Texas Vignette was established in 2017 as a nonprofit dedicated to promoting, supporting, and connecting women in the arts in Texas by organizing an annual art fair. Vignette Art Fair is fully submissions-based and partners with a different renowned curator for each Fair to select the included artists and design the exhibition. It is significant to note that Vignette Art Fair is the first art fair in the world to solely feature the work of women artists.
I was selected to formulate the roster of artists and to curate the show in 2025, which I did with volunteer help from Karina Cedillo, a promising, emerging arts professional.
Click the image to view the show:
Curatorial Statement
What a sense of joy and responsibility I experienced when receiving the invitation to curate this year’s Vignette Art Fair. Having worked for traditional arts institutions for more than twenty years, I have easily been caught up in what the art world establishment expects from its museums—shows with a level of knife- sharp cohesion and a level of discipline and polish that says, “this is what fancy looks like.” And the world of art world onlookers is often looking for the next trend, the next superstar, the institutional validation. At best, I have been a disruptor of the expected, a violator of the usual paradigms.
In the realm of museums, I thought that the place of women as artists, scholars, and mentors was firmly established. I was surprised, then, when I attended a conversation locally between two accomplished women who were artists. When asked about their inspirations, both mentioned they did not know many women artist role models as they made the choice to pursue their callings. I choose to serve Texas Vignette, a fair that lifts up women, as Curator because I believe representation matters. Every person who identifies as a woman should be able to envision a world in which who they wish to be is possible. I thought the art world had moved past a male dominated paradigm, but apparently, we have farther to go. May this exhibition inspire these artists to continue to pursue their dreams and hold the light up for future generations.
This is a fair with very little barrier for established and emerging artists alike. 100% of the profits go directly to the artists, building a future for many of these artists that could start with a single sale.
The beauty of curating something like this is the freedom not afforded by long- term super focused museum show—that is, it is up to personal taste, allows for idiosyncrasy, quirk and polish, variety and balance. Thousands of works were submitted, and any one of them would have made for a dynamic exhibition. The selections I made were simply artworks that called to me because of the sophistication of their execution, their beauty, their import, and their emotional resonance. These artists’ works address everything from immigration and religion to domesticity and families. I was drawn to the innovative use of fibers. And you might very well be moved to ask me, “what are the threads that tie this all together?” And the truth is that the unifying factor was that the work simply spoke to me, as I hope it does to you!
