WATCH OUT - 3rd Annual San Antonio Art Show and Art Competiton for High School Students during CAM!

March 8, 2013 - PRLog -- Christa Brothers, founder of Watch Out, and also owner of Bismarck Studios Contemporary Fine Art Gallery is excited to have this year’s event co-hosted by UTSA. Following the prestigious line of jurors from past years events like David S. Ruben, The Brown Foundation Curator of Contemporary Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art and Rene P. Barilleaux, Chief Curator, Curator of Art after 1945 at the McNay, are this year’s co-jurors; UTSA President Dr. Ricardo Romo and UTSA Art Specialist Arturo Infante Almeida.

In its 3rd year, Watch Out seeks to high light the students, teachers, and fine art programs in our city’s High Schools Art Programs. Highly regarded art professionals are asked to jury the art competition to send a strong message that we as a city value and encourage creative minds. Watch Out is also providing an opportunity for our city’s youth to play a part in our cultural events by participating in Contemporary Art Month. The jurors determine not only whose art entry will be exhibited but also choose the first, second and third prize winners and additional three honorable mentions.

At the reception and award ceremony, various prizes sponsored by businesses and institutions are handed out to the winners and guest speakers like our now State Representative Joaquin Castro addressed the students in our 2011 Watch Out event.

Watch Out is again much anticipated and students have been working on their entries for many months. In 2012, there were 11 participating High Schools from Johnson High and Saint Mary’s Hall in the north of the city to South East Central in the far south, and inner city high schools like Roosevelt with over 200 participating students.

UTSA’s President Dr. Ricardo Romo and UTSA Art Specialist Arturo Infante Almeida will co-juror as well as co-host this year’s Watch Out celebration. Dr. Romo is known as a strong advocate for the arts by supporting artists and various art institutions and art initiatives. He has just recently bestowed the McNay Art Museum with an extensive print selection from his private art collection. Dr. Romo is also known for his own work as photographer and was invited to exhibit his art work in China.

UTSA Art Specialist Arturo Infante Almeida was instrumental in creating UTSA’s extensive art collection and is well known for his curatorial efforts creating many outstanding art exhibits throughout the city. An artists in his own right, Arturo Infante Almeida is much admired for his own creative photography art work

I am very grateful and honored for the tremendous support from UTSA through Dr. Romo and Arturo Infante Almeida for Watch Out.

Christa Brothers

I would like to spark your interest in the 2013 Watch Out - 3rd Annual City Wide Art Show and Art competition for High School Students during Contemporary Art Month.

I started this event in 2011 when I worked on an Art Show for High School students for the San Antonio Youth Summit at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center. I discovered that there was no event, no venue for High School Students to participate in Contemporary Art Month. Now I think that it is important to involve our kids in local culture and to also provide an event to work towards, to look forward to, and to be able to show the art work to the San Antonio community and not just to fellow students in the school hallway. To just send the message that we care, that we take their efforts seriously, and appreciate their creative minds.

In addition, it is very important that the jurors are acclaimed professionals in the art world. Students know, that it really means something, that it is serious, and they can truly use it in their resumes and it also ensures that true talent and creativity is awarded and not stifled because their work does not conform to common conventions.

For example, last year’s second prize winner, Mario…,the teacher told me that he did not think he had a chance since his work looked so very different from his pears, you can imagine his surprise and of course the encouragement that comes with it.