Valerie Cassel Oliver to Jury Lawndale's The Big Show 2026, Open Call Announced
Lawndale has chosen Valerie Cassel Oliver as the juror for The Big Show 2026, its annual exhibition for artists within 100 miles of Houston. Cassel Oliver is the Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where she has organized exhibitions for artists like Robert Rauschenberg and Theaster Gates. She curated the 2021 exhibition The Dirty South, which toured CAMH and Crystal Bridges Museum. Previously, she was CAMH Senior Curator from 2000 to 2018. The Big Show runs from June 12 to August 15, 2026, with applications due by April 8, 2026. Past jurors include Dr. Phillip A. Townsend and Dr. Laura Augusta. Glasstire sponsors the event.
Key facts
- Valerie Cassel Oliver is the juror for The Big Show 2026 at Lawndale.
- The exhibition is an open call for artists within 100 miles of Houston.
- Cassel Oliver is the Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at VMFA.
- She curated The Dirty South exhibition, which toured to CAMH and Crystal Bridges Museum.
- Cassel Oliver was CAMH Senior Curator from 2000 to 2018.
- She curated the Spotlight section at Frieze Masters Art Fair in London in 2022, 2024, and 2025.
- The Big Show 2026 runs from June 12 to August 15, 2026.
- Applications are due April 8, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
Entities
Artists
- Valerie Cassel Oliver
- Robert Rauschenberg
- Theaster Gates
- Ted Joans
- Dawoud Bey
- Howardena Pindell
- Donald Moffett
- Jennie C. Jones
- Angel Otero
- Dr. Phillip A. Townsend
- Dr. Laura Augusta
- Dr. Kanitra Fletcher
- Daisy Nam
Institutions
- Lawndale
- Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA)
- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston (CAMH)
- Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
- Frieze Masters Art Fair
- American Folk Art Society
- Bard College
- Detroit Institute of Art
- High Museum of Art
- Center of Curatorial Leadership
- Getty Research Institute
- Columbia University
- Howard University
- University of Texas at Austin
- Glasstire
Locations
- Houston
- Texas
- United States
- Bentonville
- Arkansas
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- Detroit
- Schulenburg
- Madisonville
- Matagorda
- Port Arthur
- Beaumont