Art World Predictions from the Whose Who of the San Antonio Art Community

As we welcome in 2015, the New Year is always abuzz with the obligatory New Year’s Resolutions, predictions and forecasts. With the eclectic mix of art professionals in San Antonio, many of these artists and art professionals have various perspectives on what the New Year is going to bring to the local, regional, and international art communities and market. 

The quotes below are from a range of Fine Art Professionals in the San Antonio metro. The movers and shakers that gave us their perspective include a Curator, a Professional Artist, Project Space and Gallery Owner, and Executive Director. Each person provided a unique perspective on the New Year based on their role in the art world; from high level executive to exhibiting professional.

The conversations with these individuals focused on a variety of topics and issues pertaining to the following questions:

·         What is your art world perspective for 2015?

·         What art trends do you hope would continue into 2015?

·         Is the economic climate in Texas driving a pessimistic or optimistic perspective outlook?

·         How do you see the San Antonio and Texas art community / economy growing or shrinking?

Quotes are pulled from Arturo Infante Almeida, the Curator of the Curator for the UTSA Art Collection; Raul Gonzalez, Professional Artist, MFA recipient; Antonia Richardson, Professional Artist and Founder/ Owner of Mercury Projects; Mary Heathcott, Executive Director, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum.

Arturo Infante Almeida

Art Specialist/Curator for the UTSA Art Collection

“I predict that the local art scene will continue to thrive and grow, that local and regional artists will continue to make their mark nationally and internationally and that the world will continue to discover and marvel at San Antonio as an Art destination.”

Raul Gonzalez

Professional Artist

MFA

“I think artists are in a good position, better than they realize.

More organizations are starting to offer opportunities to improve professional skills amongst artists. Guadalupe Arts Center is finishing up their Incubator program. Fresh Arts in Houston continues to teach artists the ins/outs of professional development. The non-profit organization W.A.G.E. is working and changing how artists are compensated for performances, exhibiting, curating, and much more.

I, myself, am working as an independent consultant, teaching artists how to better improve their professional skills.

San Antonio seems like it’s finally on the verge of becoming a spotlight city. Luminaria's growth and the revitalization of Blue Star are both key in shaping the city's future.

There are so many opportunities across the country, residencies, grants, and development programs offered to artists of all stages of their careers.

I think that as long as artists stay ambitious, we can see a new era of where communicating through the visual arts becomes truly integrated into mainstream. Some people think of that as a bad thing, but I think it's allowing the Arts to be taken more serious.

Artists have the ability to engage socially with galleries, curators, and other artists across the world. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are really connecting people. Not everyone can and will show in a gallery. Not everyone needs to. There are so many more options in creating a successful career.

We can change how are artists are perceived by the public. It's all at our grasp right now. We are in a time of transition. We just need to take advantage of our situation. That means more collaboration and networking.”

Antonia Richardson

Professional Artist

Founder/ Owner of Mercury Projects

“For me, I am excited about 2015 and the future for the arts in San Antonio. I am an artist and have a studio, Mercury Project in Southtown San Antonio.

I, along with several other artists, have an open to the public studio setting where guests can visit with the artists as well as view all the contemporary art available.

I really see exciting new developments here that are very encouraging for the future of the arts. For one, there are many new housing developments surrounding our warehouse. The front space of the warehouse accommodates a small gallery as well as a real estate company and a property developer specializing in the area. Simply by our location we will have new eyes on our work. This means many new people will be coming through that might not ever have come to our studios. In the gallery, we will be featuring different artists throughout the year.

We love showcasing up and coming as well as established local artists. The past few years have been a bit lean for artists. I really hope these new developments will bring art loving people looking to fill their new walls with original contemporary art.”

Mary Heathcott

Executive Director

Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum

“I can reflect on several positive signals that usher us into the New Year at Blue Star.

People are still recovering from the recent economic recession, but there are indications people are ready to support artists and add artwork to their collections.

From an economic sustainability perspective, Blue Star was recently awarded an increase in our City of San Antonio operational funding. This is a competitive allotment granted to arts and culture institutions in San Antonio, and the fact that the city increased the amount awarded from last year to this year shows a commitment from the city to our programming and a well-received economic initiative to help us further our mission and continue to cultivate more outreach, more partnerships, and more community involvement.

Plus, our May 2014 Red Dot exhibition and fundraiser was the most successful to date, with the highest recorded income from art sales. There is a real energy for reinvesting in the rich art community of San Antonio and Texas. This recognizable trend of increased sales is again a promising signal of growth. We hope to continue building our supporter base and top art sales at our upcoming 25th Annual Red Dot on May 15, 2015. The Red Dot sale helps new and longtime art collectors make new discoveries, and we are excited to be able to support our local artist community through this endeavor.

There is also excitement for the upcoming programming at Blue Star in 2015. We want to continue building our partnerships with institutions locally, nationally and internationally. We have several initiatives in the works with partners like The Drawing Center in New York and our continued participation as the exclusive U.S. partner of the Künstlerhaus Bethanien artist residency program in Berlin, Germany.

Locally, our Art in the Garden collaboration with the San Antonio Botanical Garden will coincide with Contemporary Art Month this year, as will our Family Day on March 28, 2015. This will create a dynamic series of events hosted by Blue Star that will help promote and increase awareness of Contemporary Art Month.

These and other measurable, positive growth indicators show 2015 will be a wonderful year for Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, factors that will help us continue our commitment to the local art community.”

***Full article can be found in the Jan/ Feb 2015 edition of NHOME magazine at

http://issuu.com/nhometx/docs/nhome_janfeb2015_digital