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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Long eared Sunfish to reside in the SA Museum of Art


F.I.S.H. out of water: art work gets new home at the San Antonio
Museum of Art on loan from the San Antonio River Foundation

One of the city’s new famed long eared sunfish will make its way to the San Antonio Museum of Art Monday, June 29th, as the San Antonio River Foundation loans this iconic work of art from Donald Lipski’s F.I.S.H. installation under IH-35 to the museum for all to see up-close in a new context and space.

One extra fish, a twenty-sixth, was created to serve as a “portable” work of art to market the Museum Reach and the new contemporary art along the San Antonio River commissioned by the San Antonio River Foundation .

Lipski’s installation under IH-35, which can be viewed from the new SAMA landing, already has a popular following in San Antonio : hundreds of residents and visitors watch nightly as the school of fish light is illuminated at dusk. Now one of these spectacular fish will be on display at the museum, allowing visitors to get a sense of the fish’s size, which is almost seven feet long, and the meticulous detailing and beautiful colors that make it so life-like.

“We can’t wait to see this sculptural piece light up the gallery at SAMA and are looking forward to the up-close view it will give visitors,” said Mike Addkison , San Antonio River Foundation Art & Architecture Project Manager.

“We are so pleased to be able to exhibit Donald Lipski’s F.I.S.H. No. 2. The work is just as beautiful as a stand-alone sculpture as it is in the company of the other fishes. SAMA has an early work of his in our collection, currently on view. Now our visitors can see how the artist has evolved so brilliantly over the past twenty-five years,” said David Rubin , The Brown Foundation Curator of Contemporary Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Lipski, known world-wide for amazing and engaging public art, including pieces at Grand Central Station, NYC; Central Park, NYC; Washington D.C. Convention Center; Miami International Airport; and the Ft. Worth Convention Center among many others.

Lipski is also a three-time recipient of the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts award. The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) has a Lipski piece in their permanent collection, “Building Steam #91”, 1982 --a shovel with rubber tubing, wood, plastic and nickels, procured by SAMA in 1985 that can be seen in the main lobby.

The San Antonio River Foundation is a non-profit organization that funded the public art and enhanced landscaping and walkways along the new 1.5 mile Museum Reach with an investment of approximately $12 million by generous gifts from corporations, individuals and private foundations.

The San Antonio River Improvements Project is a public-private partnership with the City of San Antonio , Bexar County , San Antonio River Authority and the San Antonio River Foundation .

About SAMA:
The San Antonio Museum of Art, housed in the historic Lone Star brewery and located at the heart of the new “Museum Reach” of San Antonio’s celebrated River Walk, maintains a collection of more than 25,000 objects representing more than 5,000 years of history and cultures from around the world.

The mission of the San Antonio Museum of Art is to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret significant works of art representing a broad range of history and world cultures. In accordance with the highest professional standards, the Museum holds these collections for the benefit of the community and future generations. It is SAMA’s responsibility to engage diverse audiences, provide transformational experiences, strengthen our shared understanding of humanity and encourage a sense of wonder and discovery.

For more information, visit
www.SAmuseum.org.

Leigh Baldwin
Communications Manager
San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue
San Antonio, TX 78215
www.samuseum.org

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