The Smithsonian Is Teaming Up With... MTV?
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is entering the world of reality television. The museum is teaming up with MTV for a competition show, The Exhibit: Finding The Next Great Artist, which premieres this spring on MTV and the Smithsonian Channel.
"The Exhibit: Finding the Next Great Artist exemplifies the Hirshhorn’s radical accessibility to modern and contemporary art," Melissa Chiu, the Hirshhorn director, said in a statement. "The Hirshhorn is free to all, yet many people cannot travel to Washington, D.C. The series will introduce audiences, wherever they are, to art making, spotlighting the importance of artists in society and energizing the Hirshhorn’s art-for-all mission."
Here's everything we know about The Exhibit:
The winner will get a $100,000 prize and a solo exhibit at the Hirshhorn.
The winner will be announced at the museum’s annual gala the Hirshhorn Ball. Watch the first trailer here:
The show is hosted by MTV's Dometi Pongo and judged by Melissa Chiu, the Hirshhorn's director. A team of guest judges will appear throughout the seasons, including artists Adam Pendleton, Kenny Schachterm, and Abigail DeVille.
There are seven artists competing.
Meet the contestants, with biographies courtesy of the Hirshhorn:
Jamaal Barber: "an artist, printmaker and educator whose mixed-media practice examines the ways in which social issues, culture and identity can overlap with Blackness."
Frank Buffalo Hyde: "Onondaga/Niimíipuu (Nez Perce) artist whose paintings examine and elevate an image of contemporary Indigenous life through a vibrant pop sensibility and uncompromising satirical eye."
Misha Kahn: "a New York–based artist and designer who works at the intersection of design and sculpture and is best known for creating whimsical and playful objects made with a variety of materials through an array of processes."
Clare Kambhu: "an artist and arts educator in New York City [who] creates paintings that draw attention to everyday, often overlooked objects, with a recent focus on how these items might reveal the potential for humanity to break the constraints of educational institutions."
Baseera Khan: "a New York–based performance, sculpture and installation artist whose work explores materials and their economies and the effects of these relationships upon labor, family structures, religion and spiritual well-being."
Jillian Mayer: " a Miami-based artist whose practice explores the intersection of technology and human existence, particularly the ways that our participation in a digital landscape reshapes our physical experiences."
Jennifer Warren: "a largely self-taught Chicago-based oil painter whose work explores themes around nature, beauty and the Black body."
The Exhibit: Finding The Next Great Artist premieres Friday, March 3, 2023.
There will be six episodes in The Exhibit. The first episode will premiere on Friday, March 3 on MTV at 9 p.m. eastern time, and starting on Friday, March 10, the show will air at 10 p.m. eastern on MTV. It will also air the Smithsonian Channel on Tuesdays, starting March 7 at 9 p.m. eastern time.
The show will also stream on Paramount+.
You Might Also Like
