NXTHVN 2020-2021 Fellows Exhibit at James Cohan

If you’re not familiar with NXTHVN it’s a new arts model based in New Haven, Connecticut that has a year long fellowship program where 7 artists and  2 curators are trained on how to succeed in the art world. This exhibit, Un/Common Proximity, is a group exhibit of works by the 2020-2021 fellows. 

The artists 

• Allana Clarke
• Alisa Sikelianos-Carter
• Daniel T. Gaitor-Lomack
• Esteban Ramón Pérez
• Jeffrey Meris
• Ilana Savdie
• Vincent Valdez
  

The exhibit is curated by Claire Kim, the curatorial fellow, and is on view at James Cohan’s Tribeca location from June 12th - August 13th, 2021. 

“The title of this exhibition, Un/Common Proximity, refers to the artists’ unprecedented experience of living and working in close proximity with one another during a year punctuated by a landmark U.S. election, global pandemic, and national reckoning of systemic racial injustice.” (source) 

Nobody can deny that 2020 and 2021 have been some of the most challenging years America has faced in decades. Not only does this exhibit contain works that speak to these major cultural events, but it highlights what it’s been like for these artists to create work together and process as a group everything that’s been happening. 

It’s evident in the beginning of the exhibit when you see these drawings (above) of each fellow by Vincent Valdez that these individuals have a bond, created by the experiences they’ve been through together. 

“This exhibition highlights both individual discoveries as well as communal responses tackling themes of protection, healing, redemption, and intuitive processing that permeated throughout the studio walls.” (source)

Exhibit Walkthrough

To watch a walkthrough of the exhibit, skip ahead to 6:37 in the video below. 

About NXTHVN

NXTHVN (pronounced Next Haven) was founded by Titus Kaphar, Jason Price, and Jonathan Brand with a mission to “to build an alternative model of art mentorship and career advising through a specially designed curriculum, and to simultaneously set into motion significant opportunities for emerging local entrepreneurs.” (source)

“NXTHVN is a new national arts model that empowers emerging artist and curators of color through education and access” (source)

NXTHVN’s headquarters are in New Haven, Connecticut, which is also home to Yale University. They have a few different types of programs. One is a year-long fellowship that serves as an incubator program for emerging artists and curators to help catapult their careers in the art world. 

I love how this program teaches things that are actually useful in the real-world. Examples of some of the workshops these fellows partake in are the following: 

• Strategic Planning
• Money Management
• Contracts (Art and Law)
• Online Portfolio Development
• Donor Relations
• Public Speaking
• Grants Writing
  

The second program is a “paid high school Apprenticeship program focused one-on-one mutual learning, gives the next local generation a chance to grow and excel in the fine arts.”(source)
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You can explore more on their website and Instagram. If you’re interested in supporting them financially you can do so here.