So, alhumdulilah, I am super excited and GRATEFUL that I have been blessed with the amazing opportunity to go back in time a little bit to return to Houston and Galveston to exhibit in the Island Time exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston. Back in 2011 and 2012 I did a yearlong artist residency at the Galveston Artist Residency. It was an amazing year of growth for me. I was 1-year out of grad school and there I was on a little island off the east coast of Texas, just 1 hour away from Houston. I had a huge, fabulous studio, 
a bangin 19th century apartment, a generous stipend and a beach bicycle to boot! Eric Schnell, the Founder/ Director of the residency is also an artist and he was so open and eager to make the residency a success by doing whatever was in his capability to support us in our artistic practice (God bless that man – such a genuine, generous and kind soul). I felt wonderfully supported and it seemed anything was possible. This time of in my life laid an important foundation for me. I even got married while I was an artist in residence at GAR. I was winning ALL the way! SO much of the work I’ve done over the past five years began in Galveston.
Along with Nick Barbee and Kely Sears, I was one of three artists in the inaugural year of this yearlong residency.
It was super quiet most of the time, which I love, and we also had amazing studio visits with curators and writers from all the major museums in Houston and many other fantastic arts institutions around the country. I enjoyed spending time in Houston especially at Project Rowhouses having deep conversations & hanging with other Black artists there during our regular bookclub meetings led by artist/friend/brother Jamal Cyrus.
Aside from the opening at CAMH on Friday and panel discussion on Saturday there’s lots of getting together in Houston and Galveston planned for all of the artists who have done this unique residency over the past four years and everyone who has been a part of this amazing GAR experience. It’s really special that the CAMH would honor us to do an exhibition about our residency program. There will even been an extensive catalog to go along with the show.
I’m also in the current round at Project Rowhouses (I’ll write about that in another post) so this all feels very full-circle. 
Houston is being really good to me this year. Can’t wait to get some Island Time in for the weekend (inshaAllah).