Contemporary Art For San Antonio

CONTEMPORARY AT BLUE STAR BELIEVES IN THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE ARTS. THE CONTEMPORARY IS SAN ANTONIO'S FIRST AND LONGEST-RUNNING NONPROFIT SPACE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AND ARTISTS. FOUNDED BY ARTISTS IN 1986 AS CONTEMPORARY ART FOR SAN ANTONIO, IT IS A PLATFORM FOR AUDIENCES TO ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH THE ARTISTS LIVING AND WORKING IN SAN ANTONIO. A REBRANDING IN OCTOBER 2022 TO CONTEMPORARY AT BLUE STAR DREW SAN ANTONIO'S LONG- STANDING HUB FOR CONTEMPORARY ART MORE CLOSELY TO THESE FOUNDING ROOTS. THE CONTEMPORARY FULFILLS ITS MISSION TO INSPIRE, NURTURE, AND INNOVATE THROUGH CONTEMPORARY ART THROUGH A ROBUST CALENDAR OF ONSITE AND OFFSITE EXHIBITIONS, COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS, CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS, INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS, AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. IT IS A FORWARD-THINKING, INCLUSIVE, AND ARTIST-CENTRIC ORGANIZATION, WITH A FOCUS ON EDUCATION THROUGH THE LENS OF CONTEMPORARY ART AND A COMMITMENT TO SURPRISING OUR VISITORS BY EXCEEDING THEIR E

CONTEMPORARY ART IS CHALLENGING - IT ENCOURAGES SELF-REFLECTION, UNDERSTANDING, AND EMPATHY. RECENT EXHIBITIONS HAVE EXPLORED THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT, IMMIGRATION, COMMUNICATION, NOSTALGIA, FAMILY, DICTATORIAL GOVERNMENTS, AND ALTERED REALITIES WITH AGE-APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS INCLUDING FAMILY SATURDAYS, ARTIST-LED WORKSHOPS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, LECTURES, TOURS, AND FILM SCREENINGS PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND CONVERSATION FOR OUR AUDIENCE. THE CONTEMPORARY WELCOMED NEARLY 20,000 ONSITE VISITORS IN FY23. WHILE THIS IS NEARLY 2/3 OF THE VISITORS WELCOMED IN 2019, PRE-COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IN- PERSON ATTENDANCE IS STARTING TO GROW AGAIN, WITH ONLINE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH VIDEO AND INTERNET-BASED PROGRAMS REACHED AUDIENCES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. OUR OPEN CALL INVITES ARTISTS TO SUBMIT THEIR PORTFOLIOS FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION IN FUTURE EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS. SINCE FIRST BECOMING W.A.G.E. CERTIFIED IN OCTOBER 2016 THROUGH THE END OF THE 2023 FISCAL YEAR, THE CONTEMPORARY HAS ISSUED OVER 300,000 IN HONORARIA TO OVER 500 ARTISTS.

CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (BUDGET CLASS: EDUCATION: MOSAIC, EDUCATION: CREATIVE CLASSROOMS). THE CONTEMPORARY'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED FOR AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES TO ENCOURAGE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTEMPORARY ART AND ARTISTS, WITH TWO MAJOR TUITION-FREE PROGRAMS FOR K-12 STUDENTS (IN- SCHOOL AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL), WHO WOULD OTHERWISE NOT HAVE ACCESS TO PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS OR MATERIALS. THE MOSAIC STUDENT ARTIST PROGRAM IS OPEN TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN DEVELOPING THEIR PROFESSIONAL ARTISTIC SKILLS AND CAREERS IN THE ARTS. THE YEAR-ROUND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM IS A COMBINATION OF STUDIO PRACTICE AND TRAINING IN THE BUSINESS OF ART AND ARTS ADMINISTRATION. MOSAIC STUDENTS RECEIVE FREE ACCESS TO QUALITY ARTS EDUCATION, AND THE PROGRAM ENCOURAGES HIGH STANDARDS OF ACHIEVEMENT WHILE FOSTERING EXCELLENCE AND LEADERSHIP. 100% OF PARTICIPANTS HAVE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL, AND ALUMNI ARE STUDENTS AT OR GRADUATES OF BFA AND MFA PROGRAMS. MOSAIC STUDENT ARTISTS HAVE PRODUCED 11 PUBLIC ART MURALS, BOTH PAINTED AND CERAMIC, PERMANENT AND TEMPORARY, IN SAN ANTONIO AND NEW BRAUNFELS, BENEFITTING MILLIONS OF RESIDENTS AND CULTURAL TOURISTS EACH YEAR. CREATIVE CLASSROOMS IS AN IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM DESIGNED TO ADDRESS GAPS IN ARTS EDUCATION FOR AREA ELEMENTARY STUDENTS. THE CONTEMPORARY'S ARTISTS-IN-COMMUNITY TRANSLATE THEIR PROFESSIONAL ART PRACTICES INTO HANDS-ON, CURRICULA-ALIGNED PROJECTS, AND YOUNG STUDENTS ARE MENTORED THROUGH INTERACTIVE PROJECTS THAT FOCUS ON CONTEMPORARY ART AS A LENS FOR LEARNING AND HEALTHY SELF-EXPRESSION. IT IS PROVIDED AT NO COST TO THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS AND STUDENTS. CURRENTLY, CREATIVE CLASSROOMS SERVE STUDENTS AT HARLANDALE ISD'S WRIGHT AND VESTAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, AND PARTNERS LIKE THE SAN ANTONIO FOOD BANK AND UNIVERSITY HEALTH HELP US EXTEND OUR REACH FURTHER INTO THE COMMUNITY.

BERLIN RESIDENCY PROGRAM (BUDGET CLASS: BERLIN) THE CONTEMPORARY PROVIDES ARTISTS RESIDING IN BEXAR COUNTY THREE-MONTH RESIDENCIES IN BERLIN, GERMANY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KNSTLERHAUS BETHANIEN. WHILE IN RESIDENCE, THE ARTISTS ARE GIVEN A STUDIO AND LIVING SPACE, AS WELL AS ACCESS TO BERLIN'S ART COMMUNITY, TECHNICAL SUPPORT, ACCESS TO THE VIDEO EDITING LAB, THE KB'S EXTENSIVE PUBLICATION LIBRARY, AND STUDIO VISITS WITH INTERNATIONAL CURATORS. UPON COMPLETION OF THE RESIDENCY, THE CONTEMPORARY HOSTS PUBLIC PROGRAMS THAT HIGHLIGHT THEIR EXPERIENCES AND SHARES THE IMPACT ON THEIR WORK THROUGH EXHIBITIONS, EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES, AND COLLABORATIONS. THE RESIDENTS OFTEN HAVE THE DISTINCTION OF BEING THE SOLE U.S. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE AT THE KB. THIS RESIDENCY REMAINS AN UNPARALLELED OPPORTUNITY FOR SAN ANTONIO'S ARTISTS, MAKING A LIFELONG IMPACT ON THEIR WORK. WHILE THE PROGRAM PAUSED IN 2020-2021 DUE TO INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS RELATED TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IT RESUMED IN 2022. SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2013-14, 27 SAN ANTONIO-BASED ARTISTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM. THE CONTEMPORARY PAYS FOR ALL PROGRAM FEES AND PROVIDES A STIPEND TO EVERY ARTIST TO SUPPORT TRAVEL EXPENSES. ARTISTS ALSO TRAVEL TO SAN ANTONIO'S SISTER CITY, DARMSTADT, GERMANY, FOR A MINI-RESIDENCY AT THE ATELIER SEIGELE WITH THE NONPROFIT DARMSTDTER SEZESSION, WHERE THEY SERVE AS CULTURAL LIAISONS AND STRENGTHEN RELATIONSHIPS WITH OUR INTERNATIONAL PEERS.