Artpace, Washington Irving Middle School to Dedicate First Collaborative Artwork

06.01.09

Media Contact: Celina Emery
t 210 212 4900 x323
f 210 212 4990
cemery@artpace.org
www.artpace.org

San Antonio, TX-Artpace San Antonio announces the unveiling of Differences Unite, its first Semester Program public art collaboration with Washington Irving Academy. Irving AVID 8th graders and San Antonio artist Kimberly Garza-Campbell have worked together to create a 4' x 7' painting to commemorate their personal school experiences and the impact of art in their lives. A public dedication ceremony is planned for Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 5:30pm, featuring remarks by Principal Anita Chavera and a performance by the award-winning Irving Mariachi Band.

For this project, the students were very thoughtful about leaving an indelible mark on their campus that would retain meaning for future generations. Over the course of the spring semester, Kimberly Garza-Campbell and the 8th grade students discussed symbolism and how to represent their thoughts and feelings in a visual artwork. Guided by their teacher Martha "CeCi" Enriquez, the students created a large-scale painting depicting their school and city. The resulting painting is enveloped by a border of individualized symbolic portraits that the students created to represent themselves within the landscape of the larger community.

Artpace's Semester Program puts a local artist "in residence" in the classroom to mentor students and create a publicly-sited work for their campus. For the past five years, Artpace has worked with neighboring Louis W. Fox Academic and Technical High School, where ten Semester Program projects in collaboration with such locally renowned artists as Justin Boyd, Cathy Cunningham, Daniel Guerrero, and Nate Cassie have been created for the campus. The Semester Program gives students access to unique mentoring opportunities with professional artists-offering practical experience in their field of study, while encouraging creativity resulting in long-term aesthetic enhancements for the communal spaces on their campus. In 2009, increased support for the program resulted in expansion to the Washington Irving campus, a feeder school to Artpace's long-term partner, Fox Tech High School.

The students' public art project will be dedicated on Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 5:30pm with a presentation and unveiling at Washington Irving Academy, 1300 Delgado, San Antonio, TX 78207.

The public and media are welcome to attend. Please contact Celina Emery at 210.212.4900 or cemery@artpace.org to RSVP.

About the Program
The spring 2009 Semester Program was underwritten by Dan Parman and an anonymous donor with support from the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, and National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art.

About Artpace
Artpace San Antonio serves as a laboratory for the creation and advancement of international contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.

Artpace is located downtown at 445 North Main Avenue, between Savings and Martin streets, San Antonio, Texas. Free parking is available at 513 North Flores Street. Artpace is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday, 12-5 PM, and by appointment. Admission is free.

Artpace exhibitions are made possible by the Linda Pace Foundation; the City of San Antonio's Office of Cultural Affairs; National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.; Nimoy Foundation; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; and Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy; with additional support from the Texas Commission on the Arts.

© 2009 Artpace San Antonio

445 North Main Avenue San Antonio TX 78205 t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 www.artpace.org