Contemporary at Blue Star has announced that it has received the largest single financial contribution in the organization’s history. Established in 1986 as Blue Star Contemporary, the kunsthalle is the longest running contemporary art nonprofit in San Antonio.
Artists of the inaugural Blue Star Exhibition, 1986. Photo courtesy of Contemporary at Blue Star.
The Kronkosky Charitable Foundation has awarded the Contemporary a grant of $500,000 to support the organization’s strategic growth. The foundation is a San Antonio-based organization dedicated to improving health services, fostering arts and culture, expanding public parks, protecting and preserving wildlife, and providing disaster relief in Texas.
The foundation has supported the Contemporary’s education programming in the past. The San Antonio Report has reported that this new major gift will be distributed over two years and will be used to fund the renovation of the MOSAIC Student Artist Program, a studio and gallery space offering mentoring and other opportunities to high school students, and will also allow the organization to hire hire a second development position to aid fundraising initiatives.
The application deadline for the Development Associate position at the Contemporary recently passed, however, the organization has stated that it will continue to accept applications until the position is filled.
A press release from the Contemporary about the new grant stated, “The support of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation is recognition for the strides we’ve made so far; validation for our mission to inspire, nurture, and innovate through contemporary art; and trust that this investment will be pervasive in its wider impact in our community through our work. We look to the future with optimism and excitement as we near our 40th anniversary, an incredible achievement for a nonprofit with grassroots origins.”
