Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

When painter Paula Sussman-Abrams submitted her work, “I am Not an Engineer,” for possible inclusion in the 90^th Annual Juried Exhibition at the San Antonio Art League Museum, her expectations were relatively modest.

“I hoped that it would get in, that people would get to see it,” said the San Antonio artist, who has not exhibited “that much” in recent years.

Then the news came that not only was the piece accepted, but it had actually won the top award, the Onderdonk Purchase Prize, which meant that it would be bought by the museum itself to become part of its permanent collection.

“I was shocked! I emailed Lyn (Belisle, SAALM president): ‘Are you sure? Did I hallucinate this whole thing?’ It was amazing. When I submitted it, I felt that it was one of the best paintings I had ever done. So, I am really grateful.”

Sussman-Abrams’ piece was one of 60 works selected for the show out of a field of more than 440 submissions by Texas artists, the largest number received in the history of the exhibition.

“Everything is different this year,” said Belisle. “We normally get about 300 submissions and people would bring them in in person to us. Last year marked the first time when about one half of them were sent digitally. So, 440-plus is a record-breaking number, and all were submitted digitally. Maybe that made it easier for people outside of San Antonio to send their work.”

The switch to doing everything online was caused, of course, by the COVID-19-induced fear of casual interacting and large gatherings. Even the juror, Mary Heathcott, the executive director of Blue Star Contemporary, had to evaluate the works via digital images. And Instead of having a grand opening in the museum’s galleries this Friday, the 2020 exhibition will open on SAALM’s website with a slide show.

Yet Heathcott had no hesitation about accepting the job. “I knew the value of the San Antonio Art League to the community. It was one of the first organizations devoted to San Antonio artists and their art. It has an admirable history,” she noted. “And I have a personal history with it, too. I worked at SAALM for a while after I got my undergraduate degree from Trinity. Angelika Jansen was the executive director back then. I remember this annual exhibition; I remember the donors… It was a pleasure to help uphold that legacy.” And, as the leader of a contemporary art organization, she also enjoyed the opportunity to get acquainted with artists she might not have come across before.

In addition to the $3,000 Onderdonk Purchase Prize, there are 18 other named monetary awards, ranging from $1,000 to $250, including the Beth Eidelberg Watermedia Memorial Award given to Paula Lay for “The Vanishing,” and the Richard Conn Memorial Award, given to Ed Barr for “Father-Son in Black Rubber.” (each $1,000). Other notable works recognized by special awards are Danville Chadbourne’s “Improvisational History for Lost Possibilities” ($800), Daniel Brents’ “Birthplace” ($700), Lara Hye Coh’s “Self Portrait” ($500), Rita Maria Contreras’s “Intertwined” ($250) and others.

Heathcott examined the submissions many times, she said, looking for “what spoke to (her)” but also looking for unusual media, themes, style and composition aspects of the art. And composition is one aspect of Sussman-Abrams’ painting that she appreciated. A non-representational “architectural” cityscape rendered in a cohesive color palette, the work was interesting from another point of view as well.  Heathcott said she also considered how the piece would complement and enrich SAALM’s permanent collection by bringing this contemporary perspective to the existing cache of landscape paintings.

In the case of Chadbourne’s piece, the juror noted that she was intrigued by the artist’s departure from his well-known sculptural work and his rather unusual materials. In other instances, she responded to expressive, narrative images that “provoke questions,” like “The Traveler” by Karen Jacobi, a painting of a man alone on a train, peeling an orange. The image is peaceful but also somewhat disconcerting. And, yes, it invites questions. One can imagine a number of scenarios about his solo journey.

“Overall, the exhibit presents a really amazing range of artists committed to their practice,” said Heathcott. “And it shows SAALM’s reach and influence well beyond San Antonio.

For their part, SAALM’s leaders have been more than happy to work with Heathcott. “I can’t tell you how grateful we are to Mary,” said Belisle emphatically. “She came in just as everything was closing and she was wonderful, so helpful, beyond helpful!”

Regular interviews with some of the award-winning artists will be featured online until June 26, when the show is scheduled to close. A virtual guest book will allow the viewers to comment or ask questions.

All art works are available for sale and there are instructions on SAALM’s website on how to proceed. It all starts today! Go to www.saalm.org