Request for proposals abstract – Sister City Guest Curator Collaborations

In 2026, the Contemporary at Blue Star will focus in on a theme of community in its exhibition program in celebration of its 40th anniversary. This theme will be reflected not only in the content of the exhibitions, but also through efforts to foster local, national, and international networks that create lasting connections and opportunities for artists and curators. The Sister City guest Curator Collaborations focus on international cultural exchange and expanding the Contemporary’s reach and network. Curators from the following cities are invited to propose a solo or group exhibition featuring living, contemporary artists from their respective locations.

San Antonio, TX’s Sister Cities include:

• Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico (1953)
• Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (1974)
• Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain (1975)
• Gwangju, South Korea (1981)
• Kaohsiung, Taiwan (1981)
• Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain (1983)
• Kumamoto, Japan (1987)
• Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (2008)
• Wuxi, People’s Republic of China (2012)
• Windhoek, Namibia (2016)
• Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany (2017)
• Baguio, Philippines (2023)
• Queretaro, Mexico (2025)
• Lanzarote, Spain (2025)

The Contemporary regularly works with guest curators. Recent guest curators and collaborators include Fabiola Iza (Mexico City), C & (Germany); Jill Baird (Canada) and Greta De Leon (Mexico City), Christopher Blay (Fort Worth, TX), Sharmila Wood (Australia), Jacqueline Chao (Dallas), Amber Zora (South Dakota), Asmaa Walton (Detroit), Independent Curators International, and Risa Puelo (Chicago).

Timeline

• Projects will be selected for exhibitions taking place in 2026.
• Exhibitions will be on view June 5, 2026 – October 4, 2026 and July 10, 2026-October 4, 2026 in one of our 4 gallery spaces.
• Curatorial Open Call Dates: April 25 – May 30, 2025
• Curators with selected project proposals will be notified by June 30, 2025.

Application guidelines

Proposals will include:

• Project description 500-1,000 words detailing the curatorial vision for the exhibition with name(s) of the artist or artists you will feature in the exhibition.
• Curator bio
• Links to artists’ website and artist bios.
• Curator’s CV, including contact info for 2 references of past collaborators/institutions you’ve worked with
• Proposed exhibition checklist of work with estimated space required for the exhibition. It’s understood the final checklist may change
• Proposal will be received through AnyArtist.org
• If a curator’s proposal is selected the Contemporary will require a proposed budget.

Eligibility

This opportunity is intended for curators and artists who are based in the same city or whose practices are meaningfully connected to the same urban context. This framework holds potential for an impactful exhibition that will result in a project that provides a perspective from the inside out, rather than an outside curator coming in and only accessing the surface of an art ecosystem.

Curators must be based in one of the below Sister Cities of San Antonio or have strong ties to the city and share how they are connected to it if they do not currently live there.

• Artists featured in the exhibition must be located in one of San Antonio’s Sister Cities.
• Curators may be independent curators or affiliated with an institution.

Exhibition Support

The Contemporary is a W.A.G.E.-certified (wageforwork.com) organization and will contribute a percentage of total annual operating expenses in honoraria. This number ranges depending on number of artists in the exhibition, the scope of the project, and exhibition space. Both curators and artists are paid an honorarium.

Contemporary provides basic programming support. Basic programming costs are the costs associated with the essential requirements of mounting exhibitions and programs as defined by Contemporary’s mission and are irrespective of specific content. Curator and exhibiting artists must provide advance, detailed, and adequate notice of needs for exhibiting artwork. The provision of basic programming costs and services include:

• Providing of exhibition, performance, or projection space
• Preparation of exhibition, performance, or projection space for the program
• Shipping and insurance costs when necessary
• Presentation infrastructure, including display equipment, exhibition furniture and lighting
• Documentation of exhibition or event
• Promotion of exhibition or event
• Travel and accommodation, when necessary and if artist/curator is invited for programming and/or requested for installation
• Obtaining and paying for image rights for commissioned and existing texts

Curatorial Honoraria Fees for what curators will be paid for their project and labor on the exhibition are outlined below. (See exhibition floorplan and photographs for square footage and layout of galleries). Additionally, in the event the Contemporary invites curators for the opening or programming, the Contemporary covers travel and accommodations expenses. Full terms of support will be outlined in agreements once projects are selected.

Main Gallery – 5,000 USD

Middle Gallery -2,500 USD

Project Space – 3,000 USD

Gallery 4 – 1,200 USD

Artist Honoraria Fees estimate for what artist will be paid for their project and labor on the exhibition are outlined below.

Main Gallery solo exhibition – 2,500 USD

Middle Gallery solo exhibition -1,500 USD

Project Space solo exhibition – 1,500 USD

Gallery 4 solo exhibition – 1,500 USD

Group exhibition 3-5 artists – 625 USD each artist

Group exhibition 6+ artists – 375 USD each artist

Overview of curator responsibilities if project is selected (full details outlined in agreements)

• Scholarly exhibition statement and didactic exhibition material for wall labels, participating artist list, artist statements, curator and artist headshots, and artist and curator bios.
• Inventory checklist of artworks in the exhibition to include photographs of each artwork, artist’s name, artwork title, year, dimensions, materials, sale price, and insurance values
• Assistance coordinating incoming shipment with Contemporary staff and accumulation of works for international shipment as well as confirming receipt of outgoing shipping
• Contact list for participating artists including email and phone number
• 3-4 Zoom planning meetings in preparation for the exhibition
• Exhibition layout and details of design, fabrication, and technology requests

contemporarysa.org