CONTEMPORARY ART FOR SAN ANTONIO

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.