Open Today: 10 AM - 5 PM

Spotlight
2025-2026

Katie Pell
Charm and Weight, 2008

“I hope that you can get the feeling that I’m trying to impart, that we’re all really worthy of celebration.”
– Katie Pell

"Charm and Weight" by Katie Pell, a large wooden sculpture of a charm bracelet measuring 228 x 396 in.

Katie Pell, Charm and Weight, 2008. Wood, with paint. Collection of the McNay Art Museum, Museum purchase with funds from Rick Liberto, The Smothers Foundation, Lori and Joel Dunlap, Chris Hill and Lachlan Miles, and Guillermo Nicolas and Jim Foster, 2021.1.

Katie Pell was born in Wilmington, Delaware in 1965 and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Alongside pursuing her own artwork, she taught at the former Southwest School of Art, Northwest Vista College, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. Katie Pell worked with glass, ceramic, video, and recycled materials of all sorts; however, her true love was drawing. Pell passed away in December 2019 surrounded by the art community of San Antonio.

Katie Pell’s, Charm and Weight, is a large-scale charm bracelet that cascades from floor to ceiling made of wood and paint and installed on museum-fabricated hook. The sculpture was inspired by charms that Pell’s father brought home from business trips around the world. While inspired by his gifts, this artwork represents different aspects of Pell’s personality and nature. Charm and Weight reflects Pell’s approach of building herself out of elements from many cultures and her personal world, underscoring themes of identity, memory, and the interconnectedness of personal and cultural narratives. The artist stated, “When I build myself, I take parts from other cultures. I also take parts from my own culture, and this charm bracelet is sort of about myself.”

Charm and Weight joined the McNay collection in 2021 with funds from Rick Liberto, The Smothers Foundation, Lori and Joel Dunlap, Chris Hill and Lachlan Miles, and Guillermo Nicolas and Jim Foster, 2021.1.

Important Spotlight Dates

Registration Deadline

Reserve your participation at Spotlight by Sunday, January 31, 2026. Register here.

Artwork Delivery

Saturday, April 4, 2026 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the McNay, Jones Building
Or by appointment prior to Saturday, April 4, 2026

Optional Video Submission Deadline

Friday, May 1, 2026

Spotlight Exhibition Opens

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Spotlight Celebration

Sunday, May 17, 2026
Exact school ceremony times TBD

Teacher Resources

     

    Project Guidelines for Student Artwork

       

        • Each participating teacher is allotted one space at 4’x4’×4’ for all artwork submitted.

        • The gallery space is shared, and we hope to show as many student projects as possible. Small, individual, or collaborative projects are preferred. If you submit a large body of individual artworks, then all objects must fit within the allotted 4’x4’x4’ space.

        • Digital artwork submissions are limited to a 4-minute duration maximum.

        • We cannot accept any artworks with organic materials such as but not limited to:

             

              • Dried flowers

              • Sticks

              • Sand or soil

              • Scented materials

        For more information on this program, email education@mcnayart.org.

        Support is provided by the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation; William Randolph Hearst Foundation; and Texas Commission on the Arts.

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