NXTHVN announces the artists and curators selected for its 2024-2025 cohort, including San Antonio-based independent curator Rigoberto Luna.
Founded in 2018 by Titus Kaphar and Jason Price, NXTHVN is a nonprofit fellowship program in New Haven, Connecticut. Each year it hosts up to seven artists and two curators for a 10-month program. Fellows receive a studio or office space, subsidized housing, and a stipend, with the Curatorial stipend totaling $45,000 and the Studio stipend totaling $35,000. Past Texas-based artists who have participated in the program include Vincent Valdez (2020-2021), John Guzman (2021-2022), and Adrian Armstrong (2023-2024).
Rigo Luna. Photo: Raul Rodriguez
Rigoberto Luna, the curator behind Soy de Tejas: A Statewide Survey of Latinx Art and co-founder of Presa House in San Antonio is among the two curators selected for NXTHVN’s sixth cohort. Just last month, Jenelle Esparza, Mr. Luna’s partner and co-founder of Presa House received a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Latinx Art Forum. Though both have major projects underway, they will continue to run Presa House gallery.
Mr. Luna told Glasstire that the decision to apply to NXTHVN was not taken lightly. He explained, “It meant stepping away from everything Jenelle and I have built together here over the past 11 years, personally and professionally.”
Ultimately the couple saw the fellowship as an invaluable opportunity for Mr. Luna to grow professionally alongside talented and ambitious artists and arts professionals. Mr. Luna added, “I also see this as a chance to expand my network on the East Coast, which would be valuable to me and beneficial to the artists back home in Texas.”
When asked about what he is most looking forward to about the program, Mr. Luna noted, “I have zero expectations for the next ten months and want to take things as they come, be engaged, and present.”
He commented that he is excited to meet and collaborate with the other cohort members, but he is also looking forward to reuniting with John Guzman, a former Presa House artist, NXTHVN alumni, and native of San Antonio’s Southside who currently resides in New Haven. Marissa del Toro, an independent curator and NXTHVN’s Assistant Director of Programs and Exhibitions who has San Antonio ties, is also someone Mr. Luna looks forward to reconnecting with.
Speaking about Mr. Guzman and Ms. del Toro, Mr. Luna added, “They are both looking forward to me arriving in New Haven; I’ll be driving up and bringing food and snacks from H-E-B, items you can’t find in local grocery stores up north; they’re pretty excited about that.”
This year’s NXTHVN artists are: Baris Gokturk, Kwamé Azure Gomez, Patrick Henry, Kristy Hughes, Christopher Paul Jordan, Reeha Lim, Napoles Marty. The other Curatorial Fellow is Musoke Nalwoga. Learn more about NXTHVN via the organization’s website.
