Family Saturday at The Contemporary at Blue Star
Saturday, August 12th | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Explore the Contemporary’s exhibitions with free hands-on activities
Families and kids of all ages are invited to attend the Contemporary’s Family Saturday events. This event focuses on our current exhibitions and brings together local artists and community organizations to offer creative activities. Works on view become the inspiration for art making and kids learn how to look at and understand contemporary art better through fun activities.
disABILITYsa will be on location with our
Explore the Contemporary’s exhibitions with free hands-on activities
Families and kids of all ages are invited to attend the Contemporary’s Family Saturday events. This event focuses on our current exhibitions and brings together local artists and community organizations to offer creative activities. Works on view become the inspiration for art making and kids learn how to look at and understand contemporary art better through fun activities.
disABILITYsa will be on location with our
- Portable Changing Place,
- Sensory Safe Space,
- Digital and ASL exhibit descriptions and activity instructions,
- and more!
Exhibit Descriptions
Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Curated by Sharmila Wood
Artists: Ackroyd and Harvey, Lhola Amira, Arahmaiani, Sayan Chanda, Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser), lololol, Ana Mendieta, Zarina Muhammad, Patrina Mununggurr, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Tabita Rezaire, Eric-Paul Riege, Cecilia Vicuña, Katie West, and Zheng Bo
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
"Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology" is an exhibition that travels to different places and shows how artists use their talents to help the Earth. The artworks focus on how we are all connected to nature and how we can take care of the environment. The exhibition talks about important issues like climate change, social problems, and public health. It reminds us that we need to work together globally while also taking care of our local surroundings.
The artists in the exhibition use different methods to explore our connection with the Earth. They use science, ancient beliefs, and spiritual ideas to create their art. Some of them also involve the audience, inviting them to take part in meditation and deep listening.
The exhibition is not just about looking at art; it's also about learning and caring for the planet. The artworks will change and grow as they interact with the environment and the local communities during the tour.
The exhibition was curated by Sharmila Wood and is produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York. It's part of a program to support emerging curators who want to make a difference in the art world. The presentation at Contemporary at Blue Star is organized in collaboration with Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray.
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Curated by Sharmila Wood
Artists: Ackroyd and Harvey, Lhola Amira, Arahmaiani, Sayan Chanda, Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser), lololol, Ana Mendieta, Zarina Muhammad, Patrina Mununggurr, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Tabita Rezaire, Eric-Paul Riege, Cecilia Vicuña, Katie West, and Zheng Bo
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
"Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology" is an exhibition that travels to different places and shows how artists use their talents to help the Earth. The artworks focus on how we are all connected to nature and how we can take care of the environment. The exhibition talks about important issues like climate change, social problems, and public health. It reminds us that we need to work together globally while also taking care of our local surroundings.
The artists in the exhibition use different methods to explore our connection with the Earth. They use science, ancient beliefs, and spiritual ideas to create their art. Some of them also involve the audience, inviting them to take part in meditation and deep listening.
The exhibition is not just about looking at art; it's also about learning and caring for the planet. The artworks will change and grow as they interact with the environment and the local communities during the tour.
The exhibition was curated by Sharmila Wood and is produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) in New York. It's part of a program to support emerging curators who want to make a difference in the art world. The presentation at Contemporary at Blue Star is organized in collaboration with Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray.
Adam Schreiber: Stadtwald
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Adam Schreiber's solo exhibition called "Stadtwald" showcases photographs he took while living in Berlin as part of a residency program. In Berlin, walking is a popular way to get around, and it allows people to discover interesting places like lush forests, historical sites, and unique collections all in one walk. Schreiber, who takes pictures using large cameras and approaches his work like a surveyor, found his niche in this city.
His photographs capture quiet and still moments, showing forgotten or unnoticed corners of Berlin. He also takes pictures of individual objects or groups of objects, leaving viewers curious about their meaning and significance. It's like looking through an archive and trying to figure out why certain photos and documents are included.
Schreiber often arranges his photos in grids, which might resemble the viewfinder of his camera, suggesting a sense of order and careful examination. His pictures sometimes reveal and sometimes obscure the subjects, challenging viewers to pay close attention. But this kind of curiosity is more like a fun game rather than trying to solve a difficult problem.
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Adam Schreiber's solo exhibition called "Stadtwald" showcases photographs he took while living in Berlin as part of a residency program. In Berlin, walking is a popular way to get around, and it allows people to discover interesting places like lush forests, historical sites, and unique collections all in one walk. Schreiber, who takes pictures using large cameras and approaches his work like a surveyor, found his niche in this city.
His photographs capture quiet and still moments, showing forgotten or unnoticed corners of Berlin. He also takes pictures of individual objects or groups of objects, leaving viewers curious about their meaning and significance. It's like looking through an archive and trying to figure out why certain photos and documents are included.
Schreiber often arranges his photos in grids, which might resemble the viewfinder of his camera, suggesting a sense of order and careful examination. His pictures sometimes reveal and sometimes obscure the subjects, challenging viewers to pay close attention. But this kind of curiosity is more like a fun game rather than trying to solve a difficult problem.
Michael Velliquette: The Direct Path
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
"The Direct Path" is a special exhibition featuring the incredible paper sculptures by Michael Velliquette. It's the most complete show of his works so far. The exhibition sets up small and cozy spaces where you can get up close to these intricate and artistic collages made of paper.
The sculptures look very fancy and detailed, with lots of layers and beautiful colors. But what's interesting is that they are actually made from ordinary and delicate paper. The process of creating them involves repeating actions like measuring, cutting, composing, and gluing, almost like doing a meditative practice.
When you look at these sculptures, you'll notice how they transform the simple material of paper into something extraordinary. They resemble little temples or buildings, and as you explore them visually, you might find yourself deep in thought or reflection. It's like stepping into a magical world of tiny architectures and exploring the unexpected possibilities of ordinary materials.
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
"The Direct Path" is a special exhibition featuring the incredible paper sculptures by Michael Velliquette. It's the most complete show of his works so far. The exhibition sets up small and cozy spaces where you can get up close to these intricate and artistic collages made of paper.
The sculptures look very fancy and detailed, with lots of layers and beautiful colors. But what's interesting is that they are actually made from ordinary and delicate paper. The process of creating them involves repeating actions like measuring, cutting, composing, and gluing, almost like doing a meditative practice.
When you look at these sculptures, you'll notice how they transform the simple material of paper into something extraordinary. They resemble little temples or buildings, and as you explore them visually, you might find yourself deep in thought or reflection. It's like stepping into a magical world of tiny architectures and exploring the unexpected possibilities of ordinary materials.
Brittany Ham: Unmooring
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Brittany Ham’s exhibition of self-portraits explores interior and exterior space, architecturally and psychologically speaking. These oil paintings and charcoal drawings process the artist experiences with lockdown and social distancing compounding with the birth of a child and early motherhood. The longing subjects sometimes successfully escapes claustrophobia through invented landscapes. Ham’s new works also draw inspiration from a multitude of sculptures, woodcuts, and paintings of exhausted women and mothers, often the Virgin Mary, researched during her time at Künstlerhaus Bethanien International Studio Program as a grantee of Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program. Ham’s use of line and value both flatten and round the figure, creating molded planes akin to looking at sculptures and shifting positions in the round. Ham’s somewhat cubist figuration gives us more dimension than the modernists and grants the viewer windows and portals between interior and exterior spaces. The curious contortions and collapsing of space and landscape imbue the works with melancholic humor, the kind we can access looking backwards at challenging times, or forwards when we don’t quite know what is beyond a horizon.
Through Sunday, Sep 3, 2023
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Brittany Ham’s exhibition of self-portraits explores interior and exterior space, architecturally and psychologically speaking. These oil paintings and charcoal drawings process the artist experiences with lockdown and social distancing compounding with the birth of a child and early motherhood. The longing subjects sometimes successfully escapes claustrophobia through invented landscapes. Ham’s new works also draw inspiration from a multitude of sculptures, woodcuts, and paintings of exhausted women and mothers, often the Virgin Mary, researched during her time at Künstlerhaus Bethanien International Studio Program as a grantee of Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program. Ham’s use of line and value both flatten and round the figure, creating molded planes akin to looking at sculptures and shifting positions in the round. Ham’s somewhat cubist figuration gives us more dimension than the modernists and grants the viewer windows and portals between interior and exterior spaces. The curious contortions and collapsing of space and landscape imbue the works with melancholic humor, the kind we can access looking backwards at challenging times, or forwards when we don’t quite know what is beyond a horizon.
Activity Instructions
Concentric Pattern Art
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Step One: Choose a square
Step Two: Select a shape or paper punch a shape
Step Three: Stack shapes onto your square background
Step Four: Repeat step 2 and continue stacking your shapes to create a concentric pattern
Step Five: When satisfied with your design, glue your shapes into place.
Click here for ASL, Audio Recording, and Closed Captioning. Plain language description is located below.
Step One: Choose a square
Step Two: Select a shape or paper punch a shape
Step Three: Stack shapes onto your square background
Step Four: Repeat step 2 and continue stacking your shapes to create a concentric pattern
Step Five: When satisfied with your design, glue your shapes into place.
Information coming soon...
