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CASSOPOLIS — Cass County will become a bit more colorful next month with the return of an annual gallery exhibit.

The third annual Cass County Regional Gallery, supported by the county and area group the Cass Area Artists, will be returning to the Cass County Administration Building, 120 Broadway St., Cassopolis. The gallery will run from Feb. 5 to April 30, with the deadline for artists to submit entries being Jan. 29.

“We are very excited about this,” said Cass Area Artists Director William Becker.

The Cass County Regional Gallery got its start in 2019 after Cass County Administrator Jeff Carmen contacted Cass Area Artists officers to present an idea to showcase local art on the long walls of the Administration Building. The artists were on board, and the inaugural exhibit opened in mid-January 2020. Becker said the first exhibit saw high participation. The second was not as well attended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Becker is hopeful the third annual event will continue to be a success.

“Going into the third show, we are very excited, and we believe, even with the continuing omicron and other viruses, that we will have a good show, with a lot of attendance and a lot of participation by artists,” he said.

The exhibits in the Cass County Regional Gallery are open to any resident 18 years or older living in Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and Saint Joseph counties in Michigan, and LaPorte, Saint Joseph and Elkhart counties in Indiana. It is an “open call” exhibit, which group officials said makes it particularly attractive to established or emerging artists who are shy about having their work judged. There is no jury, no jury fee, no entry fee and no commissions taken by the gallery for work sold. There is also a free artists reception.

“As an artist, this is a quite an opportunity to expose your art,” Becker said. “It’s a very lucrative show if you are an artist because you are not paying to get into the show, and you are not paying commission on your art, and it’s a long show.”

Showing space is first-come, first served, but Becker estimates there is space for anywhere between 150 and 300 artists to show.

Becker said he believes the show will be valuable for artists and viewers alike and would encourage anyone to take part.

For more information and a complete list of entry rules, visit cassareaartists.org.