Contemporary Art Month Kickoff Party
Contemporary Art Month is indeed upon us, kiddos, made all the more interesting for Blue Star’s role in its inception, back in 1986, and its traditional hosting of the opening party. What with the challenges Blue Star is undergoing and the grassroots origins of CAM, this year’s inaugural bash has all the makings for a fascinating evening with a lot to celebrate. Here are some Blue Star CAM events not to be missed. The annual kickoff and cluster of simultaneous openings is on March 6; the celebration begins with a ribbon-cutting at 6 p.m., followed by music, complimentary beverages, mouth-watering food for sale from San Antonio’s finest food trucks and the crowning of Miss CAM Antonio. One of the openings is “Euroscapes” by San Antonio’s own Mira Hnatyshyn-Hudson, a University of Texas—San Antonio grad whose work has been collected by Saatchi, London. It’s a painting installation based on a series of photographs she made of women, including an image from the U.K. of schoolgirls ascending the Tower of London, and images from Ukraine of women and girls in a market, which she embarked upon just as the current unrest began to explode. This should exemplify her continued fascination with historical ideology particularly as it pertains to female narrative. “Organismo,” a material representation of the U.S.-Mexico border by Brazil-born, Colorado-based artist Rosane Volchan O’Conor, invites viewers to step into a large-scale environment of rock-like pedestals, neon light, acrylic rods, folded paper and mylar, all representing structures from the microscopic and cellular to the overarching and political. There’s a bewitching video of one of her installations being, well, installed on her website (rosanevolchanoconor.com); I’m eager to check out her intricate multiverse. Paul Rodriguez, a young LA-based video and multimedia artist and another Saatchi favorite, mounts “Post-Penis,” which, if his previous work is any guide, might be a disquieting and dreamy exegesis of sex and gender binaries. Check out his Vimeo offerings at vimeo.com/pablomrodriguez. Finally, New York-based Claire Watson displays “Now What,” a set of intimate collages based on, and sourced from, delicate personal belongings (notably, gloves) to assemble a set of avatar-like figures of a wry, animist iconography and the dream world of ancestry. That’s a lot of bang for your buck (though it’s free); let’s do this thing, San Antonio. Free, 6-9pm Thursday, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarart.org. —Sarah Fisch
Thu 3/6
Buddy Guy
If guitarist Buddy Guy sold his soul to the devil, as is common in blues mythology, he sure as hell made a profit on the transaction. The 2005 inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame defines the term “living legend,” an influence on anyone who’s picked a six-string and played the 12-bar blues since his stint as house guitarist with the Chess record label in the 1960s. Born in 1936, deep in Louisiana, Guy moved to Chicago in the mid ’50s, landing a contract with the Windy City-based Delmark label, recording with harmonica great Junior Wells shortly after. Since his iconic ’50s and ’60s dates, Guy has made a deep impression on any guitar player riffing in the blues vein. His expression is effortless, the embodiment of the pure emotion implied by the form. As described by Jimi Hendrix, “Heaven is lying at Buddy’s feet while listening to him play guitar.” If Hendrix was right, paradise awaits the Aztec audience this Thursday. Dare you to lie down in the aisles. $42-$62, 8pm Thursday, Aztec Theatre, 104 N St. Mary’s, (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com.
—Matt Stieb
Thu 3/6 - Fri 3/7
Small Scale Works for a Larger Cause
In addition to its 20th anniversary, Southtown’s own SAY Sí has a lot to celebrate. Launched in 1994 under the King William Neighborhood Association’s umbrella, the nonprofit has evolved from a modest operation serving 12 students to a full-time “creative youth development organization” with an enrollment of 200, community outreach benefiting upwards of 3,000 and a new game design program in the works. Not surprisingly, SAY Sí’s signature fundraiser Small Scale Works for a Larger Cause has followed this growth curve, expanding from an auction with 26 participants to a full-blown affair gathering works by 200-plus local, regional and national artists. While the main event doesn’t take place until March 21, avid collectors can jump the gun with the “buy it now” option at Thursday’s private preview and awards ceremony or First Friday’s free reception. Promising “a spectrum of one-of-a-kind art pieces ranging from abstract sculptures to hyper-realistic portraits and photography,” this year’s Small Scale features contributions from Diana Kersey, Hannah Dreiss, Kent Rush, Vikki Fields, Susan Budge, Steven Daluz and Nemo, to name but a few. Private preview: $40-$50, 7:30-9:30pm Thursday; First Friday reception: free, 6-9pm Friday; SAY Sí, 1518 S Alamo, (210) 212-8666, saysi.org. —Bryan Rindfuss
We Are What We Art from SAY Sí on Vimeo.
Fri 3/7
Everyone's Going to Die
Pegged by the entertainment website Nerdly as “a love film sans love and a gangster film without gangsters,” the bleak British dramedy Everyone’s Going to Die premiered at SXSW in 2013 and went on to become one of the breakout hits of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Written and directed by the duo Jones, the film follows Melanie, a young woman bored by her drab existence on the English seaside, and Ray, a recently divorced gangster in town on shady business. With its deadpan approach, dry humor and odd surprises—including roller-skating beavers and a man allegedly reincarnated as a cat—the film and its hopeful pairing of lonely souls has reminded critics of Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation. As an extension of its partnership with the Manhattan Short Film Festival, URBAN-15 hosts two screenings of Everyone’s Going to Die in conjunction with Contemporary Art Month. $10, 6pm & 8pm Friday, URBAN-15 Studio, 2500 S Presa, (210) 736-1500, urban15.org. —BR
Sat 3/8
International Woman's Day March and Rally
International Women’s Day (IWD) started in the early 1900s at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen at the suggestion of Clara Zetkin. She proposed that women from every country should campaign for their rights annually to help end discrimination. More than 100 women from 17 countries attended the event and agreed with Zetkin. This year marks San Antonio’s 24th annual IWD March, where supporters will celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of all women while continuing to fight against social injustices. This year’s theme is “Nos tienen miedo porque no tenemos miedo (They fear us because we have no fear).” The march concludes with a rally featuring guest speakers, artisans and children’s activities. Free, 10am Saturday, starts at the corner of S St. Mary’s and E Cesar Chavez (former Univision Building) and ends at HemisFair Park, sawomenwillmarch.org. –Ainsley Caffrey
Sat 3/8
Do It Together Fest
Do It Together Fest (DIT) is a one-day festival put together by labels from across the region. Showcasing more than 30 emerging bands from New Orleans, Denton, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, DIT is designed to give show-goers the best of what’s next in rock music. Along with the swell visiting bands (All People, Woozy and Caddywhompus, to name a few) the bill features a slew of promising local acts including Búho, Vetter Kids, Bright Like the Sun, Ghost Police and Cryin’ D.T. Buffkin & the Bad Breath. Organizer and Texas is Funny Records founder Scott Andreu told the Current, “DIT is our way of reaching out to the other ‘players’ in our region to start the dialog needed to encourage growth in audience and for people outside the region to take our area of the woods more seriously. We feel you can get much more done doing things together.” Here’s to a day of great music and the spirit of collaboration. $8-$10, 3pm Saturday, The Korova, 107 E Martin, (210)995-7229, texasisfunny.com. —James Courtney
Sat 3/8
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Where were you when Willy Wonka first scared the piss out of you and ruined your life? When mankind’s best and purest creation, candy, became a golden ticket to a nightmare world of pure imagination and melted chocolate—the means by which a purple-suited deviant transported a little-person-slave-powered riverboatload of preteens through the video from The Ring and into the seventh circle of steampunk kiddie hell. Children, as punishment for being children, are lured into Rube Goldberg deathtraps and subjected to David Cronenberg body horrors while their “guardians” look on in impotent terror. And our hero’s reward for surviving? Keep your mouth shut, Charlie, and someday all of this will be yours. Welcome to the world, kids. SAMA and Slab Cinema team up to screen the 1971 classic as part of the outdoor Family Flicks series. Pack a picnic. Free, 6:45pm Saturday, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W Jones, (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. —Jeremy Martin
Sat 3/8
CAM’s Second Saturday
With First Friday and Second Saturday cosmically aligned for Contemporary Art Month, the weekend ahead presents a wealth of opportunities for the art crowd. Pending our collective recovery from the CAM kick-off Party and Blue Star’s simultaneous openings, there’s a slew of happenings to keep on the radar for Saturday. A little pricey but benefiting a worthy cause, the Artist Foundation of San Antonio’s second annual Moveable Art Party wraps visual art, film, theater, music, poetry and aerial performance into a roving celebration with cocktails and a silent auction ($125, 6-11:45 p.m., begins and ends at Blue Star Theatre, 108 Blue Star). The South Flores Arts District rises to the occasion with receptions for the Aesthetic of Waste’s performance-based installation Waste Machine, involving a dirty jukebox in the basement of the Wong Grocery Building (7-11 p.m., 1502 S Flores); an eight-person show at Gallista Gallery (6-9 p.m., 1913 S Flores); a collection of surreal, ethereal, rasquache and retrospective “Short Stories” presented by the Spare Parts Mini Art Museum at Lady Base Gallery (7-10 p.m., 1913 S Flores); Clamp Light’s resident artists displaying “projections, lace, ceramics and naughty men” at FL!GHT (7-10 p.m., 1906 S Flores); and Gravelmouth’s selfie-inspired “Shoot Yourself,” featuring camera-ready backdrops created by Louie Chavez, Nik Soupé, Sixto-Juan Zavala and Shek Vega (7:30-11 p.m., 1906 S Flores). Just a hop, skip and a jump away at Epitome Institute, Dr. Chassis Gertrude Gaytan (aka Ann-Michèle Morales) curates “5 for 5: Revisiting the Senses,” an intriguing look at the “potentially wild world of synesthesia” (6-9 p.m., 222 Roosevelt). For details, visit contemporaryartmonth.com. —BR
Sat 3/8
DMX
DMX didn’t end up fighting George Zimmerman, but he’s coming to Backstage Live Saturday, March 8. Everyone’s favorite barking and growling emcee has seen better days. He’s only released two albums in the past 10 years and he has yet to match the fierce passion and skillful descriptiveness of his best work in the late 1990s. Nonetheless, dude’s still got the same skills that made him such a big deal in the first place. So come on out and show some love for what was and what still could be—I’m sure he’ll play “Party Up (Up in Here)” for you. $26, 7pm Saturday, Backstage Live, 1305 E Houston, (210) 229-1988, dinproductions.frontgatetickets.com. —JC
Sun 3/9
Miniature Tigers
Over the course of three LPs, the Brooklyn-based indie-pop outfit Miniature Tigers has experimented with myriad sub-genres, effectively defying reviews peppered with descriptors like “catchy, disco-on-the-cheap,” “bedroom-psych-pop” and “tropical, Caucasian doo wop.” Regardless of stylistic shifts, the band—formed in MySpace-era Arizona by falsetto-inclined vocalist Charlie Brand and keyboardist/drummer Rick Schaier—maintains a playful sense of humor that reached new heights with 2012’s Mia Pharoah, a danceable romp driven by tracks (namely “Sex on the Regular” and “Female Doctor”) Rolling Stone summed up as “horndog electro-disco fantasies.” En route to play a string of shows at SXSW, the notoriously amusing quartet plays 502 in support of the forthcoming Cruel Runnings, which features songs about swimming pools and “lovers meeting at discotheques.” $11, 8pm Sunday Limelight, 2718 N St. Mary’s, (210) 995-7229, twinproductions.frontgatetickets.com. —BR
Miniature Tigers "Sex On The Regular" from Max Goldblatt on Vimeo.
Miniature Tigers "Female Doctor" from Max Goldblatt on Vimeo.
