Texas Contemporary Art Fair, Houston

$10,000. That's what creativity and innovation can get you at Texas Contemporary Art Fair. Each year, judges award that sum—and the Texas Contemporary Award—to one of the exhibited artists.

It's no easy decision, since the fair showcases more than 70 art galleries and the artists all look at the judges with such big, hopeful eyes. A trip across the convention floor or into the history of fairs past reveals works of sculpture, paintings, and other media from both established and emerging contemporary artists. Some come from Texas, while others arrive from New York, San Francisco, and other cities.