McNay Features Area Artists in Weekend Pop-up

Transcription

1 McNay Features Area Artists in Weekend Pop-up Six area artists display work in weekend exhibit honoring McNay s 60th anniversary Red red wine II By Allison Gregory Visitors to the McNay Art Museum will have the chance to experience something new this weekend when the institution hosts its first-ever pop-up exhibition, Six Artists Celebrate the McNay s 60th Anniversary, on Saturday and Sunday. René Barilleaux, chief curator/curator of art after 1945, says as they were looking for ways to recognize the museum s 60th year, they sought to honor the vision set forth by founder Marion Koogler McNay, who was an avid supporter of artists. We took that as sort of our lead and said, Let s celebrate artists, he says. Barilleaux reached out to six and Central Texas artists over the summer and invited them to create pieces for the Jan pop-up exhibit. Each has a distinct style but each reflects the type of innovation and vision McNay appreciated, he says. We asked the six artists to tell us about their work and their connection to the McNay. Six Artists Celebrate the McNay s 60th Anniversary, Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m. with an artists wine and cheese reception at 2 p.m., McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., , mcnayart.org Elizabeth Walker Carrington

2 Medium: screen print and paint on textiles, panels, canvases Describe your style of art in five words or less. Thirty years of non-stop pop. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? Past. Present. Perfect. Here is to another 60 years. What does the McNay Art Museum mean to you? It s a joie de vivre not that I can speak French but it is a joy of living. It s a world-class museum where I can visit inspiring art from their permanent collection and contemporary collection. You can walk around the grounds and be surrounded by the old meeting the new. I like to surround myself with beautiful things and peaceful settings. It s a slice of utopia. What I like about Texas is the space to work, the easy life. And there is a lot going on here. I have seen great art and artists and cheers to the people who get it here. I go to a lot of openings and visit all the museums and galleries. I feel really fortunate to be in a place that I am able to do this. Rex Hausmann Medium: mixed Describe your style of art in five words or less. Autobiographical, colorful, expressionistic, accessible, neon. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? My family and my friends. It s kind of my world. It s how I see my family and my friends and just kind of life itself. It s not contrived. It s my view of the world. It s honest.

3 I grew up going to the McNay. My mom was a docent there, so I literally was in a baby stroller there. I ve been to the McNay during many different parts of my life in high school one of my mentors would take me there, I went to UTSA for college so I was looking at exhibitions then. Now, to be in it, it s just kind of insane. It s really special. My mom was actually there yesterday and she cried three times. It was ridiculous and awesome. Absolutely. I have a part-time studio in New York and the work I create in New York is different than what I create in. As an artist, the world around you affects you. My art in is more narrative and more colorful. is a constant cultural celebration. There s always something going on. Sylvia Benitez Seguin Medium: oil Describe your style in five words or less Atmospheric Texas skies and rivers. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? Since I ve been in Texas I ve been inspired by our big skies and rivers. I ve spent most of my creative effort trying to capture them, which is almost impossible. We live halfway to Gonzales and it s beautiful out here. So the source of my inspiration is what I see everyday. Subliminally, I want to affirm the beauty of our land, the pristine quality that it has. We have been seeing, from where we live to the coast, (the land) being ravaged by fracking and pipelines. I haven t openly addressed it, but it is a caution. We have a real treasure here. I want to remind people how beautiful it is. Especially people who are city bound and don t get out of the city as much. Tell us about your favorite piece in the McNay s permanent collection. I think it s Larry Rivers piece, but I m not sure. Then there are the glass pieces. I love them. But, it s been awhile since I ventured down its hallowed halls for pleasure so my memory is weak. Maybe the Joan Mitchell? The (Georgia) O Keefe? Art is my vocation, not my cultural fix entertainment so I rarely get to go and visit with old friends (paintings). The wonderful complexity of our talent base; the lack of galleries able to support it here in SA.

4 David Anthony Garcia Medium: Ceramics, mixed media, acrylics Describe your style in five words or less. Meticulous yet spontaneous. Integrated Utopia. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? I ve been a teacher at the McNay several times. I m kind of an adjunct there; I do a lot of workshops. The opportunity to have a whole gallery and push my whole agenda about tolerance it was just a great opportunity to have a large audience. The big piece, Unificiation, has 50 ceramic faces of different people from who came and got their face cast then I manipulated them and put them together in one unified piece. It s a golden opportunity to push the agenda of integration and bring all of these ideas together. I used to visit there as a student. I did research papers on different pieces. I ve been a teacher with the San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay and several different institutions for years. I ll do their family days and outreach programs. (Being in this show), it s kind of cool to me. I m a fairly well known artist, but having the education factor and getting into this show is pretty cool. I ve had a great time working with them throughout the years. The expansiveness of Texas and the open air. I like it because I feel free to be able to explore everything. It kind of expounds on that. It makes me feel like, OK, it s wide open you can do anything. Being in San Antonio, particularly, I ve run across people who were great influences and said, Do (what) you want. I haven t been afraid to delve into all these different mediums and come up with something. Allison Gregory Hometown:, Based in: Austin Medium: mixed media Describe your style in five words or less

5 Pop-stract a term I made up years ago. Contemporary, abstract, color-happy, neopop. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? Every piece I chose to display represents every series I have exhibited, spanning 2010 to It is a staple of, with a magnificent collection of art, and although it is much smaller than say the ( Museum of Art), it s name alone is recognized all over the world. My interest has also furthered since René (Barilleaux) came on board, introducing more contemporary art and showcasing some of the best emerging and established artists of this generation. Growing up in, being immersed with color from the Mexican-American culture, traditions such as Dia de Los Muertos and our city s famous Fiesta definitely influenced my work. I have been called the color freak, using anywhere from 10 to 20 shades of just one color because I love them all. Leigh Anne Lester Hometown: Shreveport, Based: Medium: graphite, hand cut drafting paper and hand-sewn clear vinyl Describe your style in five words or less. Frankenflora. What was your inspiration for this pop-up exhibit? Genetic modification of plants and the inability to tame nature. Tell us about your favorite piece in the McNay s permanent collection. The Santa Fe, New Mexico Room the Collections of Santos. There are so many amazing artists here. The competition is tough.