Why did the influential art historian Barbara Rose drive down to Brazoria County Texas in the early eighties and walk high heeled through the mud to 24 year old Kelly Alison's art studio/cow barn? She was co-organizing the exhibiton "Fresh Paint: The Houston School, a seminal survey of the work of 44 painters for the Museum of Fine Art Houston and Alison's work had caught her eye. During its run at the MFA and then at Museum of Modern Art P.S.1 in New York, Fresh Paint caused a brouhaha among art historians and critics who debated the fact of a regional art movement. New York Times "Fresh Paint made Alison, the youngest artist to be included in the prestigious exhibition, an art scene star." Houston Press Kelly Alison is now 62 and still paints the new-expressionist satire that marks her work. She has shown in museums in the US, China and Peru, taught for a decade at the Art League Houston, was co-founder and project manager for the Houston International Performance Biennale 2012 and 2014 and recently, after moving back to her hometown to take care of her aging parents, founded and acts as the current Executive Director of the Contemporary Art Museum Plainview.