Diverse Discourse

Diana Nawi has served as associate curator at Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) since 2012. While at PAMM she has organized newly commissioned projects with Yael Bartana, Nicole Cherubini, Bouchra Khalili, LOS JAICHACKERS (Julio César Morales and Eamon Ore-Giron), and Shana Lutker. In 2014, Nawi organized a new presentation of Caribbean: Crossroads of the World, curated by Elvis Fuentes, and curated the first solo museum presentation of the work of Adler Guerrier. In 2015, she will curate an exhibition of recent work with Iman Issa and a mid-career survey with Nari Ward. Prior to joining PAMM, Nawi worked as assistant curator on the Abu Dhabi Project of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. She holds a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MA from the Graduate Program in the History of Art at Williams College.

Thomas J. Lax is Associate Curator of Media and Performance Art at the Museum of Modern Art. Previously, he was Assistant Curator at The Studio Museum in Harlem, the nexus for artists of African descent locally, nationally and internationally and for work that has been inspired and influenced by black culture. Most recently, he organized the Studio Museum exhibitions When the Stars Begin to Fall: Imagination and the American South (2014) and the Studio Museum’s presentation ofRadical Presence: Black Performance in Contemporary Art (2013). In 2008, he developed and launched the Museum’s VideoStudio program, an ongoing series of exhibitions of time-based art; in 2011, he initiated Studio Lab, a think tank and short-term residency program for ideas in formation. At the Studio Museum, he has also organized Fore (2012);Ralph Lemon: 1856 Cessna Road (2012); Lyle Ashton Harris: Self/Portrait (2011); and Kalup Linzy: If it Don’t Fit (2009); among others. Thomas received his BA from Brown University in Africana Studies and Art/Semiotics, and an MA in Modern Art from Columbia University. Co-presented by DiverseWorks and Core Residency Program at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Xandra Eden assumed her position at DiverseWorks in June 2015, having most recently served as Curator of Exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Previously, she held positions at The Power Plant, Toronto; Pollock-Krasner Foundation, New York; and Women & Their Work Gallery, Austin. Eden will speak about her past curatorial projects and vision for DiverseWorks’ future programming.

Chris Sharp is based in Mexico City and is editor-at-large of Kaleidoscope magazine, a contributing editor of Art Review, and his writings have appeared in many print and online publications including Artforum, Frieze, and Mousse. In 2013 he co-founded, with artist Martin Soto Climent, Lulu, an independent, Mexico City-based project space.

Diverse Discourse brings national curators, artistic directors, and critics to Houston to present a free public lecture and conduct studio visits with selected Houston-area artists, performers, and writers.  Diverse Discourse provides a significant opportunity for area artists in all disciplines to have their work reviewed by a variety of distinguished arts professionals, fostering a cultural exchange across the nation between artists and cultural producers. Click here for studio visit application guidelines. ABOUT ANGELA MATTOX Angela Mattox is the Artistic Director of Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), which presents performance and visual art programs and embraces those artists who exist at the borders of disciplines and ideas. Through the annual TBA Festival, artist residencies, performances, exhibitions, and workshops, PICA creates a broad platform for contemporary art and vital issues of today. Her global curatorial approach focuses on experimental performance practice, cross cultural exchange, and interdisciplinary work. Mattox was the former Performing Arts Curator at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) - San Francisco’s leading multidisciplinary contemporary art center. She joined the curatorial team in 2003 and was instrumental in revitalizing the performing arts presenting program. In her eight years at YBCA, she supported such visionary artists as Ralph Lemon, Meg Stuart, Nick […]