Young Space Q+A, no.2
A conversation with Kalia Brooks, Director of Programs and Exhibitions at NXTHVN
NXTHVN was founded by Titus Kaphar and Jason Price in New Haven, Connecticut, with a two-fold aim to build an alternative model of art mentorship and design a curriculum that in turn builds opportunities for emerging local entrepreneurs. The organization is located in two former manufacturing plants in the Dixwell neighborhood, where NXTHVN’s first artist studio wing opened in 2019 and continues to grow as a multi-use arts and creative center.
Through a year-long Fellowship Program that functions like a career accelerator, NXTHVN combines administrative and theoretical aspects of the art profession with mentorship. The program takes place alongside a high school Apprenticeship Program, which focuses on one-on-one learning to propel local students into fine arts careers.
As the Director of Programs and Exhibitions at NXTHVN, Kalia Brooks is responsible for the design and delivery of curatorial exhibitions, public programs, artist projects, community engagement initiatives, and the learning environment for the Fellowship and Apprenticeship Programs.
Brooks holds a PhD in Aesthetics and Art Theory from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts (IDSVA). She is co-editor of Women and Migration: Responses in Art and History (Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK, 2019 and 2022). She has served as a consulting curator with the City of New York through the Department of Cultural Affairs and was an ex-officio trustee on the Board of the Museum of the City of New York during the de Blasio administration.
NXTHVN kicks off the spring exhibition season on March 8 with the opening of All At Once, Reflected Through Glass, organized by Cohort 06 Curatorial Fellow Rigoberto Luna. The exhibition showcases the artistic practice of glass as a medium of resistance, featuring work from Angela Babby, Layo Bright, Cheryl Derricotte, Einar and Jamex De la Torre, Timo Fahler, Salvador Jiménez-Flores, Titus Kaphar, Patrick Martinez, Perla Segovia, and more.
NXTHVN’s fellowship program open call continues through tomorrow, March 3. Learn more and apply on the organization’s website.
See you again at the usual time on Wednesday!
—Kate
Q+A: Kalia Brooks
Kalia, thanks so much for taking the time to answer a few questions! Can you tell me a bit about how you became involved with NXTHVN and what you do as Director?
I’ve worked as an independent curator and writer since 2006 with a focus on emergent technologies and African American, trans-Atlantic, and diasporic cultures of the Americas. I met Titus that same year at the Studio Museum in Harlem. We stayed connected over the years. I immediately resonated with NXTHVN’s mission of supporting underrepresented artists and curators. I joined NXTHVN in 2021 as the director of programs and exhibitions, which involves organizing our exhibitions, visiting artist program and all events. I also work closely with the fellows and apprentices, providing mentorship and designing their curriculum.
I recently took on the role of interim executive director. Along with the work above, I’m also driving our strategic plan, fundraising, overseeing the team, and overall ensuring everything we do ties back to our mission.
What was the impetus for the founding of NXTHVN?
The driving goal was to solve for some of the pervasive challenges Titus saw or experienced as a young Black artist. Emerging artists and curators have limited access to professional development, vetted networks, and resources related to building and sustaining a career in the art industry. Navigating gallery representation, pricing works—these are all processes that are necessary in maintaining a career as a visual artist, but they’re never spoken about or taught directly. Of course, these challenges are often compounded for marginalized artists and curators.
Our goal is to provide a program that offers the rigorous critique artists and curators need to continue developing their work. We also want to provide a space for artists and curators to get answers to questions that are never explicitly talked about in traditional MFA programs.
What have you learned from the Fellowship Program that the organization has been running since 2019?
We have learned that there is still so much work to be done. We are a tremendous resource, but we can only serve a small portion of artists and curators. The sheer number of applicants that we receive is evidence of how there needs to be more opportunities available to nurture, support, and mentor burgeoning artists and curators.
What do you and the team enjoy most about working with high school students in the Apprenticeship Program? Why is this age range especially important?
The entire NXTHVN team and the Fellows find a lot of meaning in the direct community impact the apprenticeship brings. We are rooted in the Dixwell neighborhood of New Haven, and the Apprenticeship provides a welcoming (and paid!) entry point for local youth to build personal connections with artists and curators from around the country and the world. Jay Kemp, who runs the Apprenticeship Program, deeply understands the value of intergenerational mentorship and has built a beautiful program.
This age range is crucial because it’s when kids are asked to start seriously thinking about their futures. The program allows them to explore their passions and see how it can result in a legitimate career path for them. If you don’t see artists or curators or creative people living their lives, it's hard to imagine that path for yourself, let alone know what steps to take.
That’s not to say we’re pushing all of the Apprentices to get an art degree. The skills they learn are applicable to any field. The program shows them their capacity, interests and creativity, which could be applied to entrepreneurship or marketing or engineering. It’s really about building confidence and providing the resources for the apprentices to bring a vision to reality, so they can take those lessons on to the rest of their life.
Within NXTHVN, does everyone pretty much interact with everyone, or are there a few distinct programs?
Our programs are designed to be collaborative. This was an element that was really important to Jason and Titus, tapping into the skills of each person, creating opportunities for intersection, which is where the best ideas are often born.
An obvious example is that each Apprentice is matched with a Fellow. Our annual visiting artist works directly with the Fellows and also hosts a public-facing program. We have former Fellows who still have studios on site, who form relationships with current Fellows and of course have relationships within the community. Marissa Del Toro, our assistant director of programs and exhibitions, was a Curatorial Fellow several years ago. The list goes on, but we really value building relationships across the NXTHVN team, our programs and within the local community.
Is there something you wish emerging artists or curators knew about participating in a program like NXTHVN? Or something that you feel is important to instill during their participation in the program that you've learned serves them well as they move forward in their careers?
Giving themselves time to dedicate solely to their practices is invaluable, and it's time you cannot reclaim. Life is always moving so making a habit/practice of returning to your creative source is essential.
Is there anything you've learned along the way that has really shaped the way you think about working with artists or challenged you in a surprising way?
I am always nourished by each Cohort. Their personalities and practices are so different every year. I've learned that art is boundless; always resharing and reforming itself, and that kind of essential refusal is a lesson in freedom.
What are you excited about next at NXTHVN?
We recently launched a membership program, which gives community members access to exclusive perks and events. We’re excited to interact with our community and funders in new ways through the program.
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