The Ford Foundation Gallery and NXTHVN present "THIS IS NOT A RETREAT! NXTHVN Through the Years," an exhibition opening June 5, 2025, at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice in New York. The show features work by alumni artists from the first five years of NXTHVN's intensive 10-month fellowship program, which has supported 41 artists and 12 curators since 2018. Co-founded by artist Titus Kaphar and impact investor Jason Price, the exhibition is curated by Marissa Del Toro and spans drawing, painting, prints, installation, etchings, and sculpture. A concurrent group show, "The Things Left Unsaid," featuring NXTHVN's Cohort 06 Fellows, runs from May 8 to June 21, 2025, at James Cohan Gallery.
This exhibition matters because it highlights NXTHVN's model as a vital arts incubator that provides mentorship, professional development, and community for emerging artists and curators at a time when arts initiatives face vulnerability. By foregrounding the networks and camaraderie formed through residencies, the show underscores the importance of access, entrepreneurial knowledge, and creative liberation in sustaining artistic careers. The exhibition's title challenges the notion of a retreat, emphasizing rigorous engagement and collective experimentation that deepens connections around identity, memory, and belonging.