Mini Art Museum

Mini Art Museum

Mar 6–Jun 7, 2026

Mini Art Museum is an exhibition featuring extra small scale artworks, each measuring under 4″ x 4,” by dozens of artists. The project will be on view in memoriam of Mary Cantú the projects co-founder. For this exhibition Mini Art Museum is installed in its entirety, featuring over 100 works, a small reflection of the large impact Cantú has made in San Antonio.

Cantú was the founder of Spare Parts, a recycling-focused arts nonprofit dedicated to making art supplies accessible and affordable for artists and educators, as a response to the lack of arts funds and resources in PreK-12 classrooms. She co-founded Mini Art Museum in 2013 with Gabriela Santiago. The Mini Art Museum made use of standard office binders as gallery “walls” and invited artists to contribute artworks small enough to fit in 8.5-by-11 inch clear plastic sleeves. Distinctly the Mini Art Museum features unique work by professional working artist in miniature format. Magnifying glasses were also an endearing part of the experience, giving it a sense of wonder and provoking close observation. The collection of works that make up the Mini Art Museum were transferred to the Contemporary in spring of 2024 as Mary was shifting away from managing some of the non-profit initiatives she founded.

The San Antonio arts community was deeply saddened the loss of Cantú February 18, 2025 at age 45. Ms. Cantú was a beloved member of the San Antonio arts community and served on the Contemporary’s at Blue Star’s Education Committee from 2014-2016. She was a resource and advocate during the development of the Contemporary’s Creative Classrooms program, with a shared passion for giving free access to art for San Antonio children. Ms. Cantú was Art Department Chair of the Alameda School for Art and Design at Henry Ford Academy, a tuition-free college preparatory high school in San Antonio. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Museum Education from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, with a focus on Cultural Anthropology and Elementary Education, and a Masters from the University of Texas, focused on community-based art.

This exhibition draws from Cantú’s spirit of wonder to reflect the impact and legacy she left with us.