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You’ve been hearing about it for months now, but this morning we formally announced our 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival with a press conference on our rooftop. Speakers included District 1 City Councilman Diego Bernal, Chalk It Up Chair Stephanie Eugster, and Lisa Paschal of Argo Group, the Presenting Sponsor of Chalk It Up 2012. Look for us on the news (and listen for us on the radio) this evening!

Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Image credits: (Top) District 1 City Councilman Diego Bernal thanks Artpace for its commitment to our community. (Above) Councilman Bernal with Artpace Deputy Director Mary Heathcott, Chalk It Up Chair Stephanie Eugster, and some great kids from St. Mary’s Hall Lower School. Photos by Wendi Kimura

Artpace: What inspires your art?

Garza: Freeway expansion, gated communities, and vast tracts of subdivisions are what are happening to the North Side of San Antonio. My works talk about suburbia and the expansion of suburbia—no different than any other city, the ordinary sameness of it. It’s about the direction of urban sprawl, it’s generally toward the North, the attraction of trying to get to the hill country as opposed to the flatlands south of the city.

Artpace: Why are you excited about sharing your work at Chalk It Up?

Garza: There’s a lot of kids at Chalk it Up, a lot of kids that don’t know how many people live in San Antonio, and don’t know what is out of the Loop. I want to give the sense of San Antonio as a larger community as opposed to just their own neighborhood—that they are a part of a big town. Kids on South Side of town don’t see as much growth as, for example, the kids on the North Side see.

Artpace: What are you planning to chalk in two weeks?

Garza: In my work, I take digital images of maps and manipulate them in Photoshop. My plan is to take my images to the street.

Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Image credit: Photo by Lindsey Smith

YOU DID IT! 

And now it’s time for… a conTEMPORARY tattoo!

Come to Chalk It Up on Saturday, October 13 from 10am to 4pm. For a short time only, you too can get your hands on one of our limited-edition Art is Now temporary tattoos, designed by Artpace’s own Curator of Education Kaela Hoskings.

What time is it? It’s time for art.

Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Image credit: Photo by Chris Castillo

Artpace: You participated in Chalk It Up as a Showcase Artist in 2010, and are familiar with how the event goes. What do you like best about it?

Teutsch: I like drawing on the sidewalk. I like working big and fast, and Chalk It Up is a perfect vehicle for all those things.

Artpace: For Chalk It Up 2010,  you chalked some amazing caricatures. Can we expect to see more great ones this year?

Teutsch: Oh yes, I plan to draw prominent atheists. Big. Spaghetti monster.

Artpace: What would you say was your biggest challenge at Chalk It Up?

Teutsch: My biggest challenge is answering questions. I get a lot of them, and it’s a lot of self-control to take them with a grain of salt. Okay, for example: I was chalking a portrait of William F. Buckley, Jr. in front of Artpace, and several people, several, asked me if it was Barack Obama! “What? Wha…? NO! They look nothing alike! You know this! One’s a black Democrat and the other is the whitest, blond conservative you can imagine!” But I couldn’t say that…so, instead…”No, heh, good eye though. It’s actually William F. Buckley. No? Consummate conservative? Founder of the National Review? No… it’s not Mr. Rogers either… it’s Bill Buckley. Okay. Thank you. Have a nice day. I like your watch too. Uh huh. Thanks.”

Artpace: Which Showcase and Feature artists are you most looking forward to sharing the sidewalk with on October 13?

Teutsch: I’m interested to see what Aldon Mines and Rigo Luna do. They’re all good. I’m looking forward to seeing all of them.

Jeremiah Teutsch was born in Lubbock, Texas, and received his BFA  in Painting and Drawing from the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design in Denver, Colorado. Among many things,  he was a founding member and studio manager of the Transit artist-in-residency program. He is currently one of the directors of Agora, a community arts space, works at the McNay Art Museum, is a picture-framer, and an illustrator for Plaza De Armas online magazine. He is on the steering committee for Luminaria, and occasionally does art restoration, if you ask very nicely. And, in his own words, “He is also a very talented visual artist in his own right. He has curated, and is also an avid supporter of speaking in the third person. He, lastly, is an idea man—an inventor. A regular polymath, this guy.” Which we agree with. Very much.

Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. This free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Our Showcase and Feature artists are always selected locally—they’re some of the city’s best, and play a prominent role in the success and enjoyment of Chalk It Up. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Last year, more than 18,500 people joined us on Houston Street! We’re expecting even more this year, of course. And while the entire event is free and open to the public, Chalk It Up wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please consider contributing to the honorarium fund we’ve set up on Kickstarter to support our contemporary artists’ chalky creations. We need your help to reach our $2,000 goal by September 28. Pledges begin at just $1, but backers who pledge $25 or more will receive some fun incentives.

Artpace: Are you a San Antonio native?

Jake Zollie Harper: Yes I am. I actually moved around quite a bit when I was younger working at different glass shops, but quickly realized that I missed and loved San Antonio and wanted to come back. I had lots of friends in Austin trying to convince me to move there, but I like SA. I like it as a community. Considering the size of this city and everything going on here, it still feels small and community-driven.

Artpace: Do you dream about glass blowing?

Harper: I do! More so in the beginning when I first started blowing glass. I did not have a lot of outside influences and would dream about techniques or ways to do things and then I would try them the next day, and they would work! I also have nightmares.

Artpace: This is your first time participating as an a Chalk It Up artist, correct?

Harper: As a chalk artist, yes. Last year I was an assistant to Reagan Johns for [Kidzone creative project] Chalka Khan, but that was his Chalk It Up project. This is my first year as a Feature Artist.

Artpace: What do you like best about Chalk It Up?

Harper: I think Chalk It Up is a really fun event and believe it is important for kids to be exposed to and get hands-on with art. In that respect I think it is cool, plus it forces me to do something different. I work in three dimensions with a very technical medium. To create something two-dimensional in the public eye is not something that I would normally do.

Artpace: As an artist whose primary medium is glass, how do you plan to execute a piece that incorporates another medium that glass is typically resilient to, such as chalk?

Harper: Yes, I think it is a totally different ball game than glass. Obviously, a lot of inspiration from what I do with glass will be reflected in the work I create at Chalk It Up. I have been trying to brainstorm ideas of incorporating what I do here in my studio with glass with what I might do in my work at Chalk It Up. I have a couple of ways I am leaning: one is a chalk piece, another is some kind of a glass device. I am not sure, yet. You will have to see what I end up creating on Houston Street on October 13.

Artpace: How would you like guests at Chalk It Up this year to react to your work?

Harper: Well, of course, like any artist, I would like people to enjoy my work. I really want people to remember it and take something home with them—more importantly, for kids to see something they like and maybe be inspired to try something similar on their own and on their own scale.

Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. This free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Our Showcase and Feature artists are always selected locally—they’re some of the city’s best, and play a prominent role in the success and enjoyment of Chalk It Up. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Last year, more than 18,500 people joined us on Houston Street! We’re expecting even more this year, of course. And while the entire event is free and open to the public, Chalk It Up wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please consider contributing to the honorarium fund we’ve set up on Kickstarter to support our contemporary artists’ chalky creations. We need your help to reach our $2,000 goal by September 28. Pledges begin at just $1, but backers who pledge $25 or more will receive some fun incentives.

As visual arts and musical arts come together on downtown Houston Street in Artpace’s biggest event of the year, we’re happy to announce that the Chalk It Up stage on Saturday, October 13 will feature San Antonio art rock band Buttercup. We interviewed band members Erik Sanden, Joe Reyes, and odie about art, their inspiration, and of course, chalk.

Artpace: Buttercup band members  have been longtime friends of Artpace. What about us do y’all like the best?

Buttercup: Um, the art. But specifically the fact that a local San Antonian woman, who could have done countless other things with her personal fortune, founded a place where artists from around the world—as well as artists from San Antonio—can live, work, and exhibit  in downtown San Antonio, which we call our home.

Artpace: What inspires Buttercup, in terms of songwriting? What are some of your recent musical/art project ideas?

Buttercup: Japanese cuisine, exaggerating, being 8 years old, love, odd chunks of dialogue from movies or books or especially friends, and tea have all been somewhat influential. Inspiration comes from everywhere. Today we have already fallen in love twice, first with a clean white shirt, now with a stray sunbeam.

Our most recent projects have been attempts at stripping down our music to the least amount of elements. Currently we are working on a performance art piece that utilizes two acoustic guitars, one bass guitar, and a chalkboard. We are writing a terribly pithy set of songs, 10 that clock in under 30 seconds each.

Artpace: What are you looking most forward to about Chalk It Up?

Buttercup: White lung (from all that chalk dust), and of course the chance to do something fun and whimsical with our music.

ABOUT THE BAND
Since Buttercup played their first gig together in 2003, it has been a constant production of maniacal bliss in the form of art rock, brought to an audience in unconventional and creative ways. Formed in San Antonio, the band has fused a true post-modern sound that crams their love of The Kinks, Neil Young, and The Talking Heads into something more at home with fellow Texans Spoon, Chicago’s Wilco, or New York’s Interpol. From their charmingly arranged harmonies to their unpredictable onstage antics, Buttercup is comfortable and chameleon-like in a live setting. The Cup revels in their ability to adapt from a stripped-down, intimate setting to a raucous, energetic, and unpredictable club show. Employing such whimsical tools as an old rotary telephone, tambourines, glockenspiels, and other fanciful homemade instruments, fans have come to expect the barriers between the stage and audience to be broken.

Image credit: Photo by Josh Huskin

Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Last year, more than 18,500 people joined us on Houston Street! We’re expecting even more this year, of course. And while the entire event is free and open to the public, Chalk It Up wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please consider contributing to the honorarium fund we’ve set up on Kickstarter to support our contemporary artists’ chalky creations. We need your help to reach our $2,000 goal by September 28. (That’s this Friday!) Pledges begin at just $1, but backers who pledge $25 or more will receive some fun incentives.

Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Just a colorful, happy reminder to join us for Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival, which takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. This free, family-friendly event promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators—including a special creative project with the Children’s Museum!—as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Our Showcase and Feature artists are always selected locally—they’re some of the city’s best, and play a prominent role in the success and enjoyment of Chalk It Up.

Last year, more than 18,500 people joined us on Houston Street! We’re expecting even more this year, of course. And while the entire event is free and open to the public, Chalk It Up wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please consider contributing to the honorarium fund we’ve set up on Kickstarter to support our contemporary artists’ chalky creations. We need your help to reach our $2,000 goal by September 28. Pledges begin at just $1, but backers who pledge $25 or more will receive some fun incentives.

Image credit: Special thanks to the Children’s Museum, Chalk It Up Showcase Artist Michael Menchaca, Chalk It Up Feature Artist Marcy McChesney, and Artpace Assistant Curator of Education Lindsey Smith for making art happen on Houston Street. Photos by Wendi Kimura

Chalk It Up is a free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Chalk It Up Feature Artist Aldon Mines spent the afternoon at Artpace yesterday, eliciting a lot of attention from Main Avenue passersby with his colorful chalk graphics.

Mines, a graduate of Texas State University, is a San Antonio-based sculptor who works with wood to create kinetic sculptures with audio components. It’s always interesting to see how our Chalk It Up artists’ varying practices translate into chalk work. Mines intends to integrate architectural, three-dimensional elements into his mural, imbuing the flat surface of the sidewalk with some serious perspective.

Mines’s sculptural work is currently on view at the Southwest School of Art’s InterPlay: Mechanical Objects exhibition, which runs through November 25.

Artpace’s 9th Annual Chalk It Up festival takes place on downtown Houston Street on Saturday, October 13, 2012. This free, family-friendly event that promotes the importance of art education and proudly exhibits San Antonio’s creative vivacity by providing hands-on activities led by professional art educators, as well as interactions with contemporary artists. Our Showcase and Feature artists are always selected locally—they’re some of the city’s best, and play a prominent role in the success and enjoyment of Chalk It Up. Artpace remains passionate about giving people an opportunity to explore their relationship with not only contemporary art, but their hometown community. Chalk It Up 2012 is made possible by presenting sponsor Argo Group.

Last year, more than 18,500 people joined us on Houston Street! We’re expecting even more this year, of course. And while the entire event is free and open to the public, Chalk It Up wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers. Please consider contributing to the honorarium fund we’ve set up on Kickstarter to support our contemporary artists’ chalky creations. We need your help to reach our $2,000 goal by September 28. Pledges begin at just $1, but backers who pledge $25 or more will receive some fun incentives.

Image credit: Wassup Chalk It Up! Photo by Wendi Kimura