As a special accompanying event for Tex-US: Five Encounters from the Lone Star State, Texas-based curator Judy Tedford Deaton will present an exhibition talk providing addition context for the artwork and contemporary artists featured in the exhibition. The lecture will take place in Brick City Building 1, room 312 on April 5 at 5:00 p.m.

Judy is currently Director of Exhibitions and Chief Curator at The Grace Museum in Abilene, Texas. In the following exhibition statement, Judy addresses Associate Professor Sarah William’s curation process and the selected works of Tex-US:

The study of art history traditionally places artists into categories according to geography, style, medium, art movement, era and fame. Curating exhibitions and working with artists for the last sixteen years, I find that the often-overlooked associations with mentors and/or fellow artists to be the most revealing. Who taught whom, studio mates, and colleagues are often the more interesting discovery of an individual artist’s embrace or rejection of media and motivation. The days of listing artists associated with critic-controlled art moments no longer inspire copycat versions of artistic success. This exhibition asserts that contemporary artists explore a wide variety of individual modes of expression documenting personal as well as universal concerns.

Sarah Williams has curated this exhibition to revisit five influential artists she knew while pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas to remind us that early influencers remain relevant even in the age of the demise of the artist collective. The art selected is diverse in intention and technique yet each artist proved important in Williams’ pursuit of an authentic vision.

Oh, the joie de vivre of finding that grad school is filled with people like you….

Brick City Building 1 is located at 327 W. Mill Street, Springfield, MO 65806. For questions about the event, call the Department of Art and Design office, 417-837-2330.

Tex-US: Five Encounters from the Lone Star State is on view at Carolla Arts Exhibition Center now through April 14.

Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.