The 2020 Crit Group at Contemporary Austin will be led by: the Contemporary Austin’s Director of Public Programs and Community Engagement, Andrea Mellard; Austin artist Sterling Allen; and curator Annette DiMeo Carlozzi. The Crit Group program open call was announced on October 22, and will be open until Sunday, December 1.
The program structure follows six monthly, evening sessions with the co-leaders (the sessions are three-and-a-half- hours each) and attendees are encouraged to participate in optional informal gatherings organized by the participating artists.
Artists should plan to attend monthly sessions, which include traditional group art critiques and provide peer feedback for new work and current works in progress. Artists will also receive two group critiques each and participate in critiques for others in their Crit Group class. The program also includes one-on-one studio visits with co-leaders and gallerists. The program also covers artist statements and bios, as well as applying for grants and residencies, and public speaking.
At the end of the sessions, in August 2020, there will be a satellite group exhibition at grayDUCK Gallery, Austin. The show will feature new art made during the program and offer participating artists a further opportunity to interact with curators and gallery professionals.
Information about the three Crit leaders for Crit Group 2020 is as follows (via their bios):
Sterling Allen holds an MFA in Sculpture from the Milton Avery Graduate School of Arts at Bard College. He is a co-founder and co-director of Okay Mountain, an artist collective and former gallery based in Austin. As a solo artist and in collaboration with Okay Mountain, he has exhibited, organized, and completed projects at venues throughout the United States and received several residencies, including the Artpace International Artist-in-Residence Program in San Antonio. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Studio Art at Texas State University, where he teaches professional practice, 3D Foundations, and Sculpture.
Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, a champion of local artist communities who stays abreast of international developments, has a keen eye for emerging talent and a steadfast commitment to looking beyond labels. Building an expansive practice as a curator of modern and contemporary art—most recently as Curator at Large at the Blanton Museum of Art—Carlozzi has created seminal exhibitions, produced important commissions, and acquired major works by a wide range of artists. She has been a consultant/advisor/board member/panelist for over 50 national and regional organizations including Creative Capital, Artpace, and UT’s Division of Diversity and Community Engagement. Named to the Austin Arts Hall of Fame in 2013, Carlozzi is now an independent curator and arts writer.
Andrea Mellard is Director of Public Programs and Community Engagement for The Contemporary Austin and founder of Crit Group. She curates programming that takes advantage of the museum’s two distinct sites—one urban and the other natural—and provides platforms for audiences to come together, investigate art, and create new experiences. In addition to film series and artist talks, Mellard has curated recent projects with Janine Antoni, Sanford Biggers, Nick Cave, Lucky Dragons, and Mark Mothersbaugh. She has worked with a multitude of emerging Texas artists for the New Art in Austin, Texas Prize and New Works exhibition programs (both at the formerly named Austin Museum of Art and AMOA-Arthouse). As a curator, programmer, and educator, she aims to present cultural opportunities for people of all ages that reflect the eclectic and collaborative spirit of Austin. She has over sixteen years of museum experience, and an MA in American Studies from The University of Texas at Austin inflects her interdisciplinary approach to contemporary culture.
For more information on the 2020 open call for Crit Group, please go here.
