Merritt Norris
Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance and Sport and Spectator are this season’s can’t-miss exhibitions at the McNay Art Museum in the Alamo City. The exhibitions offer a unique opportunity to explore powerful themes, from identity and culture to the intersection of sports and art.
The McNay Art Museum and its expansive grounds have undergone numerous additions, renovations, and transformations over the years. The museum actively engages with a diverse community, encouraging the discovery and enjoyment of visual arts. This spring, the McNay invites visitors to come and experience these two truly captivating art exhibitions.
Michael Tracy: The Elegy Of Distance
Known for its color-saturated paintings, assembled and cast sculptures, and mixed-media objects, Michael Tracy addresses issues of faith, ritual, immigration, and the environment in his latest exhibit: Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance. From March 1 to July 27, museum-goers can experience Tracy’s artistic reflection on geographical boundaries as well as deeper, emotional or spiritual divisions. The exhibit pays homage to Tracy’s studio in San Ygnacio, TX, where he began to turn his artistic intentions toward preserving neglected 19th-century architecture on the Texas-Mexico border. The exhibit invites viewers to thoughtfully reflect on and address social justice issues in a nuanced way.
Fifty-four years ago, the McNay hosted Tracy’s first-ever exhibition. Now, his works return to the McNay to celebrate his enduring impact through the last exhibition he was directly involved with before his recent death at age 80. Spanning nearly two decades of Tracy’s career, The Elegy of Distance features a mix of works from the artist’s personal collection and pieces loaned from other collections.
Sport And Spectator
From the game to the gallery, basketballs, footballs, tennis rackets, hockey sticks, jerseys, and other sports gear are redefined as art in Sport and Spectator. From March 1 to July 27, this exhibit will feature approximately 40 sculptures, textiles, screenprints, and sports-themed installations that simultaneously celebrate and critique sports culture. The exhibit reflects on the duality of sports, highlighting their potential to unite and empower communities while potentially dividing athletes and exploiting their physical nature. It exposes social divides within sports, illustrating how commercial or competitive interests often take precedence over racial, gender, and class disparities.
Sport and Spectator features work by Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, Jeffrey Gibson, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Sophie Inard, Brian Jungen, Justin Korver, Esmaa Mohamoud, Betsy Odom, Hank Willis Thomas, and Tyrrell Winston. While sports culture has been the subject of several exhibitions, this is the first to showcase sports equipment and the artistic innovation that alters the every day into the extraordinary.
Embrace Art’s Power To Reflect Society This Spring
Michael Tracy: The Elegy of Distance and Sport and Spectator offers original and eccentric perceptions on the intersection of art, culture, and society. For more information about the McNay and these Spring 2025 exhibitions, please visit www.mcnayart.org.
