The Big Show 2024
Juried by Laura Augusta, PhD
June 7 – August 17, 2024
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 2022 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 (i.e. MFA thesis) are allowed.
- All works must be exhibition-ready and include proper hanging hardware. Works that are not stable enough to endure the exhibition may not be eligible.
- All works must be available for installation during the weeks prior to the opening and for the duration of the exhibition (June 7 - August 17, 2024).
Application Requirements
- All works must be submitted online via Submittable.
- Applicants may submit up to 3 works.
- Applications will be accepted through Thursday, April 4, 2024, until 11:59 PM (Central Standard Time).
- There is no submission fee.
- Artists must submit a recent exhibition history, including participation in previous iterations of The Big Show (up to 200 words)
- Artists must submit a narrative biography OR artist statement (up to 200 words)
- Only one (1) image of each work is allowed, along with the image captions (title, medium, dimensions, and year)
- Detail images of artwork(s) are 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 using the online application system, please don’t hesitate to call us at 713-528-5858 during office hours (Monday - Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM) or email bigshow@lawndaleartcenter.org with questions.
Accepted Works
- In late April 2024, artists will be notified of their application status. Accepted artists will then be given details about artwork drop-off.
About the Juror
Laura Augusta, PhD, is a U.S.-born curator and writer who has worked between the U.S. and Central America since 2014. Her curatorial/essay projects connect the landscapes of disaster-prone cities, thinking specifically about floods and muddiness, shared space, and everyday forms of resistance; her writing about contemporary art in Guatemala City was awarded The Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant in 2017.Augusta completed the Core Fellowship at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (2016-2018), and was an inaugural Mellon Arts + Practitioner Fellow at the Yale Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration in 2021.She currently works with the Archives of American Art’s Oral History Project collecting the art histories of artist elders, and is a consultant forAmerican Art Journal’s landmark program Toward Equity in Publishing. As an independent curator, she curated more than 20 exhibitions at museums, university galleries, and artist-run spaces across the U.S. and Central America from 2015 to 2022 before being hired as Curator at the Gerald & Stanlee Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at The University of Texas at El Paso.Located less than a quarter mile from the U.S.-Mexico border, the Rubin Center serves one of the largest binational urban environments in the world and remains the only dedicated contemporary art museum in the El Paso / Ciudad Juárez region. In 2023, Augusta launched a Central American exhibition series at the Rubin, one of the first university galleries in the U.S. to make a multi-year commitment to the region.
Thank you for taking the time to submit to Lawndale's Artist Studio Program.
Applications for the 2024-2025 Artist Studio Program are due Monday, May 6 at 11:59 PM CST.
For seventeen years, the Artist Studio Program (ASP) has provided artists with a monthly stipend and 24-hour access to a private studio. As a multidisciplinary platform, Lawndale supports creative individuals who engage with the space as their hub. Lawndale is not only a place for experimenting, making, and showing work but also a site for critical engagement and questions.
Program Description
Lawndale’s ASP awards individuals with dynamic support to evolve their creative practice. The nine-month program runs from September 1, 2024, to May 31, 2025. During this time, participants receive a monthly honorarium of $750, up to $2,000 direct support for project development and materials, and 24-hour access to a private studio. In addition to this material support, Lawndale will provide a public platform for their practice, varying from an exhibition to a program series, performance, or publication. Documentation for these program(s) will be shared digitally and through a publication with commissioned scholarly writing. Other benefits include studio visits and exchanges with peer institutions. Major support for The Artist Studio Program is provided by Kathrine G. McGovern/The John P. McGovern Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Eligibility
Lawndale is looking for Houston/Gulf Coast-based artists of diverse backgrounds and experiences whose artistic practice would benefit from the support we can offer. Ideal candidates are at transitional moments in their respective careers, whether shifting to a new body of work or discipline. We embrace a multidisciplinary platform and consider artists who are working with all visual arts media, performance, music, sound art, and literary arts as possible applicants for this program. Applicants must be 18 years or older and not enrolled in any degree program. Former ASP participants are not eligible.
Application Deadline
Applications are due Monday, May 6 (11:59 PM CST), and must be submitted online through Submittable.
Notification
Applications will be reviewed by Laura Gutierrez (choreographer, performing artist, and educator), Saúl Hernández-Vargas (Lawndale Advisory Board member and past exhibiting artist), Jamire Williams (Round 15 Artist Studio Program Participant), Jeremy Johnson (Lawndale’s Operations & Exhibitions Manager), and Anna Walker (Lawndale’s Executive Director). Applicants will be notified of a decision via email by the end of May 2024.
Application Materials
Narrative Bio OR Artist Statement
Website / Social Media Page (Not required)
5-10 representative examples of your work (Accepted formats: .jpg, .mov, and .pdf)
Through the Artist Studio Program, what are you excited to work towards for your creative practice? (250 words maximum)
Anything else you would like us to know about your application? (Not required)
2 professional references (to be contacted if you are a finalist)