Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum

Black Box Lunch

Several times throughout the year, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum presents Black Box Lunch. These short and intimate lunchtime chats give featured artists direct contact with their audience and art-lovers the chance to peek inside the artist's mind. Delicious box lunches from SIP are available for $8 to members, $10 to non-members. Past Black Box Lunch artists include Philip John Evett, Justin Parr and Ed Saavedra, Ivano Vitali and Joan Hall, and Julia Barbosa Landois.

Gary Sweeney was born in California and became obsessed with text from an early age. This fascination continued during his time at U.C. Irvine where artists such as John Baldessari influenced his artistic development. Sweeney first gained notoriety while living in Denver and receiving a commission for the International Airport. He has a strong belief that humor promotes reflection and critical engagement. Known for re-working signs and old photographs, Sweeney explores the roles of visual and textual languages as they influence the relationship of individuals to broader social and cultural contexts. He works with photography and text and creates mixed media sculptural installations. In 1996, Sweeney moved to San Antonio and has made an impression on the local art scene through exhibitions and permanent installations throughout the city. Sweeney's work has been exhibited at a large number of respected art museums & galleries including San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX; Santa Reparata, Florence, Italy; Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX; and The Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver. His work is also featured in many collections including The City of Denver, Continental Airlines, Bank of America, The City of San Antonio & The San Antonio Spurs. Blue Star is excited to bring Gary Sweeney back into our gallery to present major works from his illustrious and vibrant 40-year career.