Arts Alive San Antonio

by JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

The Blue Star Contemporary’s Red Dot Art Sale is always a big deal but this year it’s a deal with a twist.

Instead of packing 500 collectors and other art lovers into the Blue Star galleries during a single big party – which is, of course, verboten at this time – the organization decided to make the event virtual and give the public and collectors plenty of time to look at the offered artworks.

“With the challenges of COVID-19, we had to rethink what Red Dot could be,” said curator and exhibition manager Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray. “But we had already decided to do something different this year for the 30^th anniversary of the event. We thought we would keep the exhibition going for a month to allow the general public to experience it. (That was reduced to 12 days.)

“We have also opened up the process by having an open call for artists to submit their work and participate in the sale. In the past, it was mostly by invitation. So, we have a number of artists who are in this show for the first time.”

Altogether, potential collectors can choose from 150 works by 131 artists. For collectors who prefer to view art in-person there’s still the option of visiting the Blue Star galleries by making an appointment in advance and observing all safety recommendations. The prices range from $200 to $11,000, said McGilvray.

As to what collectors tend to choose, that’s rather unpredictable. A few like to add to their existing collection of works by a single artist, while others have more eclectic tastes. Some even commission new works by their favorite artists. And artists themselves are sometimes inclined to buy their colleagues’ work to support them. Though new faces appear every year, “there’s a core group (of collectors) that has been involved with Blue Star for a long time,” noted the curator. The proceeds are shared fifty-fifty between the artist and the sponsoring organization. For the latter, Red Dot is the most important fundraiser of the year, providing about a third of the nonprofit’s annual budget. New and undecided collectors may get help from soon-to-be-issued Collector Guidelines that the staff has been working on. To inquire, call development manager Elaine Leahy at 210-695-0592.

The artists shown this year include: Cesar Martinez, Gary Sweeney, Danville Chadbourne, Cathy Cunningham-Little, Amada Miller, Ashley Perez, Andy Benavides, Ansen Seale, Benjamin McVey, Albert Gonzalez, Candace Hicks, Chris Sauter, and many others. All listed here are well known names who have different styles, themes and artistic interests.

What is also new this time is the use of augmented reality (AR) to enhance the viewer’s experience. This in-kind gift came compliments of board member, Patrick Attwater, who runs a company called Stoke which develops AR applications. He was interested in expanding AR beyond video games and into uses such as the one he developed for the 2020 Red Dot show, said McGilvray. The application transforms your experience by seemingly placing the art object you are looking at in your own space, with the help of your phone or tablet. You will also be able to peruse the galleries and access extra information about the art you are seeing. You can download the app, free of charge through Oct.4, by going to https://bluestarcontemporary.org/red-dot/

In addition, each year, the Red Dot event also honors one outstanding artist and one dedicated patron/supporter for their work and impact on the art community. This year’s honorees are artists Cesar Martinez and former Blue Star board member, businesswoman, Francesca Billups Mannix. Martinez is a well-known figure from the Chicano Art Movement of the 1970s and 80s, especially for his characteristic “portraits” of Hispanic male figures. His work has been shown in San Diego, Chicago and Mexico City as well as at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum where he had a solo exhibit in 2009. Martinez has 20 paintings in the current Blue Star show, grouped together in their own gallery.