CRIT GROUP REUNION
September 11 - January 16,2022
From The Contemporary Austin: "Crit Group Reunion brings together artists who have participated in the museum’s Crit Group program, showcasing the spectrum of contemporary art in Austin. With seven to eight artists participating each year, since its founding Crit Group has generated a network of approximately sixty artists working in various artistic mediums—from painting and sculpture, textiles and ceramics, to performance, video, and sound installation. Accompanied by a range of programs and artist-led workshops, the exhibition will be presented in two chapters, with a gallery changeover midway through the exhibition, to celebrate Austin’s dynamic artistic community. Running annually since 2014, The Contemporary’s Crit Group program has strived to support local artists in making new work, building community, and growing a professional practice. This highly selective program has brought together artists with a range of personal and educational backgrounds, as well as native Austinites and those who had recently relocated to the city. The Crit Group program aims to support these artists in experimenting and expanding their creative practices in new directions. In the spirit of extending this ethos, Crit Group Reunion will gather former program participants in a single exhibition for the first time, presenting a range of new and recent works and fostering a timely sense of togetherness. The Crit Group was shaped by community and collaboration, initiated by the vision and organization of its founding co-leaders, Director of Public Programs & Community Engagement Andrea Mellard, art historian and critic Andy Campbell, and curator Sarah Bancroft. Leadership shifted in 2017 to include curator Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, artist Sterling Allen, and Mellard, who have co-led the program for the past four years. Crit Group Reunion is co-curated by Andrea Mellard, Director of Public Programs & Community Engagement, and Robin K. Williams, Associate Curator. Complete list of Crit Group program participants: Adrian Aguilera; Emma Hadzi Antich; Annie Arnold; Jeana Baumgardner; Amy Bench; Christa Blackwood; Ted Carey; Sandy Carson; Veronica Ceci; Rachel Alex Crist (formerly HIXX Collective); Christina Coleman; Jonas Criscoe; Bug Davidson; Rakhee Jain Desai; Lydia Garcia; Christine Garvey; Ron Geibel; Rebecca Rothfus Harrell; Robert Jackson Harrington; Jenn Hassin; Sarah Hill; Daedalus Hoffman (formerly HIXX Collective); Katy Horan; Madeline Irvine; Ben Jurgensen; Calder Kamin; Masumi Kataoka; Lauren Klotzman; Josef Kristofoletti; Dameon Lester; Betelhem Makonnen; Rebecca Marino; Paloma Mayorga; R. Eric McMaster; Deborah Mersky; Virginia Lee Montgomery; Olivia Moore; Michael Muelhaupt; Manik Raj Nakra; Teruko Nimura; Landon O'Brien; Dawn Okoro; Steve Parker; Everest Pipkin; Sean Ripple; Alexandra Robinson; Saul Jerome E. San Juan; Bobby Scheidemann; Amy Scofield; Amber Shields; Rachel Wolfson Smith; Pat Snow; Matthew Steinke; Michael Stephen; Sherwin Tibayan; Glenn Twiggs; Sara Vanderbeek; Cheyenne Weaver; Jenn Wilson. *Exhibition may not include every program participant; final artist list TBD. Crit Group Reunion is funded through support by Rhode Partners."
On View: September 11, 2021 | 1-5 pm
The Contemporary Austin
700 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
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