Contemporary at Blue Star is the first and longest-running venue for contemporary art in San Antonio. Developed from a grassroots event for artists by artists in July of 1986, the organization arose from the need to provide a platform for the work and ideas of local contemporary artists. In the years since its inception, the Contemporary has grown with the community, instigating positive change in both the art community and the community at large. The Contemporary's mission, to inspire the creative genius in us all by nurturing artists through innovative contemporary, informs all exhibitions, programs, and events. The development of BSC's exhibitions and educational programming, including creative youth development programs, professional development programs, and more, has resulted in the social and economic revitalization of the surrounding King William and Southtown neighborhoods, and the event that started it all in the summer of 1986 has developed into its own nonprofit, Contemporary Art Month. The Contemporary continues to be an incubator for contemporary art in San Antonio, hosting over twenty exhibitions each year within its four on-site galleries and satellite locations within the community. These exhibitions feature both emerging and world-renowned artists who hail both from the Alamo City and across the globe. The Contemporary is often the only sole U.S.-based partner of the Kunstlerhaus Bethanien, and we send 4 San Antonio-based artists to Berlin each year for residencies. The Contemporary is a Guidestar.org Platinum-certified nonprofit (the highest level of transparency) and has been WAGE Certified (wageforwork.com) since 2016.
