The Emerging Artist Mentorship Program aka T.E.A.M.

In June 2019, Basin Arts will present the T.E.A.M. exhibition featuring a select group of emerging artists who have recently graduated or will soon graduate from a university arts degree program. It is Basin Arts’ intention to use this opportunity to mentor a small group of artists in the behind-the-scenes workings of contemporary art curation and exhibition practices. Selected artists will attend a series of T.E.A.M. meetings through which they will be mentored in areas of installation, documentation, writing of artist statements, CV crafting, marketing practices, curatorial selection and collaboration.

 

Meet our selected artists…

 

Nicholas Leroy

Nicholas Leroy was born in Tours, France, where at a young age he was exposed to Belgian comics and René Magritte’s paintings. Such imagery formed the foundation of his visual language, atop which children’s cartoons, technical prints, and outsider art were piled as he grew up. Always wanting to be an artists—an aspiration that was pursued and given up on multiple times before fully committing to drawing in his adolescence. Currently a visual arts major with a concentration in painting at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Nicholas has been given the opportunity to learn, grow, and experiment in ways he was never able to before.

 

Dustin Smith

Dustin Smith is a classically trained musician hailing from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his studies under Marty Hurley at Brother Martin High School. He continued his education with the pursuit of a Music Performance degree under the direction of Troy Jude Breaux. He has premiered pieces with ASO and been a member the UL Percussion Ensemble and Orchestra as well as performing with independent acts in Lafayette and New Orleans. Dustin is currently working in collaboration with dancer Tori Vincent on an original composition to be performed with choreography.

 

Maggie Martin

Maggie Martin is a recent graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She graduated with a BFA in Theatre, concentration in Design and Technology. Maggie currently works at the Acadiana Center for the Arts as an assistant theatre technician, she also has extensive work experience with local and professional theatre companies.  Though she technically advises as a lighting designer, her devised work pieces have been chosen and displayed in a number of venues such as: festival international and  Climate Change Action Theatre.

 

Annie Mae Higginbotham

Annie Mae Higginbotham was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. She attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in performing arts with a concentration in dance in May 2018. While earning this degree, she performed in State of La Danse in 2014 and 2017 and in Evening of Dance in 2018. Her choreography was showcased in Evening of Dance in 2017 and 2018. Work from this concert is also being presented at the 2019 ACDA conference for an adjudicated concert. Her performance career also includes two summers, 2016 and 2017, with the nationally touring performance ensemble, the Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps. Annie currently teaches the color guard program at Lafayette High School and is the director of the color guard program at Over Comeaux High School. Most recently, she performed in s.p.a.c.e. Lafayette’s season series titled Current-ly by Kelsey Billiot.