The “Next” Contestant: A Game Show–Style Artist Discussion

In conjunction with the exhibition NEXT
Free and open to the public

Extending the spirit of NEXT, this lively, game show–style program invites participating artists to take the stage—and the microphone—on their own terms. In a format that is at once playful and probing, artists pose questions to one another, generating a dynamic conversation around influence, artistic process, and their shared ties to Jamestown.

Rather than a traditional panel, The “Next” Contestant foregrounds exchange over presentation, offering a space where dialogue unfolds laterally across practices, mediums, and personal histories. The result is an event that mirrors the exhibition itself: shaped by a sense of place, yet attentive to the diverse trajectories that emerge from it.

On view from April 10 through June 13, 2026, NEXT gathers a new generation of artists connected to Jamestown—those who grew up on the island or spent formative years within its orbit. Across media, the exhibition traces how local experience persists, mutates, and reappears within contemporary artistic production. This program brings those undercurrents into conversation, making visible the relational and generational dynamics that animate the work.

Participating artists include Gabriella Andreozzi, Eliza Boyer, Kyle Canyon, Michela Colognese, Genevieve Dupre, Caia Diepenbrock, Sarah Hirsch, Ella Hutchinson, Jenny Lathan, Ailsa Petrie, Islay Petrie, Cordelia Thomas, Teddy Trocki-Ryba, Alexi Sarah Widoff, and Casey Weibust.