Founded by artists and grown from a grassroots art exhibition in 1986, Blue Star Contemporary is the first and longest-running nonprofit space for contemporary art in San Antonio. BSC arose from the need to provide a platform for the work and ideas of contemporary artists. After an exhibition to feature San Antonio artists was canceled at another institution, the artists appealed to landlords and art supporters Bernard Lifshutz and Hap Veltman, owners of a warehouse complex south of downtown San Antoino. Lifshutz and Veltman gave them 10,000 square feet of space in the warehouse off of Blue Star Street. The exhibition was called the Blue Star Exhibition and Blue Star was born. This is a photo of the surrounding area prior to any further development. Children play in the San Antonio River directly outside of Blue Star Contemporary.