Tag: Art exhibition

Experience Xicanx Dreamers + Changemakers at Contemporary at Blue Star

Contemporary at Blue Star presents Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers | Soñadores + creadores del cambio. Photo: Contemporary at Blue Star

Contemporary at Blue Star is honored to present Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers | Soñadores + creadores del cambio, opening Friday, June 7, 2024, from 6p.m. – 9p.m. at the Contemporary. The opening night will also include a performance by Robert Jose Gonzalez at 8p.m. As the exhibition title suggests, the artists in this exhibition are dreamers and changemakers. Of Mexican American origin, they self-identify as Xicanx, a term that crosses national borders and gender lines to encompass a multi-generational experience. This exhibition uses the term Xicanx to refer to Chicano, Chicana, and Chicanx. The term reflects those who fought for and claim this designation and incorporates the ‘X’ from the Spanish transcription of the Nahuatl sound ‘ch.’ Nahuatl is one of the major Indigenous languages in Mexico. The ‘x’ on the end signals gender-neutral and non-binary inclusivity. (Contemporary at Blue Star, 2024)

Opening Night: Friday, June 7, 2024 | 6p.m. – 9p.m.
Performance by Robert Jose Gonzalez at 8p.m. | Free and open to the public
On View: June 7, 2024–October 6, 2024

The original conception of this exhibition came from a desire curators Jill Baird and Greta de León had to share the overlooked histories of American civil rights, including the Chicano/a civil rights movement of the 1960s and 70s, called El Movimiento. The installation at Contemporary at Blue Star is particularly significant due to El Movimiento’s roots in San Antonio, and the West Side of the city. From fighting for labor rights to equality for students, the work of San Antonio activists (and artists) played a crucial role in El Movimiento.

Some of the artists in Xicanx, began their work as part of El Movimiento. Much of the artwork created during this time sought to do the very things that this exhibition does: educate about the social inequity of Xicanx peoples, their history, and the importance of their culture. Other artists define themselves through their indigenous roots, and a younger generation expands the idea of Xicanx Art while continuing the work of addressing personal, social, and political issues of today.

In their curatorial statement, Baird and Greta note the importance of this work, “Artists were a major and critical part of El Movimiento over 50 years ago, and they continue to be strong activists fighting for equality and against racism and discrimination. Being Chicano or Xicanx* is an identity all of the artists in this exhibition choose. It is more than being just Mexican American; it is accepting the responsibility to fight for their community, their culture and their civil rights. The artists in this exhibition are dreamers and changemakers.”

Alongside the artwork are quotes, speeches, or sayings from prominent Xicanx authors, scholars, and exhibiting artists. A projection displays the work of murals across the United States, showcasing the reach and breadth of Xicanx voices in public art.

Xicanx: Dreamers + Changemakers | Soñadores + creadores del cambio was originally produced and presented by the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) at UBC and The Americas Research Network (ARENET), and curated by Jill Baird, former Curator of Education, MOA + Greta de León, Executive Director, ARENET. The presentation at Contemporary at Blue Star has been organized in collaboration with Mary Heathcott, Executive Director Contemporary at Blue Star; Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray, Curator and Exhibitions Director, Contemporary at Blue Star; and Jon Hinojosa, President, CREO Consulting.

Contemporary at Blue Star presents exhibitions with artists from San Antonio and around the world sharing their global perspectives that encourage understanding, empathy, change, and action, fulfilling our mission to inspire, nurture, and innovate. Like most non-collecting contemporary art spaces, the Contemporary contributes fresh insights and perspectives on larger issues affecting society and culture by highlighting trends, movements, and conversations happening in art. Admission to the Contemporary is always free.

Contemporary at Blue Star
116 Blue Star
San Antonio, TX 78204
(210) 227-6960

Public visiting hours during exhibitions:
Monday – Tuesday CLOSED
Wednesday 12p.m. – 5p.m.
Thursday – Friday 12p.m. – 8p.m.
Saturday – Sunday 10a.m. – 6p.m.

Al Rendon, Raúl Salinas, 1987. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Dog art walk with artist Hiromi Stringer

The dog walk will be held this Thursday, April 20. Image: Hiromi Stringer, Dog (Germany)19 2022 gouache and sumi ink on oriental paper, 9 ½ x 13 in. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Attention all dog lovers. The Contemporary at Blue Star is hosting a social dog walk on Thursday, April 20, from 5p.m. to 7 p.m. with exhibiting artist Hiromi Stringer. The event is free and open to all dog owners who want to join in on the fun. (Contemporary at Blue Star, 2023)

The walk is through The King William neighborhood and starts with an hour of socializing with fellow dogs and their humans. Local shops, including the SouthPaw Waggery will be in attendance with goodies and swag. Attendees can screen print matching Contemporary bandanas for themselves and their furry friends, or park their dogs at our hosted dog parking station while they explore the exhibitions inside the galleries, such as Hiromi Stringer’s The Dog Show.

At 6 p.m., Hiromi will lead the dog walk through the neighborhood, which will conclude at the Contemporary for a viewing of the exhibition The Dog Show. To participate, complete the registration form. Do not miss out on this exciting event.

About the exhibition:
The Dog Show: Time Traveler Umeyama’s Drawings from the 21st Century, Hiromi Stringer
March 3 – June 4, 2023

Inspired by a chance encounter almost 30 years ago, when artist Hiromi Stringer saw someone walking a Siberian Husky dog on a busy street in Bangkok, Thailand, an incident that made her wonder about globalization and mundane objects in our life.

In The Dog Show, Stringer revisits her ongoing project UmeyamaReports, which chronicles the travels and observations of ShoeiUmeyama, Stringer’s fictional character. Umeyama is a Japanese man from the mid-1800s using time-teleportation to visit today’s modern world. This time, Umeyama reports on a variety of dogs and their owners, making observations, not only on the traits of each breed, but on the mundane objects that connect them with their owners, such as collars, leashes, and bowls, among others. Writings in Japanese—which visitors can translate using Google Translate on their personal devices—offer further insights into Umeyama’s particular point of view. Umeyama’s drawings, artifacts, and observations are displayed in the imagined Umeyama Time Teleportation Museum (UTTM) showcasing Umeyama’s achievements and the legacy of his history as a time traveler. Ink paintings/reports serve as his record of what he observed as he made sense of the modern-day U.S. Stringer’s exhibition and Umeyama’s imaginary findings represent an alternate perspective and reflection on today’s contemporary society.

Drawing on her personal paradigm shift, which included cultural and language differences, Stringer’s work reflects her curiosity about the world in which she lives. Using a micro perspective borrowed from Umeyama’s view, whose base point is Japan 170 years ago, a time when the country was under governmental enforced national isolation.

Stringer sees parallels between one’s process of knowing and living with very limited information about other countries and her own experience in a foreign land. By using Umeyama as a lens, Stringer provides a more objective view of the world while acknowledging her own subjectivity in her works.

Stringer is a 2019 alum of Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program. During the three months that she lived and worked at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien as a residency awardee, she continued her UTTM work which took on new meaning in a new foreign home. Through her art, Stringer invites viewers to explore the mundane objects of our times and consider how they inform our current existence. Her approach to art is an extension of her curiosity about the broader world, and her latest work offers a unique perspective on globalization that is sure to spark conversations and inspire contemplation.