Uniting San Antonio's creative community since 1986, Contemporary Art Month kicks off another jam-packed March with a celebration at its birthplace in the Blue Star Arts Complex (free, 6-9 p.m. Thu, 1420 S. Alamo St.). Bookended by the crowning of Miss CAM Antonio (the top honor in a virtual pageant that plays out on CAM's Facebook page) and the presentation of an array of CAMMIE Awards (determined by online voting at contemporaryartmonth.com), the month-long affair offers a steady flow of exhibitions and opening receptions but also ventures out of the box with studio tours, artist talks and pop-ups. Although we'll be covering CAM throughout March, its first weekend is one you won't want to miss.
'Back from Berlin'
Opening in tandem with CAM's official kick-off, the group show "Back from Berlin" brings together the first four San Antonio artists to take part in Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum's two-year-old Berlin Residency Program. Facilitated by a unique partnership between BSCAM, SA-based German curator/journalist Angelika Jansen and Berlin's Künstlerhaus Bethanien, the three-month residency provides each visiting artist with studio and living space, exhibition opportunities, access to workshops and studio visits with curators. Although local art scenesters are likely already familiar with the work of inaugural residents Vincent Valdez, Cathy Cunningham-Little, Ricky Armendariz and Karen Mahaffy, Jansen (who also acts as program liaison) notes: "All four artists came back raving about their experiences [and] how they are looking differently at creating art. For them there is a definite before and after Berlin." Free, 6-9pm, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, 116 Blue Star, 227-6960, bluestarart.org.
