Mari Hernandez, “CAM Perennial Topographies of Truth” Credit: Courtesy of CAM
San Antonio’s Contemporary Art Month wasn’t quite what we expected this year, but it was still pretty dang cool.

As the coronavirus crisis first came to a head, wiping out most of Second Saturday’s festivities, followed by a city-wide shelter-in-place order that spelled doom for the rest of the month’s art openings, CAM quickly pivoted, launching a virtual tour initiative both for viewers to enjoy the exhibitions as well as CAMMIE Award consideration.

To accommodate the big changes faced by artists and exhibiting spaces, the CAMMIE Awards deadline was extended to early April, with this year’s judging based on online submissions of images from each exhibition.

Anita Becerra, “Overripe” Credit: Courtesy of CAM
“We faced unprecedented challenges, but the resilience within our arts community is strong, and can be seen in the ways in which people adapted quickly to see the CAMMIE Awards to fruition,” CAM Executive Director Roberta “Nina” Hassele said in a statement.

The 2020 CAMMIE Award winners were officially announced Friday. Although the announcement lacked the fanfare of the usual awards ceremony, make no mistake — these artists still brought it with their exhibitions, and it’s a shame we couldn’t experience them all in person — as they were intended to be seen.

Gabi Magaly, “Yo No Nací Para Aguantar A Nadie” Credit: Courtesy of CAM
Without further ado, here are the 2020 CAMMIE Award winners:

Artpace: Joe Harjo, “The Only Certain Way,” Sala Diaz

Blue Star Contemporary: Gabi Magaly, “Yo No Nací Para Aguantar A Nadie,” Presa House Gallery

Luminaria: Gabi Magaly, “Yo No Nací Para Aguantar A Nadie,” Presa House Gallery

McNay Art Museum: John Guzman, “If It Doesn’t Pick Up, Let’s Split,” Southwest School of Art Pop-up show at 134 Blue Star

Mini Art Museum: “More than Words: Text-based Artworks II” at Ruiz-Healy featuring Richard Armendariz, Nate Cassie, Andres Ferrnandis , Cisco Jimenez, Katie Pell, Ethel Shipton, Gary Sweeney

Ruby City: Mari Hernandez, “CAM Perennial Topographies of Truth,” McNay Art Museum

San Antonio Museum of Art: Joe Peña, “The Last Stop: Nightscape Series”

Southwest School of Art: Jimmy James Canales, “CAM Perennial Topographies of Truth,” McNay Art Museum

The Best of: Anita Becerra, “Overripe,” Mercury Project

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This article appears in Apr 8-21, 2020.

Kelly Nelson was a digital content editor for the San Antonio Current.