Sports Gear Becomes Art in Spring Exhibition at McNay Art Museum

SAN ANTONIO — This spring, the McNay Art Museum invites visitors to reimagine sports through the eyes of contemporary artists in the thought-provoking exhibition Sport and Spectator, on view from March 1 through July 27, 2025. Exploring the broad cultural impact of American sports, this exhibition transforms familiar sports equipment—basketballs, footballs, jerseys, and more—into powerful artworks that delve into the complex intersections of race, gender, and class in athletics.

Featuring around 40 unique sculptures, textiles, screenprints, and installations, Sport and Spectator presents a striking collection of works by artists including Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, Jeffrey Gibson, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Sophie Inard, Brian Jungen, Justin Korver, Esmaa Mohamoud, Betsy Odom, Hank Willis Thomas, José Villalobos, and Tyrrell Winston. Each piece integrates elements of sports culture, challenging viewers to consider how sports shape societal values, identity, and expression.

Exploring Social and Cultural Realities Through Art

Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, who once dreamed of a professional basketball career, brings an insightful perspective to his work, which reflects social and cultural issues within Black and Brown communities. His creations, including sculptural floral arrangements made from deflated basketballs and footballs, represent the unfulfilled dreams of countless young Black and Brown athletes. Donahue-Shipp’s screenprint Coach’s Playbook juxtaposes a basketball diagram with a courtroom floorplan, highlighting the challenging relationship between marginalized communities and the American legal system.

Hank Willis Thomas’s work, Perseverance, utilizes metallic shapes to depict an athlete’s limbs in motion, creating a powerful tribute to Black athletes. Painted with a glossy auto finish, the sculpture reflects the global influence of sports and the reliance on international players, many from African descent. Thomas’s work captures sports’ power to both empower and exploit, underscoring its dual role in uplifting and dividing communities.

Esmaa Mohamoud’s One of the Boys series redefines athletic apparel by transforming jerseys into bodices paired with silk and velvet skirts. This series challenges the hyper-masculine image associated with male athletes and sheds light on the underrepresentation of women in sports. Inspired by her own experiences growing up as a tomboy, Mohamoud reclaims athletic identity through fashion, reimagining sportswear as a symbol of strength and femininity.

Redefining Sports Gear with Artistic Craft

Sophie Inard contrasts the fast-paced world of sports with the slower, traditional practice of crochet in her works, covering sports equipment like golf clubs, baseball bats, and boxing gloves with intricate, crocheted “granny squares.” This combination of rough-and-tumble sports equipment with soft yarn suggests the harmonious coexistence of opposites and offers a unique take on athletic gear.

Artist Jeffrey Gibson, meanwhile, transforms Everlast punching bags into vibrant artworks adorned with glass beads, connecting Native American craft traditions with contemporary themes. With titles such as The Love You Give Is the Love You Get, Gibson incorporates references to musicians and cultural icons, blending his heritage with broader social commentary. In Sharecropper, he honors his grandparents’ resilience and celebrates boxing’s role in providing emotional release.

Celebrating Sports Equipment as Art

“Sport and Spectator explores the artistic alchemy of manipulating the materiality and meaning of sports paraphernalia,” said René Paul Barilleaux, exhibition co-curator and head of curatorial affairs at the McNay. “The artists featured are committed to incorporating sports equipment into their artistic practice, offering a unique perspective on sports culture,” added co-curator Lauren Thompson, emphasizing that few exhibitions delve into the artistic potential of sports gear specifically.

Organized by Barilleaux and Thompson, Sport and Spectator is supported by the Semmes Foundation, Inc. With its innovative blend of art and athletic culture, this exhibition promises to captivate visitors and spark conversation about sports’ far-reaching impact on society.