Emvergeoning

The ArtPace Travel Grant applications is now available. In an effort to foster the growth and vision of an artist’s career and encourage an ongoing dialogue between local and international art communities, Artpace is pleased to announce a call for Travel Grant applications through online submissions. The Travel Grant opportunity is only available to those artists currently working and living in Bexar County. For more information, and to download the application, visit www.artpace.org.  Deadline is Friday, April 30 at 5pm.

2 Comments »

San Antonio artists – applications for LUMINARIA 2010 are now available at luminariasa.org/participate. Last year, artists uploaded their applications on-line but this year the Luminaria committee opted for the more traditional mail-in/drop-off application.

4 Comments »

The application for the Artist Foundation of San Antonio is now available. In the past they have given grants to San Antonio artists for up to $12,500. Apply here before October 16th.

UPDATE: There will be an application workshop on Saturday, October 3rd at Trinity University Digital Lab from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

2 Comments »

6:39 am, September 5, 2009.

The In and Outlaws CD release party, Casbeers at The Church, San Antonio, TX.

“…a large vacant area.”

Not at all.

My favorite cow music this side of Jon Wayne.

Brad, the drummer, has a serious demeanor to say the least. Not that different than the visage of Charlie Manson, who appeared on TV a few hours earlier in the bar downstairs where I was hanging out with the chilled out blues of Los Mescaleros and intermittently watching the Cowboys play the Vikings in the last pre-season game of the year. It’s a contest in which a few players who may still have the chance of gaining a roster spot are said to be “on the bubble.” Choice quote, from one of the play by play guys, in reference to Patrick Watkins, who’s putting out an extraordinary performance: “He’s like Glinda The Good Witch. That’s how far inside the bubble he is.” Odie, of the Mescaleros, sitting down behind his stand up bass, has a tambourine strapped head side down to his boot. This makes me smile. I chill a little further in.

Later on, I join the standing room only congregation gathered for The In and Outlaws. The shadow of Lloyd’s bass head on a fluted column, which stands behind him, truncated, too white, supporting nothing. Burton, on pedal steel, wearing an Eleven Hundred Springs gimme cap with a high foam front. Ragged mic hole in Brad’s kick drum. Long red rag hanging from Matthew’s left pocket, has a Fifties Full Service look. Frayed hems of Gordon’s jeans splay around his too flat used car salesman shoes. These are the details that keep me alive between songs.

Downstairs, fetching beers, I hear Mike say, “In Utah they think 88 degrees is hot.” Justin says, “In Berlin they think 87 is.”

Guys, thanks for playing the unicorn number for the encore. Matthew, I love the middle school lead you do on this song. Brad, rumor has it you don’t care too much for playing it, but I like it. You write most of the material — please come up with one titled Guernsey Girl. I know Gordon can sing it.

(photos by Justin Parr)

1 Comment »

*update (june 08, 09) I ran into Daniel again and he is now claiming that the bikes will be temporarily displayed throughout the city, and locked in place.  He will be showing them soon as an entire group.

Be on the lookout, local artist Daniel Saldana, known most prominently in our community for his unfathomably plated metal objects, has taken to turning his excess metal into art bicycles, and leaving them about town.  I’ve seen them left up at SAMA, and Blue Star now, both times without a camera on my person.  I caught him at Red Dot with his newest creation, this time, chained to the pole outside.  Previous bikes were left to be picked up by lucky takers, and ostensibly this new one, I was told was “not finished,” and would be given a similar fate after completion.  If you have other images of these art bikes in their native habitat, give em up, via our contact form.

22 Comments »

No Comments »

I don’t know what you win but there’s a San Antonio contest for film makers at safilm.com.

No Comments »

After going through my old emails last night, Ed Saavedra and I realized that one of the press releases that had somehow slipped through the cracks was for a 2 year San Antonio exhibition by Tom Otterness (known to me because of his hard-to-miss 14th St Subway installation in NYC.)  “Makin‘ Hay” is down on the Southside in one of my favorite empty fields next to the San Antonio River/Mission Trail, and near Mission San Juan.  The release states that the piece will be unveiled on March 15, 2009.  I called up a few folks this morning and heard that he had already been in town and that it was close to, if not fully, installed.  Here are a few photos of what I saw when I got down there:

3 Comments »

Had your eye on a hot gallery, but not quite sure how to approach it? Got your foot in the door, but you’re worried about making the right impression on your first studio visit? Just can’t find the right gallery for your work? Not even sure you should be in a gallery right now? Thought you loved your gallery, but it’s just not working out and you need to move on? Trying to figure out how to deal with that jealous gallerist who won’t even let you set foot in another gallery?

Get all the advice you need in Edward Winkleman’s handy round-up of artist-gallery relationship advice. FREE if you click now!

5 Comments »

Just a reminder for those of you planning on entering the Texas Biennial Group Show: the call for entries deadline has been extended until June 30. More information here.

2 Comments »

This thing is fascinating. Hand drawn down to the buggy and carriage on the street – 10 pages of maps of texas cities & towns from the mid-late 1800’s. A service provided free of charge from the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, it’s set up so it’s kind of like you’re surfing on a 100 yr old google map that you can click and zoom on. Also a fun way to see how old the structure you’re living in truly is, my collapsible ceiling house was NOT on the map yet.

4 Comments »

We here in San Antonio have begun following one of the more mighty traditions of the olde world every Christmas.. we grow Mustaches and celebrate them on the eve of Christmas Day every year, at noon, in front of the Alamo. 2007 was no slouch. (this post also settles the continuous question over the need for a “mustaches” category/tag..as you can imagine, proper spelling is also an issue.)

Continue Reading »

9 Comments »

San Antonio mayor Phil Hardberger has thrown his weight behind a downtown “arts night” called Luminaria to take place on March 15, 2008. A few people in San Antonio’s grassroots contemporary art scene are trying to make sure that this community is involved. Jason Stevens (of Potter-Belmar Labs) has started a Luminaria blog to give some information on the event until the official site is up. Jason has posted a map showing where the event will take place on Houston Street, an artist proposal form, and more details about the event and how it is being organized.

There have been rumors that out of a $200,000 budget, no money for this event was set aside for artists. These rumors appear to be false, and money will be available for artists to cover expenses, although not for honorariums. We’ll try to keep you posted on future developments.

UPDATE: As noted in comments, the official Lumaria web site is now up and running.

4 Comments »

Seems Myspace is good for something..the other day my friend Julia sent along a bulletin making mention of a new project titled “Casa Segura.” I thought it quite relevant to our present locale and situation (you know..those fancy new solves-all-problems border fences?) . from the website :

Casa Segura (Safe House) is an artwork that combines a small public access structure on private land in the Sonoran desert in Southern Arizona with a dynamic bilingual web space that facilitates creative exchange, dialogue, and understanding. Located north of the Mexican border, Casa Segura engages three distinct groups: Mexican migrants crossing the border through this dangerous landscape, the property owners whose land they cross, and members of the general public interested in learning more about border issues and the intricate dynamics at play in this heavily trafficked region. It is a conceptual project that contrasts existing conditions with new choices that can positively transform how individuals on both sides of the divide engage with and perceive one another.

A lot more information is contained on the website. The prototype will be shown at Eyebeam in New York City,
Sept. 27-Nov. 10th, 2007.

20 Comments »

It’s time for someone to please bomb the billboard entranceway to Southtown. This is our neighborhood and Emvergeoning is publicly inviting you to paint something new on this old billboard. The previous artist, Mark Hogenson, has personally given the green light to cover up this fading mural. Supher, Clogged Caps, Illego…I challenge you to give this billboard new life. Ideally, this would be a monthly installation…

11 Comments »

The Artist Foundation just posted the application for the 2008 grant period on their web site. All applications must be submitted through the web site this year (don’t worry, they’ve gone a long way toward making the site usable).

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the grant, it offers up to $5,000 for professional Bexar County artists to create original works of art in the areas of literary arts, visual arts, media arts, and performing arts, as well as new awards in the areas of classical singing, set design, and costume design. (Their definition of “professional” is somewhat loose, but you have to demonstrate that you’ve spent some real time and energy focused on producing new work). The deadline is September 14.

Although this is basically the same deal as last year, there are a few changes. Rather than awarding one grant per category, the Foundation plans to dole out 15 grants across the 7 categories. In addition, all 15 grant recipients will automatically be considered for an additional $7,500 award for artistic excellence.

No Comments »

Speaking of money, the Arts Writers Grant Program, funded by Creative Capital and the Andy Warhol Foundation, is now accepting applications for their 2007 cycle (deadline is September 12). Categories include books, articles, short-form writing (1,000 words or less), and “new and alternative media”. But if you’re thinking about applying, keep this mind:

Though nearly every project given in the last round of this grant project is legitimate and deserving, the grantees are hardly an undistinguished bunch. Every single one has a university affiliation (except for the director of the Drawing Center), a quarter of them are editors at Artforum, and though I can’t be positive, I don’t think a single one is under 30, most over 40.

Tyler Green, linking to that post at The Expanded Field also comments: “Last year the foundation asked me to encourage writers who blog to apply. This year? I’d say don’t bother. After seeing who the grantees (and the panelists) were last year, I’m not.”

No Comments »

Everybody has their own story about who won this year, Please post yours in the comments below.

All of these photos (and bunches more with labels) are located here.

click on the link below for more action!

Continue Reading »

6 Comments »