Project Row Houses (PRH) is bringing artists from across the American South to Houston’s Third Ward for the opening of Southern Survey Biennial III, also known as Artist Round 61, on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The exhibition continues through February 14, 2027. Admission is free, giving Houston residents and visitors an opportunity to experience contemporary art throughout the historic Project Row Houses campus.

Now in its third iteration, the Southern Survey Biennial highlights artists working throughout the American South and provides them with resources, space and a broader platform within the contemporary art world. The exhibition reflects Project Row Houses’ longstanding commitment to supporting artists while connecting contemporary art to community and place.

The 2026 opening takes place during the same week that Untitled Art returns to Houston, bringing additional national attention to the city’s contemporary art scene and creating an opportunity for visitors attending the art fair to explore Third Ward and Project Row Houses.

The biennial’s selected artists were chosen through an open call that attracted more than 200 submissions from artists representing 13 Southern states. The 2026 cohort represents a broad range of creative practices, including photography, sculpture, painting, moving image, printmaking, sound, food art and social practice.

The participating artists are:

• Beatriz Bellorín, Houston, Texas, working in photography, moving image and installation
• Jhanielle Brown, Florida/Texas, working in photography and visual storytelling
• Kennedi Carter, Durham, North Carolina, working in photography, sculpture and archival practice
• Carrie Iverson, North Texas, working in printmaking, glass, photography, handmade paper and installation
• Emmanuel Massillon, Washington, D.C., working in painting, sculpture, performance and sound
• Billion Tekleab, Houston, Texas, working in written word, moving image, sound and sculpture
• CAO Collective, Huiyin Zhou and Laura “Dudu,” Durham, North Carolina, working across poetry, performance, food art, clay, photography, sound, video and social practice

Jessica Hong, chief curator at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, Missouri, serves as guest curator for this year’s biennial. One participating artist will receive the $25,000 Tony Chase and Dina Alsowayal Prize, one of the larger awards available to a Southern-based artist.

Each selected artist also receives a $5,000 stipend to support materials and creative labor, along with travel and lodging assistance. The funding structure reflects PRH’s emphasis on equitable compensation and providing artists with the resources needed to develop their work.

The Southern Survey Biennial builds on more than three decades of work by Project Row Houses, which has spent 33 years demonstrating the potential of art rooted in community. Through the biennial, PRH expands that approach by bringing artists from throughout the region into its Third Ward spaces and creating opportunities for their histories, materials and perspectives to engage with the community.

Throughout the exhibition run, visitors can walk through the Project Row Houses campus, experience the work of the participating artists and participate in related programming. The free exhibition runs through February 14, 2027, providing Houstonians and visitors several months to explore the work and the ongoing cultural contributions of artists from across the South.