The Big Show 2022 Juried by Daisy Nam

The Big Show is an ambitious open-call juried competition of artists practicing within a 100-mile radius of Lawndale that reflects our commitment to supporting local and regional artists at various stages in their career. For the 2022 exhibition, juror Daisy Nam selected 38 artists from over 500 submissions.

The Big Show 2022 was accompanied by a ticketed Preview Party, which took place on Friday, June 17, 2022. To learn more and support, click here.

“This year, The Big Show brings together 81 works by 38 artists. On the ground level, the artists consider their surroundings— the city and land around them. Some works relate to urban infrastructure, while others reflect on the landscape. Works also examine how we live–what shapes our daily lives; what is the fabric that brings us together through objects, life experiences, work, or play. Leaving behind the realities of the world, we are led to Lawndale’s upstairs space. We enter a dreamscape. The works on the second floor are centered on dreams, fantasy, imagination, play and desire. There has been much suffering in recent times. The artists in this exhibition reveal the conditions of our struggles, but also remind us of resilience, need for reflection, and visions of a world to come.”

— Daisy Nam, The Big Show 2022 Juror

An award amount of $5,000 was divided between six artists: Rontaye Butler, Paula Córdoba, Sibylle Hagmann, Chenlu Hou, Sophia Longoria, and Kamila Szczesna.

Patrycja Adamowicz, Charis Ammon, Jen Bootwala, Rontaye Butler, Angel Castelan, Lindy Chambers, Chelsea Clarke, Paula Córdoba, daniel coreas, Cynthia Jamileth Giron, Vanessa Gonzalez, Sibylle Hagmann, Jihye Han, DR3K a.k.a. JP Hartman, Guadalupe Hernandez, Saúl Hernández-Vargas, Chenlu Hou, Sumin Hwang, Disha Khakheria, Erica Reed Lee, Ha Na Lee & James Hughes, C.M. Lewis, Sophia Longoria, Max Manning, Gabriel Martinez, Clinton Millsap, Demi Mixon, Brian Murcia, Quentin Pace, Julia Rossel, J.R. Roykovich, Jessica Simorte, Kamila Szczesna, Jesus Trevino, Irene Valentin, Charles VanMeter, Lucio Vasquez

Daisy Nam is the Curator at Ballroom Marfa, a contemporary art space located at the borderlands of Far West Texas. From 2015–2019, she was the Assistant Director at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, Harvard University where she organized exhibitions, publications, and public programs and worked closely with artists to engage with the campus community and public at large. From 2008-2015, she curated and produced seven seasons of talks, screenings, performances, and workshops as the Assistant Director of Public Programs at the School of the Arts, Columbia University. Curatorial residencies and fellowships include Marcia Tucker Senior Research Fellow at the New Museum, New York (2020); Bellas Artes, Bataan, Philippines (2020); Surf Point in York, Maine (2019); Gwangju Biennale Foundation, Korea (2018). She holds an MA in Curatorial and Critical Studies from Columbia University and a BA in Art History and Cinema Studies from New York University. She has taught at RISD and lectured at Lesley University, Northeastern, SMFA/Tufts, and SVA as a visiting critic. She recently co-edited the publication with Paper Monument Best! Letters from Asian Americans in the arts.