Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest running contemporary art non-profit, has received a $25,000 grant from San Antonio’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The community-driven fund is jointly managed by the San Antonio Area Foundation and the United Way of San Antonio. The fund is comprised of nearly 30 caring businesses, donor advised funds, philanthropic foundations, and government entities.

With school closures and restrictions prohibiting public gatherings, Blue Star Contemporary’s in-school outreach programs, onsite learning resources, and after-school MOSAIC Student Artist Program faced an uncertain future in the wake of the current crisis. This grant will be used to support BSC’s online and virtual educational programming, available on their website and through the institution’s social media outlets; in addition to online resources, the grant will support a distance learning program for MOSAIC, BSC’s after school studio art program for high school students. Online content produced by BSC includes art-making lesson plans, Artist’s Digest video interviews with artists, virtual exhibition walkthroughs, Storytime with artist Raul Gonzalez, an online artist resource center with grants, support, and other opportunities, and more.

“We are honored to receive this significant gift, which will enable us to focus our attention on delivering our educational mission to the community through our digital outlets,” said Mary Heathcott, Executive Director of Blue Star Contemporary. “From the moment the doors to our physical space closed, the resilient and creative Blue Star Contemporary team quickly rose to the challenge and began producing online content for families, artists, and students to engage with, and now we will be able to sustain these efforts thanks to the COVID-19 Response Fund.”

“Our young people and children need creative outlets more than ever during this COVID-19 crisis, and Blue Star Contemporary is one of our nonprofit partners that is pivoting to provide online and virtual programming to serve more than 500 youth,” said Marjie French, CEO of the San Antonio Area Foundation. French further stated, “We are really pleased to support this stellar effort to support families and children during this difficult time.”

Online content and resources are found on BSC’s website bluestarcontemporary.org and on their social media outlets (@bluestarart) and the organization’s YouTube channel.

A grant from the COVID-19 Response Fund provided by partners including:

San Antonio Area Foundation

Baptist Health Foundation of San Antonio

John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation

Holt Family Foundation

Harvey E. Najim

Texas Mutual Insurance Company

The Najim Charitable Foundation

Wells Fargo

H. E. Butt Foundation

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation

Houston and Caroline Harte Fund

United Way of San Antonio & Bexar County

80|20 Foundation

Kronkosky Charitable Foundation

Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation

Mays Family Foundation

Bank of San Antonio

Tobin Endowment

Bexar County

Greehey Family Foundation

Nationwide Foundation

NuStar Energy

Gloria Galt Donor Advised Fund

City of San Antonio

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America

The Story of Blue Star Contemporary

Blue Star Contemporary is San Antonio’s first and longest-running nonprofit space for contemporary art and artists, born in 1986 as an artist-led grassroots movement as an annual exhibition celebrating our community’s artists. BSC has grown to encompass nearly 20 exhibitions each year featuring artists from around the world working in a variety of media, creative youth development programs focused on nurturing healthy self-expression, and professional development and international exchange opportunities for artists. As BSC grew, it sparked the development of Blue Star Arts Complex and the revitalization of San Antonio’s culturally vibrant Southtown neighborhood.

With its mission to inspire, nurture, and innovate, supporting artists and nurturing the community’s relationships with them are the very fibers of Blue Star Contemporary’s rich cultural tapestry. BSC’s exhibitions challenge audiences to expand their perceptions of the world to encourage understanding and empathy, and public programs share ideas and resources that foster change and action. In 2017, BSC became the only San Antonio arts organization to be W.A.G.E.-certified, solidifying its commitment to fair compensation of artists and creative professionals.

For more information visit www.bluestarcontemporary.org.