7th Annual Family Day, Hosted by artpace

Recycle, Reuse, Reinvent! With Earth Day 2011 around the corner, Artpace’s 7th annual Family Day focuses on artists who bring new life and purpose to objects that might otherwise be considered waste. Join us in an eco-friendly block party on Saturday, April 30 from 1 to 4:30pm. The free, public event will feature green, contemporary art-making activities showcasing the work and techniques of current and past Artpace artists, as well as live acoustic entertainment and fun snacks. At Creation Stations and in artist-led workshops, kids and adults can participate in a variety of eco-inspired projects. Whether you like sculpting, collaging, drawing, or photography, we have activities that every member of the family will love! SAVINGS STREET Eco-Freestyle Zone  Get an early start on Chalk It Up (October 8, 2011) by trying out your eco-themed designs in our new Family Day Freestyle area on Savings Street.  El Tacomiendo  Enjoy tacos, tortas, vegetarian treats, and more from our tasty Taco Truck-in-Residence. Cash only, please. CREATION STATIONS Color Project  A lot of little things can make one big artwork. Be inspired by Artpace founder Linda Pace’s Red Project—select small found objects of the same color and assemble them together into a  work of art.  Location: Student Studio  New Identity Portrait Photo Booth  Have you ever wanted to be someone else? Dive through a pile of old costumes and put them to new use in this photo booth activity inspired by Arnoud Holleman’s 2006 Artpace exhibition.  Location: Student Studio  Made in San Antonio Reusable Bags*  Bring a shirt and leave with a bag! Save your used clothes from going into the trash with this fun sewing and printmaking project. *Please bring a used T-shirt of any size to participate.  Location: Student Studio  Newspaper Landscapes  Gabriel Vormstein creates drawings, paintings, and collages on newspaper. You can too with this environmentally friendly creative project inspired by the artist’s Hudson Show(Room) exhibition.  Location: Hudson (Show)Room Creation Stations are open to everyone throughout the day.  No sign-up necessary. ARTIST WORKSHOPS Riley Robinson  Robinson received his MFA in sculpture from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1994 and was an Artpace Window Works artist in 2005. 1:30 / 2:30 / 3:30 Location: Student Studio  Naomi Wanjiku  Wanjiku received her MA in design in 1992 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was an Artpace Travel Grant award recipient in 2010. 2:00 / 3:00 / 4:00 Location: Conference Room Space in the artist-led workshops is limited, so please arrive early to sign up. EXHIBITION ACTIVITIES IAIR 11.1 Learn about the work of 11.1 International-Artists-in-Residence E.V. Day (New York, New York), Devon Dikeou (Austin, Texas), and Kelly Richardson (Toronto, Canada / Newcastle, England) through exciting exhibition-centered activities in each gallery. Event Schedule Saturday, April 30, 2011 1-4:30pm Courtyard Entertainment Conjunto Heritage Taller  with Rodolfo Lopez 1-1:45pm Singer/Songwriter Nicolette Good  1:45-2:30pm Fox Tech Wind Ensemble 2:30-3pm Drum Circle led by Jorge Ochoa 3-4pm Tours Ten-minute Tours 1:30 / 2:30 / 3:30 Accelerate the learning process with a quick, guided tour of our exhibitions, led by a member of our Education team! You are an  important member  of the Artpace family! Become a Fresh Art First member at the Household level, and receive priority registration to Family Day workshops. Go towww.artpace.org to join! Artpace San Antonio serves as an international laboratory for the creation and advancement of contemporary art. Artpace believes that art is a dynamic social force that inspires individuals and defines cultures. Our residencies, exhibitions, and education programs nurture the creative expression of emerging and established artists, while actively engaging youth and adult audiences.   445 North Main Avenue t 210 212 4900 f 210 212 4990 San Antonio TX 78205-1441  www.artpace.org HOURS  Wednesday-Sunday 12-5pm and by appointment There is no charge for admission.  Free parking at 513 North Flores Street.

Gowalla Trips: San Antonio Culture Crawl

I’m fairly new to the geo-tagging service provided by the folks over at Gowalla, but one of my favorite features thus far is “Trips.” Once exclusive to a select few, now every Gowalla member can create a trip (list of “spots” where a person must check-in in order to complete). When people check-in, they can leave comments, tips, pictures, etc., which makes these visits a little more exciting and engaging. There are several public trips available for historic spots, pubs, bars, and other venues. I decided to create one for cultural exploration here in San Antonio. The name of the trip is San Antonio Culture Crawl, and includes places such as the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Witte Museum, Artpace, and others. If you find yourself in the area and are a Gowalla member, please feel free to check out the trip and tell me what you think. Please leave any comments below in this post or on Gowalla when you check in.

My Volunteer Experience at Artpace's "Chalk It Up"

This past Saturday, I volunteered for Chalk It Up, an annual event hosted by Artpace, an organization that encourages cultural discovery through contemporary art. They house artists, teach classes, and have exhibitions among many other things. Honestly though, you should really check out their website, because they offer far too many activities and learning opportunities for me to try to explain all of them here.

As per the usual, I had a great time working alongside people who love to work within their communities. The group of people was uplifting, hardworking, and fun. It was a pleasure to see so many people of varying backgrounds, ages, and skills having a good time drawing beautiful pieces with chalk. There were several notable artists, school teams, and small organizations who came and produced very nice work.