Description

In completing the loan exhibition competition each year, AAP encounters projects that are not competitive for major exhibition grants but do represent important and timely, mission-centric work for a given institution. In such cases we have invited the museum to apply for discretionary funding for a discrete aspect of the project. Such is the case with the McNay Art Museum’s exhibition of work by the two generation-spanning African American figurative artists: Benny Andrews and Deborah Roberts. Particularly in the context of the 2021 competition, when so many strong proposals featured work by American artists of color, the McNay project—lacking both publication and tour—was too modest an effort to garner funding. Given that the exhibition was conceived to continue the museum’s work in the area of representation and equity, AAP invited a special grant proposal to fund key programming that will invite and encourage audiences to engage more fully with the exhibition.
To accompany the exhibition, which will run from October 2022 to January 2023, McNay plans a Family Day, Evening for Educators, and Artist Discussions, all aimed at celebrating the unique contributions of Andrews and Roberts and sparking discussions around representation, identity, and the diverse voices of that represent Black communities.
McNay’s Family Day programs always occur on free admission Sundays to ensure equitable access and encourage inter-generational and interactive. In this instance, the museum plans to partner with organizations such as the Carver Cultural Center and San Antonio African American Archive and Museum for activities including live music and dance performances. (Projected attendance of 1,500)
The Evening for Educators will invite teachers across disciplines to connect through participation in workshops and group discussions focused on the themes of activism, racial injustice, agency, family, religion, and Black identity. The evening will also include a private docent-led tour of the exhibition, dinner, and a guest speaker. (In-person participation of 40-60)
McNay will present, stream, and record a live conversation with Deborah Roberts about her work and sources of inspiration. The museum pursues artist-centered programs to provide audiences with a deeper, more personalized connection to the creative process. (Anticipated in-person audience – 150; virtual – 1000)
In pursuing the Benny Andrew and Deborah Roberts exhibition and the related programming for which this grant is proposed, McNay’s goals align fully with the AAP priorities of stimulating art-centric conversation about representation and equity and addressing and engaging new and more diverse audiences.