Our teen painting intensive group – the self-named Bee Nation — will be “coming out of the Hive” to exhibit painted Converse shoes, along with life-sized self portraits, in an exhibit at the Radius Café that opens July 18, during Contemporary Art Month (CAM).
This program started with 5 teens, and now, 3 years later, there are 40 artistically talented teens from all over SA and Bexar County who attend this free after-school painting intensive.
The name of the exhibit is “I Am” – reflecting its two aspects. The advanced students, who have been painting in this program for 2-3 years, will show an oil painting and then, using a pair of Converse shoes as a second canvas, will transfer an element from the painting to the shoes – working in the same limited palette of reds, blues and whites as the Converse label.
The second group of teens will create life-sized figures as self-portraits, based on self-observation; these large pieces will be positioned throughout the exhibition.
Because they’ve spent many hours working on this exhibition, paying close attention to the crossover of urban graphic design and fine art, as well as building a dialog among themselves and their various backgrounds, a real sense of urban community has been formed.
Saturday, July 18
6:30 – 8:30P
at the Radius Center
411 E Martin (across from the Municipal Auditorium)
with DJ j.j. lopez
performance by the bboys at 7:30P
Proceeds from this exhibition benefit the SSAC Young Artist Programs scholarship fund.
Bee Nation (and the Southwest School of Art & Craft) would like to give special thanks to the following for their support of this exhibition: RAINEY! Shorty at Goodtimes Skate, Converse Shoes, Herwicks Art Supply, The Yard, Radius Center (Frank Vecchio & Paul Carter), Patricia Jane Fugitt, and Accurate Litho & Printing.
