InterArts faculty members Melissa Potter and Paul Catanese mounted brand new work in the San Antonio Luminaria, an annual night celebration of art and artists. This free 12-hour event brings contemporary art to the masses in public spaces, making contemporary art accessible to large audiences. The organizers aim to both inspire dialogue and engage the public, encouraging the people of San Antonio to see the significance of contemporary artistic forms, and their impact on public spaces.

Potter and Catanese received funding from San Antonio’s annual festival of lights to produce a series of works inspired by their Columbia College Chicago Faculty Development Grant, Handmade Media. The works explore embedded el wires as aesthetic and conceptual integrations in handmade paper. Potter used overbeaten hemp and Georgian rug inspired designs, and Catanese used abaca to laminate copper grids for his abstract el wire interpretations.

The collaborative works’ luminescence complemented the festival’s title, while the collaboration between the two artists speaks directly to the festival’s overarching themes of collaboration, community, and accessibility. For more information on the festival, click here.