Blog, Exhibition, News |

February 1, 2019

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Josh T Franco: March 2019 Contemporary Art Month Exhibition Guest Curator

Josh T Franco wears, “a black Bauhaus t-shirt, a cowboy hat inherited from a REAL Tejano outlaw wrapped in a purple fur collar; a scarf from a Los Angeles popup by fashion students; a cheetah print angora blue and black cardigan; one pair of rad wool leggings hip to toe and woven booties.” Photo courtesy Franco.

The Spare Parts Mini Art Museum has selected Josh T Franco as its March 2019 Contemporary Art Month exhibition guest curator. “Franco has a disciplined, curious, active and engaged mind towards artists around the globe. He is a leader with diverse skills, including holding his own art practice,” explains Board Member Chris Castillo. Interim Museum Director Mary Elizabeth Cantu continues, “Franco is already familiar with Mini Art Museum (MAM) as he was an invited artist for the award-winning 2014 “Short Stories” exhibition by Lady Base Gallery’s Sarah Castillo. We are thrilled to have him participating in this role for our Contemporary Art month show.

“I am primarily an artist and art historian, and do not have curatorial aspirations. However, I make an exception for MAM, because it is such a unique institution whose impact, especially on San Anto area school children, far outsizes its physical scale. I also enjoy challenging my artist peers to experiment outside the typical premises of their practice. Thanks to MAM, I get to invite artists whose work I find comforting, provocative, and rigorous to try something new by working in a scale not typical for them. As a past MAM artist myself, I know how this challenge can open up new pathways to explore. This is what makes MAM such a rich opportunity, for both the artists and this probably one-time curator,” guest curator Josh T Franco explains. 

Franco is an artist with an art history PhD. His dissertation, “Marfa, Marfa: Minimalism, rasquachismo, and Questioning ‘Decolonial Aesthetics’ in Far West Texas” was completed in the Art History department at Binghamton University in 2016. The Clifford D. Clark Fellowship, the Ithaca College Predoctoral Diversity Fellowship and the Imagining America PAGE (Publicly Active Graduate Education) Fellowship supported his graduate work. Franco served as a 2014 – 2015 PAGE National Co-Director. He was an Artist-Guide at JUDD Foundation, the New York home and studio of Donald Judd, commonly known by its address, 101 Spring Street (2013 – 2015).

Franco has presented scholarly and critical work in the following venues: Marfa Book Co., Stanford University, College Art Association, Association of Art Historians, Utrecht University, American Comparative Literature Association, Dartmouth College, HEMI Graduate Student Initiative (Hemispheric Institute), zingmagazine, The Frick Collection, …mightbegood, Latino Art Now!, the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Independent Curators International, The Journal of Feminist Scholarship, DePauw University and Ford Foundation.

As an artist, Franco has produced and exhibited one artwork annually since 2009. In addition to fulfilling a creative need, this practice ensures that his scholarship is constantly informed by the intimate processes of making work and participating directly in the exhibition process. These works have been hosted by Co-Lab (Austin), Society for the Study of Gloria E. Anzaldúa (San Antonio / Austin), Community School of Music and Art (Ithaca, NY), Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (San Antonio), Lady Base Gallery (San Antonio), WorkSpaceBrussels (Belgium), NurtureArt Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), DePauw University (Greencastle, IN) and Studio SoHy (Hyattsville, MD).

He is a native West Texan and currently resides in Hyattsville, Maryland.

ABOUT MINI ART MUSEUM

In 2013 Spare Parts under the leadership of Mary Elizabeth Cantu and Gabriela Santiago founded the MINI ART MUSEUM (MAM). MAM takes contemporary art exhibitions to communities around the world making it possible for everyone to engage and learn in an inclusive, accessible fine arts experience.


Blog, News |

December 4, 2017

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MINI ART MUSEUM to have Borderland Collective Co-Founder & Director, Jason Reed, as guest curator for Contemporary Art Month 2018

https://news.illinois.edu/blog/view/6367/403791

Photo by L. Brian Stauffer

For official press release –

PRESS RELEASE_2018 CAM Curator Announcement

March is a big month for the MINI ART MUSEUM. The mobile museum based in San Antonio, Texas routinely interrupts their regular programming with a special exhibition in celebration of Contemporary Art Month (CAM).

Coincidentally, March is also National Youth Art Month, an awareness campaign organized by The Council of Art Education of the National Art Education Association (NAEA). Youth Art Month promotes art education and encourages the support of quality art programs at schools nationwide.

This year will be the MAM’S five year anniversary participating in CAM & Youth Art Month. To commemorate the milestone they invite Jason Reed, of Borderland Collective to guest curate the exhibition. Reed is an Associate Professor of Photography at Texas State University, home to Borderland Collective, an art and education project that cultivates collaborations between artists, educators, youth, and community members to look at complex issues and share diverse perspectives through meaningful dialogue and different modes of creation and reflection. As guest curator, Reed will invite artist to participate who are similarly focused on using photography and community engagement to investigate issues of polarization, the cause and effect it has on the contemporary landscape.

Artist Jason Reed facilitating activity with youth.

Following tradition, MAM will kicked off the month-long exhibition by granting two free school visits on Big Art Day (March 1) followed by a public event for the community. The grant will open for application January 19, 2018, the deadline February 9, 2018. Winning schools will be announced Febuary 13, 2018.

If you are interested in having the MINI ART MUSEUM installed at your location, email museum@sparepartssa.org and/or visit www.miniartmuseum.org/visit .

 

Mission Trail Rotary, Inc.

 

 

Blog, Events, News |

June 29, 2017

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MINI ART MUSEUM presents “Controlled Burn” curated by Daniel Rios Rodriguez

Ana Hernández Burwell
Damage Control, 2017
Oil, Acrylic on Canvas
3” x 2”
Gift of the Artist

“Controlled Burn”

The MINI ART MUSEUM travels to Colombia, South America July 14 with a group exhibition curated by Daniel Rios Rodriguez. A send-off reception takes place July 10 in San Antonio at Forest Hills Branch Library.

The MINI ART MUSEUM (MAM) is proud to present “Controlled Burn,” an exhibition featuring the work of eight artists, that will travel through Colombia, South America July 14-27, 2017.

“Controlled Burn” exhibiting artists: Linda Arredondo, Ana Hernández Burwell, Brandan Doty, Rafael Fernando Gutierrez, Jr., Lauri Garcia Jones, Rhys Munro, Jose Sotelo and Christina Torres. All work and live in San Antonio with the exception of Canadian-based artist Brandan Doty. The exhibition, curated by Daniel Rios Rodriguez, reacts to the exploration of a controlled burn. Fire as technology, fire’s destructive potential, regeneration, self-control and naturally burning out are just some ways to interpret controlled burn.

Lauri Garcia Jones, artist, articulates, “The MINI ART MUSEUM not only exposes viewers to artworks from other areas of the world, but provides a wonderful opportunity for artists to have their work exhibited abroad if they do not have the means to do so on their own.”

“The MINI ART MUSEUM is revolutionary for bringing art to people rather than waiting for them to stumble through its doors. I grew up visiting museums and galleries, but always felt like an intruder of sorts. I am curious as to how the exhibition will be accepted and look forward to hearing critical feedback,” explains artist Rafael Fernando Gutierrez, Jr.

Mary Elizabeth Cantú, Spare Parts Executive Director/MAM Co-Founder will install and document “Controlled Burn” in communities of Colombia, primarily in Bogotá and in the country’s coffee region. “My goal is to place our exhibition in areas where one would least expect a Museum. Each artwork is no larger than a business card (2×3 inches) but packs a powerful story. Don’t let size deceive you,” notes Cantú. “We provide the magnifying glasses, too.”

The Spare Parts MAM, founded by Cantú and Gabriela Santiago in San Antonio, Texas, was created to bring the fine art experience to schools and the community. It is a non-traditional visual art venue and serves as a non-site specific institution that generates accessible fine art experiences. Artwork exhibited at the MAM is by professional artists and is curated to express different, individual themes. Since its inception in 2013 until June 2017, the MAM has traveled to over 70 places across the world and has had over 13,000 visitors.

The Forest Hills Branch Library will host a send-off reception from 6:30pm-8:00pm on July 10, 2017 at 5245 Ingram Rd, San Antonio, 78228. View “Controlled Burn” and meet Cantú plus some of the exhibiting artists. This reception is free and open to the public.

Follow “Controlled Burn”’s Colombia journey via MINI ART MUSEUM’s Instagram account: MINIARTMUSEUM. #weeart

PRESS RELEASE

Controlled Burn
Curatorial Statement

Controlled burn is a method of fire suppression and technique used on various landscapes to promote regenerative growth of flora and fauna. While this process and its outcome of such burns can be both complex and beautiful, my primary interest is its symbolic meaning.

For this exhibition, I asked eight artists to respond to their exploration of controlled burn. Fire as technology, fire’s destructive potential, regeneration, self-control and naturally burning out are just a few of my own thoughts about what a controlled burn suggests. As a painter, I have found working methods for fire in my work and am interested in other artists’ reactions. What seeds of ideas survive our own burning out? What are we left with when we are constrained or explosive or unlimited? Whether it’s purely symbolic or the direct use of fire I hope this exhibition demonstrates this spectrum.

Curator

Daniel Rios Rodriguez (b. Killeen, TX) is a painter living and working in San Antonio. He is a professor at the Southwest School of Art. Rodriguez has exhibited work in Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Chicago, Berlin and London with solo exhibitions in Mexico City and New York City (Nicelle Beauchene Gallery). He is a 2013 recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award and his work has been discussed in Frieze magazine, the Los Angeles Times and Art in America magazine. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale School of Art, Connecticut. Rodriguez is a passionate arts advocate. He believes in the scope and scale of the MINI ART MUSEUM’s curatorial ambitions and its ability to reach broad audiences of all ages.

July 10, 2017 San Antonio send-off reception, “Controlled Burn”

 

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March 22, 2017

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Congratulations to our Rotary Club of San Antonio Mission Trail Campus Winners!

Spare Parts MINI ART MUSEUM March 2017 campus visit winners: Harlandale ISD‘s McCollum High School, Terrell Wells Middle School and Collier Elementary School; Pearce Primary (Southside ISD); and San Antonio ISD‘s Jefferson High School and Lowell Middle School. CONGRATULATIONS! #weeart#MAMfineprint #youthartmonth #CAM2017 #bigartday17

Thank you, Rotary Cub of San Antonio Mission Trail, for a grant to support our Contemporary Art Month education programs! We selected campuses in San Antonio situated in zip codes where 20% or more of the population lives below poverty.

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February 2, 2017

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March 2017 MINI ART MUSEUM School Visits

APPLY HERE -> .....   <-
March 2017 MINI ART MUSEUM campus visit ANNOUNCEMENT CLICK HERE ->  <- FOR .PDF VERSION
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July 29, 2016

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Behind the Scenes: MINI ART MUSEUM

     

richardteitzinstallation

Curator Richard Teitz organizes the layout for the “Do I remember The Alamo?” exhibition.

Perhaps the word “mini” deters people from believing the art is produced by established artists and that the museum exists in a physical context, but the MINI ART MUSEUM (MAM) is a place much larger than meets the eye.

The MINI ART MUSEUM exists in a time where accessibility to art in schools and the community is essential to growth and understanding. It brings the arts to YOU, offering a unique experience that San Antonio has never seen or had access to before. Public school teachers often do not have the time necessary to take a class full of children away from their busy curriculum, let alone the funding needed for buses or other modes of transportation to get their classroom to an art museum. MAM is an affordable and transportable alternative that brings the same sense of wonder and creativity that a museum holds.

But what IS the MINI ART MUSEUM? Who works behind the scenes to make it happen?

oliviapaintingbinders

Painting binders used as gallery walls for exhibitions.

Working as an intern for the MINI ART MUSEUM this summer has introduced me to various practices and procedures that are required for the production of a gallery or museum exhibition. As a was a part of SAY Sí for the majority of my life, I had been a part of a few exhibitions installations previously, but I had never had the opportunity to work so closely with individual artists and curators.

museumpicture

July 29, 2016: opening reception of “Do I remember The Alamo?” at Wonderland of the Americas.

The process begins with the introduction of a curator, the creation of the exhibition genre, and the selection of the artists. Richard Teitz, former director of the Alamo, was chosen as the curator for our “Do I remember The Alamo?” exhibition. The opportunity to speak and work on a show with someone who had been so closely associated with the subject of our exhibition was a truly unique and valuable experience.
The artists we had the privilege of working with were:
David Almaguer
Fernando Andrade
Richard Arredondo
Jennifer Crowder
Laurel Gibson
Larry Graeber
Rex Hausmann
Denise Pintor
Russell Stephenson
Garry Sweeney
Louis Vega-Trevino
Carla Veliz

-Olivia Hinojosa

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July 29, 2016

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5 Mini Art Museum Shows I Would Love to Curate

Hello everyone. I’m Andrew Leo Stansbury, one of the wonderful MINI ART MUSEUM (MAM) summer interns. I’m currently a third-year MFA candidate at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth (not the fancy Ivy League Dartmouth, but shhh…). My concentration is in Artisanry, and I’m a weird ceramic-object-based performance artist. I could define myself as a mixed-media artist to make it easier to say, but where’s the fun in that?

The summer has been a whirlwind of making art, dog-sitting and interning at MAM. The experience of working with Gabriela Santiago and Mary Elizabeth Cantu has been wonderful, my fellow intern Olivia Hinojosa can do absolutely anything, and with their direction and help we all managed to pull together the wonderful show “Do I Remember the Alamo?” curated by Richard Teitz.

One of the interview questions Cantu asked me at the start of the summer was how I envisioned MINI ART MUSEUM expanding. I started to create a short-list of shows I would to curate and how I would display them. One idea not listed below that would be awesome: The new MAM board member Joseph Lopez and I fantasized about a Virtual Reality show/experience that someone could explore.

5 MINI ART MUSEUM Shows I Would Love to Curate

  • Mini Performances: Short Moments of Disruption
    60 second performances by local, national and international audiences to push the boundaries of performance and video art. The short-list of people I would love to invite: Iamamiwhoami, Rachel Maclean, Carrie Gates, Ben Aqua, Jennifer Ling Datchuk, Margaret Meehan, Hiraki Sawa, Ben Peterson, Alfonso Espronceda, Mohan Modisakeng, Casey Jane Ellison and Libby Rowe (disclaimer: a collaborator of mine). This MAM show would be ultra-portable, fitting in a large backpack that has rechargeable battery packs in the back. Three affordable budget tablets would be attached to black zipper binders that have black matte board roofs to create mini dark viewing spaces (perfect for any lighting situation), and come with headphones.
  • Mosaic: Traveling Home
    The dream for this one would be created in collaboration with Blue Star Contemporary’s MOSAIC program with high school students. The challenge would be to create a 4″ x” 4 mini mosaic that explores the themes of home and ownership, how permanent or how fickle that can be with an upcoming generation that is less likely to ever own a home.
  • Enlarge: Wee Got Bigger: Large Mini Objects
    This one would change the idea of what MINI ART MUSEUM represents. Pairing with a gallery or a local school, the exhibition would take the artists’ precious tiny objects (i.e. a rusted Coca-Cola bottle cap) and enlarge them into large paintings, drawings or sculptures. In order to fulfill MAM’s mission to bring the art to the community, the artists will loan or donate the objects that inspired their artwork, shown with photos of the finished pieces next to the objects.
  • Pride: Mementos of Identity
    For PRIDE month in June, the show would invite LGBTQI artists and writers to create a book and corresponding gallery that explore the themes of identity and how they define their own.
  • Fiesta Medals: Viva el Mini!
    To celebrate Fiesta month in April, I would curate limited edition medals designed by local artists. This would also act as a fundraiser to help Spare Parts and the MINI ART MUSEUM find a permanent space.

-Andrew Stansbury