Crit Group Reunion

The Contemporary Austin, 2021

Crit Group Reunion brings together artists who have participated in the The Contemporary Austin’s Crit Group program, showcasing the spectrum of contemporary art in Austin. With seven to eight artists participating each year, since its founding Crit Group has generated a network of approximately sixty artists working in various artistic mediums—from painting and sculpture, textiles and ceramics, to performance, video, and sound installation.

Included in Chapter 1: Facing the World are Saul Jerome E. San Juan’s set of five watercolors painted while staying with his mother, who was temporarily furloughed due to the Coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.

At the time pursuing certification to start a new career as a high school teacher, San Juan set out exploring watercolors for its economy and pedagogical value while learning how to teach virtually in livestreaming this exploration. Delighting in grass sun-drenched chartreuse under baby-blue skies within a forgotten corner of a pie-shaped yard on a quintessentially suburban cul-de-sac in Arlington, Texas, San Juan contemplates the overlooked IN-BETWEEN simultaneously dividing and connecting us.

Running annually since 2014, The Contemporary’s Crit Group program has strived to support local artists in making new work, building community, and growing a professional practice. This highly selective program has brought together artists with a range of personal and educational backgrounds, as well as native Austinites and those who had recently relocated to the city. The Crit Group program aims to support these artists in experimenting and expanding their creative practices in new directions. In the spirit of extending this ethos, Crit Group Reunion will gather former program participants in a single exhibition for the first time, presenting a range of new and recent works and fostering a timely sense of togetherness.

Crit Group Reunion is organized by Robin K. Williams, Associate Curator, and co-curated with Andrea Mellard, former Director of Public Programs & Community Engagement.
 
Complete list of Crit Group program participants:

Adrian Aguilera; Emma Hadzi Antich; Annie Arnold; Amy Bench; Christa Blackwood; Ted Carey; Sandy Carson; Veronica Ceci; Christina Coleman; Jonas Criscoe; Bug Davidson; Rakhee Jain Desai; Lydia Garcia; Christine Garvey; Ron Geibel; Rebecca Rothfus Harrell; Jenn Hassin; Sarah Hill; Katy Horan; Madeline Irvine; Calder Kamin; Masumi Kataoka; Lauren Klotzman; Josef Kristofoletti; Dameon Lester; Betelhem Makonnen; Rebecca Marino; Paloma Mayorga; R. Eric McMaster; Deborah Mersky; Virginia Lee Montgomery; Olivia Martin Moore; Michael Muelhaupt; Manik Raj Nakra; Teruko Nimura; Dawn Okoro; Steve Parker; Everest Pipkin; Sean Ripple; Alexandra Robinson; Saul Jerome E. San Juan; Amy Scofield; Amber Shields; Rachel Wolfson Smith; Pat Snow; Matthew Steinke; Michael Stephen; Sherwin Tibayan; Glenn Twiggs; Sara Vanderbeek; Cheyenne Weaver; Jenn Wilson.