For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of studying art and receiving professional feedback from guest artists and curators with the BLOCK Program at the Glassell Studio School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Founded in 2014, BLOCK is an intense one to two-year program (artists re-apply for a second year) made up of 12 artists, including myself, and two mentors – Laura August and Francesca Fuchs.

I am a member of cohorts XXI and XXII. BLOCK XXI began amid the early stages of pandemic (which meant nearly zero in-person meetings), so the overall experience differed greatly from that of the second year.

BLOCK XXII lunch with Francesca Fuchs in the MFAH Sculpture Garden

BLOCK XXII had the privilege of meeting in-person for critiques each week (rather than zoom). We got to know each other. Every Friday, we shared what we were struggling with in and out of the studio and shared our ideas for future projects.

Critiques are one-on-one. While one artist meets with the guest curator/artist/writer, the other artists are preparing in other room. This past year we met with 20 guests. It was a rush (and at times overwhelming).

BLOCK XXII visited Terrell James at her studio

One of the most surprising visits was with poet and UH professor Roberto Tejada. He offered a unique perspective–suggesting the incorporation of sound–and shared my love for artist books. Another exciting visit was with writer and USC professor Andy Campbell. I brought in one of my massive From the Cave paintings for our visit together. He was enthusiastic–he has such an incredible energy, and we bounced all the different ways I could use blue light and engage the viewer.

In the fall and spring, BLOCK XXII made reading lists that reflected our unique interests in the studio. At the end of the semester, we presented our research and bibliographies to one another. It was an exciting challenge and complimented the other work we were doing in seminar with Laura August.

In the fall, I read books like N. Katherine Hayles’s How We Became Post Human, Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows, and Elisa Gabbert’s The Unreality of Memory. I also began diving into land art and learning about Nancy Holt and Robert Smithson’s work. In the spring, I chose to focus solely on on art practices related to land. I read books like Francisco Careri’s Walkscapes, Hamish Fulton’s walking journey, and Erin Hogan’s Spiral Jetta. And I bought myself The Collected Writings of Robert Smithson.

Since joining BLOCK in fall 2020, my art practice has evolved from something very personal and hard to articulate to something much more multidisciplinary and outward. It has been an incredible learning experience, and I love the community I now find myself a part of.

The BLOCK XXII Exhibition opens next week on Thursday, September 8th, 6-8PM at The Glassell School of Art in the Levant Foundation Gallery (first floor). Sadly, I will not make it to the opening. However, I very much look forward to attending the artists talk on Sunday, October 23rd at 2PM. The exhibition will be on view through December 2nd, 2022.

The exhibition is curated by Andy Campbell and features work by BLOCK XXII artists Sara Marcheli, John Hovig, Jennifer Martin, Winifred Riser, Chet Urban, Suzette Schutze, Marisol Valencia, Erica Reed Lee, Liana Lee, Alexis Pye, Sherry Tseng Hill, and Michelle Whitney.

Special thank you to all of the guest artists, writers, and curators who visited with BLOCK XXII: Francesca Fuchs, Laura August, Julie DeVries, Brian Portman, Joe Havel, Gabriel Martinez, Lovie Olivia, JooYoung Choi, Andy Campbell, Annette Carlozzi, Marcelyn McNeil, Gerado Rosales, Molly Zuckerman-Hartung, Anna Mayer, Rabea Ballin, Terrell James, Steven Matijcio, Roberto Tejada, Robert Hodge, and Rebecca Matalon.