TOM Schram: “ I found Our conversations cathartic and reassuring and hopefully others came away with similar feelings.”
The Parts and Labor residency was an amazing experience created to engage the hurdles of artist parents. My wife and I are both working artist/educators who have a young child and are learning to navigate the juggling of parental responsibilities with time for making. This residency gave us an opportunity to make and engage with a new arts community by offering childcare during our stay in San Antonio. This aspect of the program cannot be overstated. Each morning we drove to the studio as a couple knowing our toddler was in good hands with the nanny provided by Parts and Labor. There was also a community of families that engaged heavily with the Parts and Labor events, including an exhibition opening halfway through the residency and a family friendly workshop at the end of our time in San Antonio. These events were well attended by adults and children, allowing our child to mingle and play with other kids.
During our stay, my work focused on a continued exploration of my experience of a devastating hurricane and flood that occurred the previous year where we live in Asheville, North Carolina. I built two installations in an exhibition space that made it possible to work at a large scale, difficult to achieve in most studios. I am very grateful to have had the time to continue the reflection and unpack of my experience in those difficult times. Our time in San Antonio was also a time of tragic flooding in the Hill country. As artists who had just recently lived through a similar tragedy we knew all too well the pain and sadness the community was going through after this tragic event. The timing of these floods was surreal and uncanny, prompting difficult memories and emotions for me and my wife. The overlap of the Kerr County floods and my work examining the Hurricane Helene flooding did allow space to engage viewers in conversation about the increased frequency of these extreme events. I found these conversations cathartic and reassuring and hopefully others came away with similar feelings.
San Antonio has a rich vibrant arts culture that’s incredibly welcoming. The accommodations were very close to the studio space at Blue Star Arts Complex. There were lots of great events to connect with hosted by the Blue Star Art Complex/The Contemporary, alongside enjoyable visits to the McNay, the Botanical Gardens and the Missions.
On top of the local arts community, Parts and Labor has its own creatively minded community that engages heavily with the residency planned events. We had a great time getting to know many of these folks and talking about art and issues while our toddler played with other children from the group!
