For the seventh year in a row, Amon Carter Museum of American Art taps into North Texas talent to enhance the museum experience, selecting four artists for its 2025 Class of Carter Community Artists. This year’s artists are Kristin Boyer, LaShonda Cooks, Dizzy Orbit and Javier Sandova.
Established in 2018, the Amon Carter Community Artist Initiative was created to work with and support local artists to develop opportunities for the North Texas community to connect with the Carter’s collection and artists in the region. The yearlong commitment includes the participating artists collaborating on a wide array of projects and events for student, family and adult audiences.
Six years later, the Fort Worth museum has worked with twenty-four local artists, hosted more than 300 events, and connected with more than 60,000 people at the museum and in the community.
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
Each 2025 Carter Community Artists brings a unique point of view to the program. Boyer’s prints, sculptures and fiber works creatively explore ways in which communication skills are developed through play. With a specialty in portraiture, Cooks’ work explores cultural norms, identity and beauty through her signature pointillist painting style. Orbit collaborates with other Fort Worth artists to create photographs that include her fiber works, her friends and the local landscape. And as a first-generation Mexican American, Sandoval’s work invites viewers to reflect on how cultural heritage and modern influences shape identity in a constantly evolving society.
“Working with these four artists in the year ahead will help us continue to expand our vision of American creativity at the Carter and beyond” said Amanda Blake, Director of Education, Library, and Visitor Experience at the Carter. “While the Carter Community Artist program evolves each year, the commitment to creativity and community impact remains. As we approach our seventh year of this initiative, one of our goals is to explore innovative projects designed to create new connections between emerging local artists and the local community. We look forward to experiencing how this new class of artists will cultivate creativity and make connections with our local community in the year ahead.”
MEET THE 2024 CARTER COMMUNITY ARTISTS
The Scene
Kristin Boyer
Boyer is a North Texas-based artist and educator. In 2024, Boyer received her MFA from the University of North Texas. Her work consists of prints, sculptures, and fiber art involving an alphabet of invented symbols alongside animal characters to explore ways in which communication skills are developed through play. Boyer’s artwork has been exhibited throughout DFW galleries, including Kinfolk House and the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center.
LaShonda Cooks
Cooks is a Dallas-based artist and writer. With a specialty in portraiture, Cooks loves exploring cultural norms, identity, and beauty through words and images. Over the past decade, she has partnered with local cultural centers to increase access to the arts by hosting community-based art workshops for all ages. Cooks’s work has been exhibited at locations around the world, including the Moody Performance Hall, African American Museum of Dallas, Boston City Hall, Illamar Galeria in Peru, and the Chateau D’Orquevaux Residency in France.
Dizzy Orbit
Orbit is a Fort Worth-based multidisciplinary artist and educator. Her work focuses on mask making and fiber manipulation, which she uses to create her installations, sculptures, and photographs. Orbit collaborates with other Fort Worth artists to create photographs that include her artwork, her friends, and the local landscape. Her work has been featured in galleries and businesses throughout the D-FW area. Some of her awards include an Artist’s Grant from Art Tooth and a residency with TX Studio in Dallas.
Javier Sandoval
Sandoval is a Fort Worth-based Chicano visual artist. As a first-generation Mexican American, Sandoval’s work is deeply inspired by his cultural heritage, combining vibrant Mexican traditions with pop culture’s bold, contemporary energy. His work often explores themes of LGBTQ+ identity, personal and cultural heritage, and the blending of traditions in a modern context. Through his use of intricate patterns and rich, vivid colors, he invites viewers to reflect on how cultural heritage and modern influences shape identity in a constantly evolving society.
Learn more: Amon Carter Museum of American Art
