The Big Show 2025

Juried by Dr. Phillip A. Townsend, University of Texas at Austin’s Lecturer of African and African Diaspora Studies and Curator of Art for their Art Galleries at Black Studies

June 6 – August 2, 2025

The Big Show is an ambitious exhibition of new work by artists practicing within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale.

Eligibility

• The Big Show is open to artists living within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale.
• Each artist may submit up to 3 original artworks completed between January 2023 to present.
• Work must fit through the 6'9" x 4'11" entryway and cannot exceed 200 pounds in weight.
• Works previously exhibited in Houston are not eligible. However, works exhibited as part of a school program in Houston (e.g. MFA thesis) are allowed.
• All works must be exhibition-ready. For framed works and stretched canvas, this includes proper hanging hardware such as D-rings or a wire. Display options for non-wall hanging artwork (e.g. sculptures, videos, and performances) will be discussed between Lawndale staff and the artist(s).
• All works must be available for installation and delivered between May 20 - 30, 2025 and remain on view for the duration of the exhibition (June 6 - August 2, 2025).

Application Requirements

• All works must be submitted online via Submittable.
• Applications will be accepted March 13, 2025 through Tuesday, April 8, 2025, until 11:59 PM (Central Standard Time).
• There is no submission fee.
• Artists must submit a narrative biography OR artist statement (up to 200 words)
• Applicants may submit up to 3 works.
• Only one (1) image of each work is allowed, along with the image captions (title, medium, dimensions, and year) 
• Detail images of artwork(s) not allowed
• Images should be .jpeg format. Please limit each file size to 1 MB (minimum size of 4 x 6" at 300 dpi).
• Video submissions require a hosting site link (e.g. Vimeo or YouTube). If selected, all final work must be submitted in .mp4 format.
• All files should be labeled as LastNameFirstName_Title_Year completed (e.g.  “SmithJohn_Work1_2023.jpg”)
• Incomplete or late applications will not be considered

We strongly encourage you to apply early. If you are having trouble with the online application system, you can call us at 713-528-5858 during office hours (Tuesday - Friday, 10 AM - 5 PM) or email askus@lawndaleartcenter.org. If questions are related to the Submittable portal please contact their help desk: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/

Accepted Works: Artists should be notified of their application status by early May. Accepted artists will be given artwork drop-off details then.

About the Juror

Dr. Phillip Townsend is the Curator of Art at the Art Galleries at Black Studies (AGBS) at The University of Texas at Austin. A graduate of UT’s doctoral program in Art History, he specializes in modern and contemporary art, with a focus on BIPOC artists and identity politics. Before joining AGBS, he co-founded the Austin-based Neon Queen Collective. Townsend has curated retrospectives on artists such as Melvin Edwards, Alicia Henry, and Nicole Awai, as well as multi-institutional exhibitions on María Magdalena Campos-Pons and Charles White. His scholarly work appears in peer-reviewed journals and exhibition catalogs, including CAA, UT Press, and Getty Publications. Notable curatorial projects include Wura-Natasha Ogunji: earth, body, spirit (2022) and Melvin Edwards: WIRE(D) + CHAIN(ED) (2022), highlighting African diaspora artists. Exhibitions like Michael A. Booker: Wave Patterns (2024), Alicia Henry: (un)knowing (2024), Rashaun Rucker: Patron Saints of a Black Boy (2024), and Jacob Guzman: The World We Live In (2024) reflect his dedication to amplifying diverse artistic voices and fostering dialogue around identity and expression. His recent exhibition, Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy, 1924–2024, examines Black queer ecstasy over the past 100 years, addressing its absence in historical records and honoring the resilience, beauty, and transformative power of the Black queer community. Dr. Townsend is a lecturer in the African and African Diaspora Studies Department at UT, where he teaches a course on ethics in the contemporary art museum.