Critical MASS returns for its fourteenth showcase, with dual openings of Critical MASS 14 and the Solo Exhibitions of Critical MASS 13 winners, celebrating the vitality of our vibrant and indomitable community of Visual, Literary, and Performing artists from across Northwest Louisiana.

Join us Thursday, June 18, artspace opens its doors at 5:00 p.m. to showcase the best visual, literary, and performance art from participating Northwest Louisiana artists, as well as the solo shows from 2026 Critical Mass winners!

At 6:00 p.m., discover which artists have been selected Best in Show by the panel of professional critics. Each winner will receive a $2,500 award, plus a $2,500 commission to develop a solo exhibition, offering a deeper look into their artistic vision and talent.

Rebecca Macijeski,

“How to Stay Curious”

Literary arts Solo Show

Irene Gallion,

“Hall Pass”

visual arts Solo Show

Su DeNim,

“Storytime With Su”

Performing Arts solo show

Critical MASS 14 Portfolio Reviews

Literary Arts Critic:

HANNAH SMITH

Hannah Smith is a poet from Dallas, Texas, where she is the Poetry Editor at Deep Vellum and the Production Manager at Southwest Review. She is the co-author of the collaborative chapbooks Metal House of Cards (2024) and Astral Gaze (forthcoming), and her poems appear in Best New Poets, Gulf Coast, Prairie Schooner, Ninth Letter, Image Journal, and elsewhere.

She received an MFA in Poetry from the Ohio State University, and her writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writing Conference and the Yaddo Residency. In Dallas, Hannah co-curates First Rodeo, a quarterly poetry reading series at The Wild Detectives bookstore.

Visual Arts Critic:

LESLIE MOODY CASTRO

Leslie Moody Castro lives between Mexico City and Austin, Texas. In Austin, she co-founded Co-Lab Projects, curated at spaces such as Women and Their Work and Mexic-Arte Museum, and worked at the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, Lora Reynolds Gallery, and Artpace San Antonio. Her most recent independent curatorial projects have been collaborative and international in scope.

She is committed to expanding the world of visual arts across borders by initiating moments of international connections and conversations and has dedicated her professional career to opening the doors between Mexico and Texas. Moody Castro has produced projects and exhibitions at Co-Lab Projects, Texas State University, CentralTrak Dallas, Contemporary Art Month San Antonio, and The Visual Arts Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

The critics are offering portfolio reviews on June 20th 2026 for anyone with a NWLA Culturalyst page that can be found by using the link in each critics’ bio. Spots are limited and first come first serve

Performing Arts Critic:

ALEC SPICER

Alec Spicer is the Music and Culture Editor at the Dallas Observer, where he covers the people, events, and trends shaping the region’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.

Prior to joining the Observer, he worked as a producer for KERA, Dallas’ NPR affiliate, and also served as editor-in-chief of Central Track, a Dallas-based alternative publication known for its in-depth coverage of music, arts, food, and local culture.

Critics Manager:

LAUREN SMART

Lauren Smart is an arts writer and critic based in Los Angeles. Her writing appears in the Dallas Morning News, D Magazine, American Theatre magazine, among others. She’s on the journalism faculty at Loyola Marymount University. Previously, she served on the faculty at Southern Methodist University and worked as the Arts & Culture Editor at the Dallas Observer.

She founded and organized a feminist literary arts festival, Women Galore, in collaboration with the Dallas bookstore The Wild Detectives. She developed and managed a Dallas Public Library high school journalism workshop, Storytellers Without Borders from 2017-2020.