz Ballard from the Texas Rose Festival Association, the executive director, thanking her for her support,” Reis said. “As well as the city of Tyler and all of the artists, extra hands that helped put the show together for pulling off just such an incredible event.”

To find out more about the Palette of the Roses Art League, visit their website www.paletteofrosesartleague.com.

WHAT: Palette of Roses Art Show & Sale

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Saturday

WHY: The art show and sale of League members’ art work, all done in different media, supports the local organization.

WHERE: Rose Garden Center, 420 Rose Park Dr., Tyler

COST: Free admission.

INFORMATION: Paletteofrosesartleague.com