(left to right: Director Michelle Smythe in front of a Linda Lewis artwork, artist Jesus de la Rosa)

OUR MISSION:

K Space Contemporary is a 501(c)3, non-profit organization dedicated to presenting and promoting contemporary art. As a forum for creative exchange and experimentation, we aspire to educate and build awareness for innovative art in South Texas. K Space Contemporary is located in downtown Corpus Christi, Texas.

K Space Contemporary is the oldest alternative art space in the Coastal Bend region. A primary goal of the organization is to exhibit emerging and mid-career artists. K Space provides a forum for under-represented artists whose works are experimental, non-commercial, or difficult to exhibit due to unusual installation requirements or site-specific ideas.  (For guidelines see Submit Your Work)

Events and activities at K Space Contemporary include exhibitions and opening receptions, gallery lectures, Dia de los Muertos Street Festival, ArtWalk, educational workshops, film screenings, and a wacky, hair-raising fundraiser called Wig Out.

HISTORY

K Space Contemporary (KSC) was established in 2001 by members of K Space Art Studios, a cooperative studio active in the Corpus Christi art community.   To this day, we remain an artist-centric organization dedicated to providing a venue for emerging and mid-career artists to exhibit their work and further their careers.

The “K” in our name refers to the building’s historic roots as the Kress Five & Dime Store.  In 2007, K Space Contemporary was able to move to a more prominent location in the building and expand its gallery space to 1975 square feet.  This more visible location has enabled KSC to become more accessible, to grow our membership, visitor and customer base, to attract/present exceptional artists, and to establish credibility and a reputation for excellence.

Each year, KSC mounts 24-26 exhibitions in our three gallery spaces.  These include feature solo/group shows, juried competitions, gift shop exhibitions and student shows.  We welcome experimental, alternative works, unusual installations, and site-specific concepts.  We engage well-known individuals to serve as jurors (Trenton Doyle Hancock, Christina Rees, Fairfax Dorn) and provide important exposure to our artists.

Education Programs include summer workshops for youth, cultural and technical workshops, demonstrations, interactive artworks, and weekly figure drawing sessions.   In 2012, KSC hosted a Creative Capital professional development seminar for artists.  Our education programs serve approximately 300 per year.

We also serve the broader community through events like the monthly Artwalk and our annual Dia de los Muertos Festival.  KSC helps coordinate and present the downtown ArtWalk (2003 to present) with the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District, 16 other art galleries/museums and over 65 businesses.  KSC averages 600 visitors each month during ArtWalk. (of 5000 coming downtown for ArtWalk.)  Another commitment to our community is our “Keep Corpus Christi Colorful” mural program.  KSC has completed ten outdoor murals (four created with youth, eight still in existence).  In addition, K Space in partnership with Axis Tattoo, holds an annual Dia de los Muertos Festival.  The festival, which drew 20,000 visitors in 2012, features an art expo, live music, performers, parade, college art clubs, thematic exhibition, and Piñata contest for youth.

KSC prides itself in being open, friendly and accessible to all, receiving approximately 11,000 visitors in 2011 of all ages, predominantly 25-55 years of age and middle to low income.   KSC is a major part of the Corpus Christi art scene, changing and improving the cultural climate of our city.