Events' Realm




This exhibition highlights the commitment of contemporary artists who have dedicated their work to unraveling the multifaceted layers of the sports world. The exhibition delves into the artistic exploration of sports equipment, setting itself apart from other exhibitions centered around the theme of sports. Through their use of sports materials, these artists explore a range of concepts including consumerism, the environment, gender, race, religion, and self-expression. The exhibition serves as both a celebration and a critique of the intersection between sports and art, inviting viewers to reflect on the profound connections between these two realms.






 



The exhibition Sport and Spectator will shift our collective perspectives and preconceived notions of the role and impact of sports in our daily lives by presenting new or discarded sports equipment and paraphernalia as art objects. By highlighting sports equipment outside of its primary use, this exhibition encourages broader discussions about the integral role of sports in our culture. Sport and Spectator will raise our collective awareness of the influence of sports on our society, art, environment, the way we perceive our physical bodies, and consumerism.   


 


Sport and Spectator features contemporary artists who utilize discarded or new sports equipment and paraphernalia to create singular works of art that touch on a wide range of societal issues directly or indirectly influenced by sports to prod and unravel the complex layers of the sports world. The exhibition serves as both a celebration and a critique of the intersection between sports and art, inviting viewers to reflect on the connection between sports and other areas of society and our lives.  


 


Featured artists transform commercially manufactured sporting goods utilizing craftworking techniques and materials. Works such as Jeffrey Gibson's beaded punching bags, Sophie Inard's crocheted equipment, and Esmaa Mohamoud's basketball jersey ballgowns intertwine and incorporate traditional and handcrafts, cultural traditions, and couture fabrication with discarded, damaged, and repurposed sporting goods. Juxtaposing seemingly unrelated materials and concepts that draw from unrelated resources prompts the viewer to question preconceived ideas about sporting goods and their relation to and impact on their environment.  


 


Other artists utilize sports iconography to alter the materiality and meaning of objects. For example, Brian Jungen disassembles sports jerseys and celebrity sneakers—products coveted for their associations with famous athletes. Jungen reassembles the fabric, leather, foam, and rubber to resemble the Indigenous craft of British Columbian coastal tribes. Jungen's work suggests parallels between the cultural rituals surrounding sports and indigenous ceremonies, emphasizing the commodification of each. Born in Fort St. John, British Columbia, Jungen grew up ranching and hunting on his family's Canadian homestead. Jungen shares his mother's Dane-Zaa heritage, which is that of First Nations people from the Peace River area of British Columbia and Alberta. Indigenous politics and culture inform Jungen's work and apply techniques based on recycling, reusing, and repurposing commercially manufactured products. 


 


With Sport and Spectator the McNay will join just a few other National museums to present exhibitions on the intersection of sport and the visual arts, Design for Sport (MoMA, 1962), Sports in Art (Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1980), Andy Warhol: The Athletes (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2014), Hard Targets: Sports and Masculinity Explored in Art (Wexner Center for the Art, 2010), and Resistance Training (Michigan State University Broad Art Museum, 2023), and Get in the Game (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 2024) to name a few. While previous exhibitions focused on sports in broader, more traditional terms, Sport and Spectator will be singular in its presentation of art made from discarded or new sports equipment, materials, and ephemera.  


 





 






Artists featured in this exhibition include Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, Jeffrey Gibson, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Sophie Inard, Brian Jungen, Justin Korver, Esmaa Mohamoud, Betsy Odom, Hank Willis Thomas, Jose Villalobos, Tyrrell Winston.






 






Organized for the McNay by René Paul Barilleaux, Head of Curatorial Affairs, and Lauren Thompson, Curator of Exhibitions


San Antonio

United States

Texas

McNay Art Museum

Sport and Spectator

Moonment: Finding A Way features new site-specific, kinetic installations by Sizhu Li and continues her exploration of aluminum as a sculptural and poetic form. The namesake installation Moonment consisting of three-waves and a metaphorical heart was first developed by the artist in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time Sizhu reflected upon the poem Gazing at the Moon, Longing from Afar by Tang Dynasty poet and politician Zhang Jiuling

Contemporary at Blue Star

Sizhu Li: Moonment: Finding A Way




Fifty-three years ago, McNay Art Museum mounted Michael Tracy’s first-ever museum exhibition, “Seven Gold Paintings,” at what was then the Marion Koogler McNay Art Institute. Next spring, the McNay will honor Tracy’s enduring artistic legacy with the last exhibition with which the artist was directly involved before his passing on June 15 at age 80.






“Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance”, on view March 1-July 27, 2025, surveys approximately two decades of Tracy’s career and debuts many never-before-seen paintings, sculptures and mixed-media objects from the artist’s personal holdings alongside artworks on loan from other collections. Together, the works promote critical thinking, empathy, thoughtful exchange and healing as viewers consider faith, ritual, immigration and the environment. An original soundscape by musical composer Omar Zubair will complement the works. The exhibition is organized by René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s head of curatorial affairs, in collaboration with Christopher Rincón, president of the Michael Tracy Foundation and director of the River Pierce Foundation.


Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance’

Get Serenaded Along the Historic River Walk!
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Tour Highlights:
Departure Location:
Briscoe Western Art Museum, Presa Street at 210 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205 (access by taking the stairs on Presa St. next to the Briscoe Museum down to River level).

Duration:
45-50 minutes (10-15 minutes longer than our standard narrated tours)

Dates:
April 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26
May 2, 3, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31

Convenient Reservations:
Guaranteed time slots mean no waiting in line or worrying about availability.

Route:
Downtown Area

Extras Included:
Each ticket comes with two beverages. We will confirm selection beforehand.

Events in San Antonio, United States

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Sport and Spectator

Sizhu Li: Moonment: Finding A Way

Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance’

Mariachi Sip & Cruise

Mariachi Sip & Cruise

Sport and Spectator

Sizhu Li: Moonment: Finding A Way