Courtesy of Adrian Armstrong

NXTHVN, an art space based in New Haven’s Dixwell neighborhood, announced nine new artists who are set to participate in their fifth cohort of studio and curatorial fellows.

The fellowship program runs from August 2023 to May 2024 and includes photographers, painters and curators from Omaha and Akron to Cape Town and London. The purpose of NXTHVN’s program is to provide artists and curators with the resources necessary to make a name for themselves in the art world.

“Although it is fairly frequently mentioned, visibility and representation are so important for historic redress, contemporary rearticulation and future worldbuilding,” curatorial fellow Clare Patrick wrote to the News. “I’ve seen how powerfully an artwork can catalyze reflection and action by making visual the necessary conversations which can be continued through an exhibition, in social spaces or the walk home afterwards.” 

Through the fellowship, each artist receives $35,000 and each curator receives $45,000 to put toward their work. In addition, they are also guaranteed studio space and subsidized housing, as well as mentorship, critical evaluations and hands-on training. 

Kalia Brooks, NXTHVN Director of Programs and Exhibitions, noted how the organization amplifies the voices of creatives while simultaneously bringing attention to current and critical humanitarian issues. The vision behind the organization, she wrote, is to encourage collaboration among budding artists and entrepreneurs. 

“We position our Fellowship as a launching pad for advancing artistic careers,” Brooks wrote. 

NXTHVN was created by Titus Kaphar and Jason Price and has served as a space for connecting artists and curators since 2019. This fifth cohort of fellows, or “Cohort 05,” features artists and curators from as near as New Haven, Connecticut to as far as Adamawa, Nigeria.

During their time at NXTHVN, every selected fellow will also mentor a New Haven public high school student interested in the arts. 

At the end of each fellowship term, the cohort of fellows presents their work in an exhibition at an acclaimed art gallery. Last year’s cohort, “Cohort 04,” presented their exhibition “RECLAMATION” at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York City. 

Giving each member the freedom to interpret the theme as they saw fit, the exhibition demonstrated how concepts such as beauty, sexuality and religion can be reclaimed from Western standards and prototypes, according to the Sean Kelly Gallery’s website. At the heart of the exhibition was giving voice to trauma victims and challenging the notion of what Black femininity looks like.

In a similar vein, NXTHVN leaders have said that the artists and curators in Cohort 05 are bringing their experience to the table using a spectrum of media to convey their takes on how sexuality, race, culture and community intersect. 

One fellow, Eric Hart Jr. told the News that he seeks to reject control by highlighting Blackness and queerness in many of his high-contrast black-and-white photographs. One photograph, “Resistance, Mister, Mister No.3,” depicts a puppeteered man wearing gloves and lace stockings. Another titled “When I Think About Power No. 1,” shows a Black man with acrylic nails. 

Another artist in Cohort 05, Adrian Armstrong, said he explores the Black experience through collage in his works “ALL IN THE FAMILY” and “WE DANCE BECAUSE WE ARE HAPPY, WE DANCE BECAUSE WE ARE FREE.” Issuing a counter-narrative to how Blackness has been historically studied, written or drawn about in Western media through a trauma lens, Armstrong said his work showcases a joyful celebration of Black lives and values.

“Foregrounding the lives of Black people, our subjectivity and history are central to how I approach my Curatorial practice,” Marquita Flowers, Cohort 05 member, wrote to the News. “I view Blackness as a broad spectrum that is inclusionary of more than an African-American experience. I believe Black subjectivity informs global movements.”

For Flowers, art curation and analysis represent a way of honoring her immediate ancestral history, withstanding attempts to erase and create “counter-factual” narratives. 

NXTHVN is located at 169 Henry St.