Blue Star Contemporary

Blue Star Contemporary is a non-profit contemporary art institution located in San Antonio, Texas. It was established by a group of artists in 1986 after the success of the Blue Star Exhibition, a show featuring the work of local contemporary artists in the former Blue Star Ice and Cold Storage warehouse.[1] Blue Star Contemporary, also known as BSC, is run by Executive Director Mary Heathcott.

Blue Star Contemporary
Entrance to Blue Star Complex
Blue Star Contemporary is located in Texas
Blue Star Contemporary
Location of Blue Star in Texas
Established1986
Location116 Blue Star San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates29.409692°N 98.495682°W / 29.409692; -98.495682
TypeContemporary Art
DirectorMary Heathcott
Websitewww.bluestarart.org

Background

Blue Star Contemporary is housed in a renovated warehouse in the Blue Star Arts Complex, a mixed-use development containing lofts, apartments, galleries, artist studios, retail stores, and restaurants. BSC is a part of the King Williams Cultural Arts District in the Southtown neighborhood and is located along the San Antonio River Walk.[2]

Blue Star Contemporary is at the center of San Antonio's First Friday Art Walk, an event that takes place on the first Friday of each month and is intended to provide "a free showcase of the art community in San Antonio."[3] Blue Star Contemporary is credited as being a revitalizing force for the arts district and surrounding neighborhoods.[4] Contemporary Art Month (CAM), San Antonio's month-long celebration of local contemporary art in July, started at the museum.[5]

Programs

In 2016, BSC programs included Creative Classrooms, a free six-week program that brings artists to school classrooms for weekly lessons, the MOSAIC Student Artist Program, a free after-school program for students interested in learning about the arts, and the Berlin Residency Program, a three-month residency at the Künstlerhaus Bethanien granted to four artists from Bexar County annually. Blue Star Contemporary partnered with BiblioTech, Bexar County's digital library, to open a reading room in the museum's Arts Education Lab in 2016.[6]

Off-site art exhibitions

Art in the Garden is an ongoing partnership between Blue Star Contemporary and the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Each year, an artist is selected and commissioned to create a site-specific work in the garden.[7]

Blue Star Contemporary has also partnered with the City of San Antonio's Department of Arts and Culture's Public Art San Antonio division (PASA) to commission Plexus c18 at the San Antonio International Airport.[8]

References
  1. "Blue Star began with modest exhibit".
  2. "About Us - King William Cultural Art District". kingwilliamculturalartsdistrict.com.
  3. "SAFirstFriday". www.facebook.com.
  4. "Open and Unpretentious, The Blue Star Art Center Shines in Texas". 1 November 2011.
  5. "About l Contemporary Art Month". contemporaryartmonth.com. Archived from the original on 2016-11-19. Retrieved 2016-11-18.
  6. "Blue Star Contemporary Reopens, Celebrates 30th Anniversary".
  7. "Cultivating art at the garden".
  8. "Rainbows Across Texas – Glasstire". glasstire.com.
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