Since our founding, The Xela Institute of Art has supported the career development of 30 underrepresented artists across different stages of their practice—including 8 senior artists, 10 mid-career artists, and 12 emerging artists—through exhibitions, mentorship, and professional services.

Each year, The Xela Institute of Art presents four to six free public exhibitions that engage with urgent social themes–from cultural identity and collective memory to ecological crisis and creative healing. Recent solo shows have featured veteran-family and African American artist Carla Jay Harris, Dominican American artist Nara Winston, and internationally practicing emerging artist Yezi Lou. Mid-career to senior spotlights have included fourth-generation Japanese American artist Parker Ito, Watts House Project co-founder Edgar Arceneaux, internationally practicing French artist Christophe Leroux, and disability rights-focused artist Katherine Sherwood. All exhibitions are co-curated through a transparent, dialogic process centering artists’ needs, care practices, and evolving site-specific investigations.

Building on our mission to advance underrepresented emerging, mid-career, and senior artists, The Xela offers art skills development and technical training; arts advocacy, information, and research; career services, mentorships, and professional development; grants administration support and re-granting opportunities; arts professional convening and networking forums. These services foster the cultural capital, institutional relationships, and administrative infrastructure essential for sustaining long-term studio practices.

To guide our growth, we are forming a larger, dynamic Board of Directors contributing via annual fees. In tandem, we are establishing an Artists’ Council of 4-6 creatives, led by two rotating co-chairs (two-year terms) who both hold full board seats. This structure ensures that artist perspectives directly inform strategic decisions and exemplifies our ongoing commitment to career development within the global visual arts ecosystem.