Dallas Contemporary is pleased to present Open University, the inaugural DC NTX Graduate Student Program exhibition on view 24 January 2025, curated by Matthew Higgs, Director and Chief Curator of White Columns in New York. The annual initiative, launched in August 2024, invites North Texas MFA students in their final year of graduate work to exhibit at Dallas Contemporary, after being selected by a visiting national curator. The program is aimed at advancing the early careers of emerging artists schooled in the region and fosters healthy interactions and connections between students and renowned curators. The DC NTX Graduate Student Program is funded with foundational five-year support from Ann and John McReynolds.

In addition to the exhibition and mentorship provided to the cohort, the DC NTX Graduate Student Program also offers an annual $8,000 award to one of the artists in the exhibition, selected by the McReynolds and Higgs, as well as a yearly curatorial fellowship to a student pursuing a Master’s degree in contemporary art history. This year, Higgs is joined by McReynolds Curatorial Fellow Abby Bryant from Texas Christian University. 

Across students from Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, Texas Woman’s University, University of North Texas, The University of Texas at Arlington, and The University of Texas at Dallas, the inaugural DC NTX Graduate Student Program cohort includes: Courtney Broussard, Christina Childress, Lisa Clayton, Taylor Cleveland, Pablo Cruz, Veronica Ibargüengoitia Tena, Austin Lewis, Katherine Pinkham, Sarah Rainey, Elijah Ruhala, Narong Tintamusik, Sharmeen Uqaili, and Vajihe Zamaniderkani.