The 3rd Painting and Sculpture Biennial of the Southeast, organized by CONECULTA Consejo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes of Chiapas, brought together art from the Mexican Southeast: Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, Tamaulipas, and Veracruz. The main objectives of this Biennial were to offer a competitive space with acquisition prizes, and at the same time create a contemporary artistic patrimony in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, the state¿s capital. The Biennial has an alternating format, servicing in one edition the people of Chiapas and in the other the five states mentioned above. As usual, the largest number of participants came from the sponsoring state. Of 82 applicants and 210 artworks, the jury selected 54 artists and 70 pieces. The jury was formed by sculptor Maribel Portela, historian Graciela Kartofel, and painter Enrique Estrada. The event was inaugurated on November 14, 2003, and the exhibition remained open for three months. This Biennial focused on painting and sculpture, in the present edition the jury noted the globalization of media and techniques. Thus, it responded to the flexibility of boundaries in favor of a more current event and patrimony. The jury understood the call in broad terms, distinguishing the presence of paintings, sculptures, and objects on diverse supports, of sculptures that respond to the conceptual as well as to local heritage, and a majority of less daring works ¿almost all of them referred to the human figure. The jury also opted for redirecting the use of the available funds in two ways, by awarding entries instead of single works and by dividing the third prize amongst artists with the most recent career developments. The prizes went to Lucy Ovilla¿s entries, from Chiapas, and Roberto Rodríguez, from Xalapa, Veracruz. The third prize was awarded to three young artists from the host city. It must be noted that this reorganization was supported by the artists, who agreed to a partial reduction of the award in order to integrate a more solid patrimony. Thus the young received better incentives, and the patrimony increased. The jury also insisted in the creation of a specialized visual arts library for the Jaime Sabines Cultural Center, in Chiapas, and in establishing courses on development and actualization to be given at the Biennial of the Southeast headquarters.