New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Art ‘devoted to creating a more equitable world’
NXTHVN welcomes latest round of artist and curator fellows
Later this month, NXTHVN will be welcoming its latest cohort of artist and curator fellows at the art incubator founded by Titus Kaphar and Jason Price.
This year’s fellows include Anindita Dutta, Modupeola Fadugba, Donald Guevara, Ashanté Kindle, athena quispe, Edgar Serrano, Cornelia Stokes, Capt. James Stovall V and Kiara Cristina Ventura. NXTHVN’s 20222023 class represents cultural backgrounds that include African American, Dominican American, Indian, Indigenous-Honduran-German American, Nigerian and Peruvian-American, and members are traveling to Dixwell from locations such as Abuja, Nigeria; Altadena, Calif.; New York City and Syracuse, N.Y.
Through a curriculum that focuses on mentorship, professional development and skills training, fellows can cultivate their individual practices within a collaborative, community-driven context during the 10-month program.
“Our fellowship welcomes applicants from around the world, with or without formal art training or an art degree,” said Kalia Brooks, director of programs and exhibitions at NXTHVN.
Each artist or studio fellow will be provided with 24-hour access to a private studio space, between 500-824 square feet in the NXTHVN building, and receive a $35,000 stipend for the fellowship year. Curator fellows are provided with a dedicated office and resource library for the duration of the fellowship year and receive $45,000.
Brooks said NXTHVN looks for consistency and a distinct vision when reviewing their applicants.
“We look for artists and curators who have a distinctive vision, and express a passion for the arts that aligns with NXTHVN ethos of being accessible to everyday people, disruptive to conventional art learning environments and interventionist in art historical discourses,” she said.
For Guevara of St. Louis, Mo., being named a NXTHVN fellow means an opportunity for his practice to evolve into one that is far more collaborative and communal.
“The art won’t be the sole focus, and I think that will be a good thing,” he said. “It’s just so exciting to be a part of a cohort and mentor/apprenticeship where everyone shares a common goal of making wicked cool work that’s devoted to creating a more equitable world. It is because of this community of creative minds that I can’t wait to get up to New Haven, to learn and grow. But also, when I think of my coming journey with NXTHVN, the first feelings that come up for me are rainbows and sunshine with a dash of jazz and some coffee.”
Currently, Guevara’s work centers around the idea of the
glitched body, drawing on Legacy Russell’s book “Glitch Feminism” and thinking of the glitch as a social endeavor.
“I think my art has become a water-like reflection of my life and my relation to the world,” Guevara said. “The glitch and contradiction in the work is me, even if the work isn’t directly about me as an individual. My upbringing was a bit of a whirlwind with colliding cultures and families during a time in America where there was a painful silence around many issues being openly discussed today, such as the complexities of a mixed familial unit in a social structure built on constructed racial hierarchies. And now, in my thirties, I’ve had time to find a sense of place and I think it’s in this tug-of-war, or push and
pull, where my artwork resides.”
The program is aimed at providing the fellows with the resources, knowledge and tools they need to progress in their careers, both artistically and from a practical, business perspective.
“Being a fellow at NXTHVN means gaining access to art world knowledge that is often not taught in traditional art education — business acumen, pricing work, marketing yourself, navigating gallery representation and much more,” Brooks said. “It’s also an opportunity for fellows to focus on gro=wing their practice in a structured, yet flexible program. They receive mentorship and critical feedback on their work from the NXTHVN team as well as from established artists and arts professionals.”
The curatorial and artist/ studio fellows work together closely during the program, allowing them insight into how these professional relationships may play out once they complete the fellowship.
“For artists, it’s an opportunity to learn how to communicate their work and vision to a curator and ensure they are portrayed accurately,” Brooks said. “For curators, they learn to navigate various personalities and working styles and work with the curatorial team at a world class gallery for the culminating show at the close of the fellowship.”
As part of the program, each fellow will mentor a local high school apprentice, providing the students with hands-on instruction in studio and curatorial practices, something Guevara said he is most excited about and eager to start.
The fellowship program culminates in a group exhibition at a prominent gallery, situating fellows squarely in the art world. The Cohort 4 fellowship dates run from Aug. 22, through May 31, 2023.