Meadows Art Students Explore Creative Connections at Corsicana Open Studios
Students visited the Corsicana Artist and Writer Residency to meet working artists, tour studios and experience the power of artistic collaboration beyond campus.
On December 6, students from the Division of Art embarked on an inspiring field trip to the ’s biannual Open Studios, where they experienced a day filled with art, community, and creative exchange.
The visit marked the latest step in a growing collaboration between 51³Ô¹ÏÍøand artistic networks across Texas and beyond, adding variety to the Division’s visiting artist program and connecting students to the wider artistic community locally, regionally and internationally.
The partnership began when Assistant Professor of Art Frederico Câmara was approached by Kyle Hobratschk, founder and executive director of the Residency as well as an 51³Ô¹ÏÍøMeadows art alum, about hosting one of Corsicana’s artists for a campus talk. What started as a single idea quickly evolved into a dynamic, ongoing exchange.
“When Kyle reached out, my initial thought was that I wanted to host all of his artists, considering the high quality of the artists in residence at Corsicana,” explained Câmara. “After further discussion, we proposed to host all the Corsicana artists in residence for a day of studio visits with our M.F.A. students, host two public artist presentations per semester at SMU, and to take a group of students to Corsicana’s Open Studios.”
During the Open Studios visit, students toured the Residency’s historic downtown spaces, explored artist studios at 100 West, and engaged with resident artists Lisa Lapinski and Mamie Tinkler who had previously presented at SMU. The day also included a reading by writer Shaan Sachdev and a visit to the Anteroom Gallery’s video installation exhibit by Tokyo-based artist Jingyi Laura Li.
This chance to connect with artists and curators from the broader Texas art scene provided an invaluable networking opportunity for the next generation of Meadows artists. Hobratschk, who has overseen the Corsicana Residency since its founding, said he was thrilled to see Meadows students engaging with the space and the artists in residence.
“I hope the students recognize that strong contemporary work in art and writing can take place outside of urban, metropolitan areas,” he said, emphasizing the small town’s access to space and clarity of mind. “I also hope [this visit] inspires them to seek residency opportunities for themselves post-graduation.”
The trip was organized in collaboration with Meadows’ Student Organized Art Collective (SOAC), a campus organization where students from any major can exhibit and critique art together, which helped coordinate logistics and partially funded the event. For SOAC co-president Gracyn Buckner, the visit represented the heart of what the organization strives to achieve.
“SOAC’s mission is to provide students with both creative and professional opportunities to build their skill set and community, and this trip gave students the chance to get hands on experience connecting to a different art community,” Buckner said. “Sometimes it can be hard as a creative to prioritize building professional relationships when your art practice feels so personal and intimate, however this placed the artists right there in the action and guided them to those interactions.”
The collaboration between 51³Ô¹ÏÍøMeadows and the Corsicana Artist and Writer Residency reflects a shared commitment to fostering dialogue between artists at different stages of their careers. Through visits like this one, students gain firsthand experience with professional creative environments, while forming connections that extend the reach of their artistic community.