Texas Biennial

The 2009 Texas Biennial is the third of its kind since it’s inception in 2005. With each exhibition, the Biennial project has provided a fresh perspective on the scope of Texas contemporary art. The originators of the Texas Biennial have succeeded in culminating an initiative that voices the distinctive diversity of art making in Texas. We are pleased to announce the launch of the first phase of our newest restructured edition. In the same independent spirit as years past, the 2009 Texas Biennial will encourage conversations amongst artists, curators, writers and art lovers alike. This effort will ultimately spark a dialogue that will echo throughout the run of the 3rd biennial exhibition and beyond. As an independent survey of contemporary art in Texas, the 2009 Biennial is excited to use this opportunity to investigate current art making in Texas and promote the incredible innovation that lies within our great state.


For 2009, the Texas Biennial has adopted a new structure that we hope will give this event the direction, voice, and sustainability it needs to ensure it remains an important part of the Texas art landscape. This new structure does not abolish, but rather builds upon the open-submission group show format of 2005 and 2007. While the 2009 Biennial will retain a group exhibition selected from open submissions, there will be the added component of four, more focused, solo exhibitions awarded to four individuals representing North, South, East, and West. These more focused exhibitions will solidify the geographical weight of each region. The third part of our 2009 structure is the new collaboration with Austin’s Art in Public Places, program that affords the Texas Biennial the opportunity to include temporary outdoor projects.


In the past, the Texas Biennial’s participants have been picked by groups of jurors, leaving the selections to majority rule. While the results showcased a wide variety of media and delivered a nice overall cross-section of Texas work, it also left the shows without a unified statement that is needed for such a grand undertaking. In 2009, for the first time since its outset, the exhibitions will be under the direct control of a sole juror strengthening the impact of the whole project. We are pleased to announce that critic and independent curator, Michael Duncan, will be joining us for our 2009 edition as juror and curator for both the group and solo exhibitions. The chosen works and the ultimate awarding of funds for the Art in Public Places temporary outdoor projects will be a shared review process between Risa Puleo, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the Blanton Museum of Art and Art in Public Places panel member and Michael Duncan. Potential sites for the temporary outdoor project include, Town Lake Metropolitan Park at Auditorium Shores, the Mexican American Cultural Center grounds, and Fiesta Gardens. This inventive utilization of ordinary outdoor space will create a unique partnership between the City of Austin and the Texas Biennial.


In addition to collaborating with the City of Austin, the 2009 Texas Biennial will also be uniting forces with Austin galleries and museums to house our efforts. Together with these spaces we will be collaborating on our educational programming and special events to correspond with the varying exhibitions. The sites for the 2009 group exhibition are Women and Their Work and the new gallery at the Mexican American Cultural Center. The 4 regional solo exhibitions will be showcased at Okay Mountain, Gallery Lombardi, MASS Gallery, and Big Medium.


It is our hope that this fresh structure with new partners will expand upon the ambitious foundation of previous Biennials to create innovative, challenging, and now more focused projects for years to come.