Exhibition Opening: THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! NXTHVN Through the Years

The Ford Foundation Gallery and NXTHVN are pleased to present THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! NXTHVN Through the Years curated by Marissa Del Toro on view June 5 – August 2, 2025.

Please join us for the opening celebration on Thursday, June 5th, from 5 – 7pm.

In honoring the visionary model of arts incubator and the thriving artistic community that surrounds it, NXTHVN will build on their tradition of concluding each cohort’s year with a culminating show; THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! features virtuosic work by alumni artists from the first five years of the program.

Since 2018, NXTHVN has catalyzed the careers of 41 artists and 12 curators through a 10-month intensive fellowship program of mentorship and professional development. Co-founded by renowned multidisciplinary artist Titus Kaphar and impact investor Jason Price, NXTHVN is a space where artists expand their skills, networks, and confidence. The exhibition foregrounds the vital significance of the networks, camaraderie, and connections that take root through art residencies. At a time when initiatives for the arts and unconsidered individuals are vulnerable, NXTHVN stands firm in supporting the work of talented artists and curators from around the world.

Each year, Kaphar advises the newly admitted fellows that their time at NXTHVN will be quick but special with a reminder that “this [experience] is not a retreat.” Instead, it is a space where artists and curators learn to fortify themselves with entrepreneurial knowledge, deeper creative purpose, inspiration, and strengthened community. This exhibition celebrates the individuals who have contributed, experienced, supported, and made NXTHVN into a prominent institution where access, knowledge, independence, excellence, artistic liberation, and innovation flourish.

Exhibiting artists: Felipe Baeza, Layo Bright, Allana Clarke, Alexandria Couch, Kenturah Davis, Anindita Dutta, Daniel Tyree Gaitor-Lomack, Merik Goma, John Guzman, Eric Hart Jr., Fidelis Joseph, Alyssa Klauer, Africanus Okokon, Esteban Ramón Pérez, Jamaal Peterman, Alexander Puz, Patrick Quarm, Athena Quispe, Daniel Ramos, Ilana Savdie, Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Vaughn Spann, Capt. James Stovall V, Warith Taha, and Vincent Valdez.