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Phillip Townsend, PhD

@philntheblank

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Curator, Art Historian, Good Time Haver
*views + opinions are my own*

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Join us on Sunday, October 25th, from 2 - 3:30 pm for a Public Curator Tour of our current exhibition 𝙈𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙏𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙨 with our Curator of Art, Dr. Phillip A. Townsend! This event is free and open to the public. RSVP at the link in our bio!

📷: Thomas Meredith A group of diverse adults engaged in a guided tour at the Christian-Green Gallery, discussing art pieces on a poster for an event slated for October 25, 2026

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Another look at José Villalobos in Made in Texas at The University of Texas at Austin. If you are in Austin, make sure to see the show!

Bringing together 17 works by Texas-born artists, the exhibition looks at Texas through histories of migration, labor, industry, memory, identity, and place.

On view through December 5, 2026, at Christian-Green Gallery and Idea Lab. Curated by Phillip A. Townsend, Ph.D.

Made in Texas, installation view. Christian-Green Gallery, AGBS, The University of Texas at Austin, September 4–December 5, 2026. Photo: Mark Doroba.

#artinaustin #contemporaryartaustin #josevillalobos #artgallerydallas #utaustin

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A very cool thing to hold in my hands. 🖤

Grateful to Phillip A. Townsend (@philntheblank) for including my work in Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy, 1924–2024, and to Art Galleries at Black Studies at UT Austin for bringing this project into the world.

A century of Black queer artists, histories, pleasure, possibility, and imagination. Really honored to find myself somewhere in these pages.

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Congratulations to José Villalobos on the inclusion of Made in Texas in Glasstire’s 2026 Fall Preview: Five Texas Art Exhibitions to See this Year.

Curated by Phillip A. Townsend, Made in Texas brings together Texas-born artists Ja’Tovia Gary, Robert Hodge, Deborah Roberts, José Villalobos, and Charisse Pearlina Weston to consider how place, history, migration, industry, and memory shape life and identity in Texas.

Thank you to Glasstire, Brandon Zech, William Sarradet, and Nicholas Frank for the inclusion. Read the full article from the link in bio!

If you’re in Austin, make sure to see the exhibition at Christian-Green Gallery at UT Austin, on view through December 5.

@josevillalobosart @philntheblank @galleriesatut @glasstire

#glasstire #glasstiretopfive #austinart #utaustin #contemporaryart

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From Ruby City’s collection to Austin 🖼️

Robert Hodge’s "Promise You Will Sing About Me" (2019) is headed to The Art Galleries at Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin for "Made in Texas."

A few behind-the-scenes moments as the work was installed in the gallery by US Art Fine Art Services.

Opening Reception: September 3, 5:30–7:30 PM
On view: September 4–December 5, 2026

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Thank you so much for coming out to celebrate the catalogue launch for Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy 1924 - 2024. A huge congratulations to Phillip A Townsend and all the artists and contributors. Thank you to the Contemporary Austin for hosting us for this momentous occasion.

Link in our bio to order your copy, use code UTXSUMMER for 40% off for a limited time!

Images courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photography by Levi Thompson. Smiling man in a dark suit holding a colorful art book with a radiant portrait on the cover in a modern outdoor setting.

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José Villalobos is included in Made in Texas, a group exhibition curated by Phillip A. Townsend, Ph.D., at the Art Galleries at Black Studies at The University of Texas at Austin.

Bringing together 17 works by Texas-born artists, Made in Texas considers the state as a complex cultural force shaped by history, politics, migration, labor, industry, and memory. Rather than presenting Texas through a single narrative, the exhibition explores how identity, place, and belonging are continually formed and contested.

José’s work will be presented alongside artists including Ja’Tovia Gary, Robert Hodge, Deborah Roberts, Robert Pruitt, Charisse Pearlina Weston, and more.

Opening Reception
Thursday, September 3, 2026
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Christian-Green Gallery, Jester A232
Free and open to the public
On view September 4 through December 5, 2026, across Christian-Green Gallery and Idea Lab.

José Villalobos, La Espera, 2023. Mixed media, 6 × 7 × 3 ft

@josevillalobosart @galleriesatut @philntheblank

#artaustin #galleriesatut #josevillalobos #contemporaryartdallas #dallasart

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The final element of the multi-part project 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦: 𝘈 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘤𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺, 1924–2024 is now available for pre-order! Join us in celebrating the release of the catalog with our own Phillip A. Townsend, the curator of 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 and the editor of this volume; the contributing artists and scholars; the AGBS staff; and the generous supporters who made it all possible.

Come to The Contemporary Austin on Wed., July 15, at 6 p.m. to preview the book and get a discount code for 40% off! Event info and catalog pre-order links in bio.

ABOUT 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘕𝘚𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘌𝘕𝘊𝘌

“More than an exhibition, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 was a declaration—a celebration of the radical elation and complexity of Black queer life. It foregrounded ecstasy not as an aberration, nor as mere excess, but as a vital, life-affirming force founded in intimacy, creativity, and spirituality.” —Phillip A. Townsend

Starting as an exhibition in January 2025, 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 widened its research impact with a symposium where artists, scholars, and curators convened at The University of Texas at Austin to explore the ideas presented in the exhibition and share insights from their respective scholarly and creative practices.

After this in-person exchange and deeper research, the participants wrote catalog essays on the exhibition’s themes: Portraiture, Beyond Figuration, Dance and Movement, Spirituality, Sex and Sensuality, Black Queer Futures, and Altered States.

𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 is published by
The University of Texas Press
for AGBS, with contributions by:

Nessette Falu
Lola Flash
Laura G. Gutierréz
Texas Isaiah
Omi Osun Joni L. Jones
Amber Jamilla Musser
Makeda C. Paul
Phillip A. Townsend
Omise’eke Natasha Tinsley
Natalie Willis Whylly
Hershini Young

Cover: Bre’Ann White

Lead support for 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Mellon Foundation Affirming Multivocal Humanities initiative, & AGBS. We also thank our donors, Marquand Books & UT partners: the Visual Arts Center, Humanities Institute, and academic departments supporting this work. Book cover for "Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy, 1924–2024" that has a pink background and a figure with eyes closed and head tilted up and back.

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Summer is heating up at The Contemporary! Explore art and more across our two locations – Jones Center and Laguna Gloria ⤵︎

🤠 Rooftop Sessions: Summer Lovers
❤️‍🔥 LOVERS: Adonis with RF. Alvarez
🕑 Curator-Led Tour of “Sable Elyse Smith: Clockwork” with Alex Klein
🩵 Free Week at the Jones Center
🤙 Second Saturdays Are for Families: Anything Can Be a Puppet!

Plus, check out our adult and kids summer classes at The Art School at Laguna Gloria – try something new or hone your craft 🎨

Members get free admission, special discounts, full access to Art School classes, and so much more. Join now! 💗

Visit our link in bio for tickets and info ⤴︎

#contemporaryatx #TheContemporaryAustin #artinaustin #atxmuseums #austintx LagunaGloria JonesCenter

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Timeless beauty and perfection
#villaromanadelcasale #sicily #piazzaarmerina #ancientcivilization #sicilypictures

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Mighty Mount Etna
#etna #etnavolcano #mountetna #sicily #etnavulcano

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Tour Sicily with us
#sicily #italy #gaydestinations #gaytravel #sicilia

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