Call For Artists: Jazz in Action

SAMA is seeking one artist to participate in a three-day painting residency and artist conversation program, inspired by jazz and two influential artists: Stuart Davis and Max Weber.

Currently on view in the Contemporary galleries, Stuart Davis’s Untitled (Black and White Variation on “Pochade”), created between 1956–1958, and Max Weber’s 1915 painting Interior with Music were inspired by the creative freedom and improvisations inherent in jazz music. 

The repeating curves, curls, and corners of Weber’s Interior with Music suggest the shape of an ear or the curved sound holes of a violin or viola. Weber was interested in how our human senses are interconnected. He wrote about this painting, “To hear is to see, to see is to touch, and so it seems that the audible tones of music float and interlace or blur in space as do volumes of smoke or even vapors or aromas.”

Max Weber, Interior with Music, 1915, Oil on canvas, 58 ½ x 38 ½ in. Art Bridges. © 2019 Christie's Images Limited. 

On a similar note, Davis’s Untitled (Black and White Variation on “Pochade”) contains linework reminiscent of musical notations or rhythmic lines of jazz. Davis believed jazz music was a counterpart to abstract painting, and it had a constant presence in his works.

 

Stuart Davis, Untitled (Black and White Variation on “Pochade”), ca. 1956–1958, Casein on canvas, 45 x 56 in. Art Bridges. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.  

In this painting residency, SAMA encourages artists in all stages of their career to explore similar expressions of painting through the lens of jazz music. The artist selected will be given a $1,500 honorarium.

Application is closed. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact education@samuseum.org.  

Requirements:

• Artist must be living and working in San Antonio.
• Artist will be provided one 30 x 48 in. canvas, easel, and table set-up by SAMA. 
• Artist will be responsible for providing their own paints, brushes, and other supplies necessary to complete the painting.
• Artist is required to paint on-site at SAMA’s campus on the following dates/times:
  • Sunday, May 2, 2021, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 8, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 15, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
• Artist is required to participate in an artist conversation on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, from 6:00–7:00 p.m.
• Using SAMA’s Spotify account, artist is required to create a 60-song long playlist covering Jazz music.
• Artist should be comfortable interacting with the public and answering questions regarding their work and their practice.
• Artist must understand that their final work of art will not be accessioned into SAMA’s permanent collection. 

Timeline 
•    Wednesday, March 31, 2021: Application Opens
•    Friday, April 16, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. (CST): Application Closes 
•    Monday, April 19–20, 2021: Committee Review 
•    Wednesday, April 21, 2021: Artist Selection and Notification
•    Thursday, April 22–Wednesday, April 23, 2021: Logistics Meetings between SAMA Staff and Artist
•    Monday, April 26–Friday, April 30, 2021: Artist Preparation (including playlist creation and gathering art supplies)
•    Sunday, May 2, 2021: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.: Day 1 of Residency 
•    Saturday, May 8, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.: Day 2 of Residency
•    Saturday, May 15, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.: Day 3 of Residency
•    Tuesday, May 18, 2021, 6:00–7:00 p.m.: Artist Conversation and Public Show-and-Tell

This program is generously funded by the Art Bridges Foundation.