Contemporary Art For San Antonio

BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY (BSC) BELIEVES IN THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE ARTS. BSC IS SAN ANTONIO'S FIRST AND LONGEST-RUNNING NONPROFIT SPACE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART AND ARTISTS. BSC WAS FOUNDED BY ARTISTS IN 1986 AS A PLATFORM FOR AUDIENCES TO ENGAGE DIRECTLY WITH THE ARTISTS LIVING AND WORKING IN SAN ANTONIO. BSC 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. BSC 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 EXPECTATIONS. BSC PRESENTS EXHIBITIONS WITH ARTISTS FROM SAN ANTONIO AND AROUND THE WORLD, SHARING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES THAT ENCOURAGE UNDERSTANDING, EMPATHY, CHANGE AND ACTION. LIKE MOST NON-COLLECTING CONTEMPOR

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, THE CONTEMPORARY FILM SERIES, ARTIST-LED WORKSHOPS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES, LECTURES, TOURS, AND OUR BEHIND-THE- SCENES DOCUMENTARY SERIES OPEN STUDIOS PROVIDED ADDITIONAL CONTEXT AND CONVERSATION FOR OUR AUDIENCE. BSC WELCOMED NEARLY 29,000 ONSITE VISITORS IN 2019; WHILE THAT NUMBER HAS BEEN REDUCED BECAUSE OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, IN-PERSON ATTENDANCE IS STARTING TO GROW AGAIN WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY, ONLINE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH VIDEO AND INTERNET-BASED PROGRAMS REACHES 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 WAGE CERTIFIED IN OCTOBER 2016 THROUGH THE END OF THE 2021 FISCAL YEAR, BSC HAS ISSUED OVER 205,000 IN ARTISTS HONORARIA TO OVER 290 ARTISTS.

CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS (BUDGET CLASS: EDUCATION: MOSAIC, EDUCATION: CREATVIE CLASSROOMS)- BSC'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED FOR AUDIENCES OF ALL AGES TO ENCOURAGE MEANINGFUL DIALOGUE AND ENGAGEMENT WITH CONTEMPORARY ART & 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. BSC'S 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. MOSAIC IS A LONG-TERM INVESTMENT BY THE STUDENTS, THEIR FAMILIES, AND BSC: MANY STUDENTS ENROLL IN MOSAIC FOR ALL FOUR YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL. 100% OF PARTICIPANTS HAVE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOK, AND ALUMNI ARE STUDENTS AT OR GRADUATES OF BFA AND MFA PROGRAMS AT THE SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OR ART, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, AND THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. 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 BY BSC TO HELP ADDRESS GAPS IN ARTS EDUCATION FOR AREA ELEMENTARY STUDENTS. BSC'S ARTISTS-IN-COMMUNITY TRANSLATE THEIR PRACTICES INTO HANDS-ON, CURRICULA-ALIGNED PROJECTS, AND YOUNG STUDENTS ARE MENTORED BY PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS 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 SERVES STUDENTS AT HARLANDALE ISD'S WRIGHT ELEMENTARY, 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)- BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY PROVIDES ARTISTS RESIDING IN BEXAR COUNTY THREE-MONTH RESIDENCIES IN BERLIN, GERMANY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KUNSTLERHAUS 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 VIDEO EDITING LAB, KB'S EXTENSIVE PUBLICATION LIBRARY, AND STUDIO VISITS WITH INTERNATIONAL CURATORS. UPON COMPLETION OF THE RESIDENCY, BSC 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 DISTICTION 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 REMAINS A KEY INITIATIVE FOR BSC AND WILL RESUME IN 2022. SINCE ITS LAUNCH IN 2013-14, 27 SAN ANTONIO-BASED ARTISTS HAVE PARTICIPATED IN THE PROGRAM. BSC PAYS FOR ALL PROGRAM FEES AND PROVIDES A STIPEND TO EVERY ARTIST TO SUPPORT TRAVEL EXPENSES.