Let’s take a road trip. How about San Antonio?

Home to the Alamo and excellent fajitas, the Texas town also boasts Artpace, “an international laboratory for the creation and advancement of contemporary art.”

Founded in 1995 by local artist and collector Linda Pace, Artpace offers annual 2-month residencies to 9 artists (rolled 3 times a year, 3 artists per term). These people are chosen from a diverse set of guest curators, all with the intent of galvanizing an exchange of ideas and providing a catalyst for production. Past curators have included Lisa Corrin, Chief Curator, Serpentine Gallery, and Robert Storr, Curator, Department of Painting & Sculpture, Museum of Modern Art. Just examples, but names and institutions that reinforce the extent of the international scope of the institution’s mission.

On view through September 5, 2010, at Artpace, On the Road investigates the mythology of American motorcar led adventure. Talking its title from Jack Kerouac’s much loved book, the exhibition is split in two parts. The first presents a number of artists whose work explores the American West. These are Robert Adams, Ant Farm, John Baldessari, Walker Evans, Robbert Flick, Mary Heilmann, Roger Kuntz, Danny Lyon, Catherine Opie, Allen Ruppersberg, Ed Ruscha, Stephen Shore, Alexis Smith, Kon Trubkovich, and Andy Warhol.

The second portion of On the Road offers a unique twist. Exhibition curator Jens Hoffmann provides an account of his own 2-week journey through Texas. Artifacts, documents, and photographs collected and taken through his trip

For our virtual road trip to San Antonio, we visit the exhibition and gain insight from Hoffmann and Artpace Executive Director Matthew Drutt. With respect to the make up of the show, we begin with Drutt followed by a selection of included works. We finish with Hoffmann’s words and some of his photographs.

Shall we go?