For the eighth year in a row, the Amon Carter Museum of American Art (the Carter) is kicking off the new year by announcing its 2026 Carter Community Artists: Holly D. Gray, Jack Hein, Elizabeth Maria Hudson, and Carolyn Marco.
Established in 2018, the Carter Community Artists 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. Every year, the Fort Worth museum selects four local artists to assist with creating, planning, and leading experiences at the Museum and in the community. The initiative is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation.
This yearlong commitment allows local artists to collaborate with the Carter’s education staff on a wide variety of projects and events designed for audiences of all ages and abilities. In 2026, these four artists will each bring their distinct talents and perspectives to the Carter as they make connections to the Carter’s expansive collection, exhibitions, and rich history with the local community.
“With each new class of Carter Community Artists, our collaborative possibilities expand,” said Amanda Blake, Director of Education, Library, and Visitor Experience at the Carter. “For 2026, we’re particularly excited to partner with artists whose work invites curiosity, sparks dialogue, and reflects the diverse experiences of our community. These artists will play an essential role in shaping how we share and celebrate American art in the year ahead, and we look forward to the experiences we create together.”
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Elizabeth Maria Hudson is a 2026 Carter Community Artist.
The 2026 Carter Community Artists’ practices span a range of media, approaches, and narratives, each bringing a unique point of view to the program. Working primarily in clay, Gray’s photography and sculpture examine caregiving, emotional labor, and memorialization, informed by nearly two decades of caring for her daughter with disabilities. Hein reflects on memory, displacement, and belonging, drawing on his early experiences as a refugee from Myanmar to shape sculptural works that explore fragility and resilience.
Hudson uses watercolor to translate Black American folklore into a visual language grounded in womanist themes of agency, liberation, and communal care. And Marco’s interdisciplinary work explores material transformation and sustainable making, inspiring learners of all ages to find creativity in overlooked and reclaimed materials. Together, these four artists will shape the ways the museum connects with the North Texas community in 2026, from lectures and workshops to student tours and art-making activities.
Carter Community Artists: 2026 Class
Holly D. Gray
Gray is a North Texas-based multidisciplinary artist whose photography and sculpture examine caregiving, emotional labor, and memorialization. Her work is deeply informed by 18 years of caring for her daughter with disabilities, shaping contemplative narratives about time and resilience. Gray received her MFA from the University of Texas at Arlington. Her work has been exhibited nationally and featured in various print and online publications. Her educational work includes local workshops, private instruction, and teaching photography at the university level.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Holly D. Gray is a 2026 Carter Community Artist.
Jack Hein
Hein is a ceramic artist whose practice explores memory, displacement, and belonging, shaped by his early life as a refugee from Myanmar. Now based in North Texas, he holds a BFA from Texas Christian University and an MA from the University of Dallas. Hein’s work has been shown nationally, earning awards including Best in Clay at the Materials: Hard + Soft 2025 International Juried Show and an emerging artist recognition from the Dallas Museum of Art. He also serves as the co-art director for the Summer Art Academy at the University of Dallas.
Elizabeth Maria Hudson
Hudson is a Dallas-based watercolor figurative painter whose work translates Black American folklore through a womanist lens. Her paintings explore agency, liberation, and community care. Hudson studied painting at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and holds a BA in history and art history from the University of Texas at Austin. She has exhibited at Pencil on Paper Gallery, the Carver Museum, Big Medium, and Martha’s Contemporary.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Carolyn Marco is a 2026 Carter Community Artist.
Carolyn Marco
Marco is a Richardson-based multidisciplinary artist and educator whose work explores material transformation, sustainability, and creative connection. With a background in metalsmithing and jewelry, she uses reclaimed materials to create meaningful, hands-on art experiences. Marco works as a Gallery Educator at the Dallas Museum of Art and develops upcycling and wearable-art workshops through her independent practice, Kiki Knows Art. Her work encourages makers of all ages to reimagine the beauty of the overlooked.
Learn more: Amon Carter Museum of American Art