Dallas Contemporary (DC), a non-collecting art space, has announced the 13 artists selected for its inaugural NTX Graduate Student Program.
Earlier this fall, DC launched a new initiative to provide mentorship and networking opportunities for North Texas graduate students. Through the NTX Graduate Student Program, a guest curator visits graduate student studios and selects artists to be showcased in an exhibition at DC. This year’s curator is Matthew Higgs, the Director and Chief Curator of White Columns, an alternative art space in New York.
In a press release, Mr. Higgs said, “In October, over three days, I visited the studios of almost thirty final-year MFA artists in the North Texas area. The students’ work was diverse in terms of their backgrounds and approaches. No single tendency predominated. Ultimately, I gravitated towards work that was idiosyncratic, work that spoke quietly, but confidently, to the artists’ respective ambitions and intentions.”
Elijah Ruhala, “The(ir) Art of Loving,” 2024, lumber, oil, and wax paper, 198 x 300 x 108 inches. Image courtesy of the artist.
The inaugural cohort includes Courtney Broussard, Christina Childress, Lisa Clayton, Taylor Cleveland, Pablo Cruz, Veronica Ibargüengoitia Tena, Austin Lewis, Katherine Pinkham, Sarah Rainey, Elijah Ruhala, Narong Tintamusik, Sharmeen Uqaili, and Vajihe Zamaniderkani. Selected students are in MFA programs at the following North Texas institutions: Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Texas Woman’s University, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, and The University of Texas at Dallas. Additionally, Abby Bryant was selected as the curatorial fellow; she will assist with organizing the graduate student exhibition and will be involved with other DC curatorial research.
Lucia Simek, Interim Executive Director of DC, remarked, “We are so proud to present this first cohort of NTX graduate student work at Dallas Contemporary, and are exceedingly grateful to Matthew Higgs for his thoughtful selections for this inaugural exhibition. While the program will cultivate substantive relationships and institutional experience for these students, at the heart of it, this initiative promises to empower these emerging artists, instilling a lasting confidence and fortifying their ambition as they enter into this next pivotal chapter of their careers.”
Open University, an exhibition featuring the cohort, will be on view at DC from January 24 to March 9, 2025. One of the artists will receive The McReynolds Award, a grant of $8,000. Learn more about the selected artists and the NTX Graduate Student Program via DC’s website.
