The Holland Project’s Curator Series invites regional & national artist-curators to organize art and humanities programs in collaboration with HP Galleries. The series aims to expand the scope of conversations presented by curators and exhibiting artists beyond our gallery walls through programs that engage all departments of our organization: art, music, workshops, and community.
We are thrilled to announce the 2021 Resident Curators:
Jump to info: Michelle Lassaline & Michelle Laxalt | Häsler R. Gómez & Kristin Hough | Sal Bajaras-Alvarez & Annaiz Ramirez
This series is made possible in part through a grant from Nevada Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities
MICHELLE LASSALINE + MICHELLE LAXALT
January 6 – February 12, 2021
Michelle Lassaline is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Pacific Northwest. Lassaline received her BFA in painting and performance art from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2014. As a member of the Holland Project Gallery Committee from 2013-2016, she co-curated the exhibition, “Resound,” and “Fizzog”, as well as working with UNR on the exhibition “Dada: Local.” She has received grants from the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, Artist Trust, the City of Seattle, 4Culture, the Nevada Arts Council, and Sierra Arts Foundation. Lassaline has been performing as “The Taeuber Troupe” regularly since 2014, and has made it her full-time job since 2018, performing at events including the Seattle Mayor’s Arts Awards, the Tacoma Art Museum, the Holland Project, Nevada Museum of Art, Artown, and more. She is currently pursuing her MFA at the Maine College of Art, while working on an upcoming solo exhibition for the Oats Park Art Center in Fallon, NV in August 2021.
Michelle Laxalt is a multidisciplinary artist currently based in Atlanta. She earned a BFA from the University of Nevada, Reno, and an MFA as a Welch Fellow from Georgia State University in Atlanta. Laxalt has exhibited nationally in numerous exhibitions. She has given artist talks at Gallery 72 and MINT Gallery in Atlanta and has participated on artist panels at the Holland Project Gallery (Nevada), Georgia Tech (Atlanta), and Auburn University (Alabama). She has completed residencies at the Vermont Studio Center and the Hambidge Center in North Georgia. From 2015 to 2018 she taught undergraduate studio courses in ceramics and three-dimensional design at Georgia State University. She recently completed a MINT Leap Year Fellowship and currently works out of her home studio. In addition to her studio practice, Laxalt is the Gallery Manager for the Forward Arts Foundation, a non-profit arts organization in Atlanta. There, she has overseen numerous group and solo exhibitions and plays a key role in administering the Foundation’s prestigious Edge Award. She also co-curates its annual Summer Invitational, an exhibition highlighting contemporary craft and craft-based work from Atlanta and the Southeast.
Häsler R. Gómez + Kristin Hough
June 2, 2021 – July 9, 2021
Häsler R. Gómez (hr.g.) was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala in 1993, but has lived in the United States since the age of four. His work predominantly investigates issues of personal, political, and social desire, and probes the complexities and connections between language, history, immigration, gender, and oppression. Gómez holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. His work has been exhibited nationally, most recently at Zygote Press in Cleveland, OH. Gómez currently works out of Reno, NV.
Kristin Hough is an artist, educator, and curator based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She received her BA from Wesleyan University and her MFA from UC Davis, where she was awarded the Provost and Margrit Mondavi Fellowships. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in New American Paintings, Friend of the Artist, and Hyperallergic. In addition, she’s been an artist-in-residence at the Vermont Studio Center and Los Angeles’s ECF Downtown Art Center, and recently released a book with National Monument Press. She co-founded an artist-run project space, Outback Arthouse, and has co-curated exhibitions throughout Los Angeles, as well as at Carnation Contemporary in Portland, Oregon. She’s currently teaching at UNLV, curating shows in Nevada, painting stills from reality TV, and collaborating on a land art project – Pinewood Vortex.
Sal Bajaras-Alvarez + Annaiz Ramirez
December 14, 2021 – January 21, 2022
Savior Studios began as a clothing brand and has now evolved into a creative collective that is all-encompassing. It is intended to be a portfolio for both Sal Bajaras-Alvarez and annaiz ramirez, as a place for all of their work to live as it evolves over time. In its current state, they have dedicated themselves to curating the contemporary work of younger artists while focusing on the transformation of non-traditional spaces. Though they will always maintain their foundation of creating clothing, it is not the finished version. Savior Studios strives to create community with both creatives and non-creatives alike.
Sal Barajas is a Graphic Communications artist who is currently working towards a degree in the field. He primarily works in branding communication and typography. Sal also co-runs Savior Studios and under this, he has had the opportunity to work in many mediums including photography, screen printing, and product development.
annaiz ramirez is a contemporary exhibit organizer who has recently gained her degree in Art History with a focus on Latinx Studies and Museum Studies from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has interned for the John and Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art and just recently co-curated an exhibit in partnership with the Lilley and the Reno Arts and Culture Commission that exhibited in Reno’s City Hall. Annaiz also co-runs Savior Studios and through this she has been able to expand her work in curation, contemporary art historical writing, and creative direction.
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