When: Thu., Feb. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Mondays-Saturdays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Continues through April 22 2018
A creative exploration of 300 years of San Antonio history, “Common Currents” sees Artpace, Blue Star Contemporary, the Southwest School of Art, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Carver Community Cultural Center and the Mexican Cultural Institute coming together for an exhibition series spanning six months. Assembled in a “chain letter-inspired” format, the sprawling project invited each participating institution to enlist two artists; that initial group of 12 followed suit, with each artist inviting two peers — and so on until a total of 300 were on board. With two wide-ranging exhibitions already on view — Artpace’s installment covers San Antonio’s first 50 years (1718-1767) and Blue Star Contemporary’s tackles the second 50 (1768-1817) — the Southwest School of Art is set to unveil the third phase of the project. Focusing on a period perhaps slightly more within the realm of our cultural and historical consciousness, the third chapter of “Common Currents” tasked each of its participating artists with digging into an assigned year between 1818 and 1867. Included among the works by nearly 50 local artists are Gary Sweeney’s Coming Soon! (which makes a playful jab at the odd dichotomy between the Alamo and one of its most infamous neighbors), Chris Castillo’s Tamalamo (a cyanotype printed on corn husks) and Susie Monday’s Fandango (a textile-based piece inspired by the year 1848).