The DoSeum accepting applications for 2021 Artist-in-Residence Program

The DoSeum seeks artists who will create a miniature exhibit to complement ‘DoSeum Express: Tiny Trains and Trolleys’. Photo: google

The DoSeum is now accepting applications for their fifth-annual Artist-in-Residence Program (AIR). For this year’s Artist-in-Residence exhibition, The DoSeum is looking for a San Antonio-based or regional visual or multidisciplinary artist who has experience or has worked in miniatures or miniature scenery. The artist’s installation will complement DoSeum Express: Tiny Trains and Trolleys, a new holiday exhibition featuring working train sets which will become a holiday tradition at The DoSeum in the years to come. (The DoSeum, 2021)

For this program, The DoSeum seeks to partner with professional mid-career artists who seek ways to challenge the young, curious minds of San Antonio through their art. The Artist-in-Residence program provides children with the opportunity to interact with the work of a professional artist to appreciate the artistic process while connecting to themes of STEM and literacy.

The DoSeum will provide the venue, staging, and trains. We request artist support to create the miniature scenery through which the trains will travel. Imagination, creativity, and outside-the-box thinking is encouraged. Children will not touch the scenery but will be viewed through interactive pop-up bubbles, periscopes, and cameras (provided by The DoSeum). We are seeking up to 6 artists to provide a 4’x8′ landscape (base material will be provided).

Previously chosen residents submitted proposals that simultaneously challenged themselves to explore new facets of their own work while incorporating meaningful experiences for guests. We are seeking up to six artists. The selected AIR artist(s) will receive an honorarium of up to $1,000 and production costs of $2,500 to aid them in the execution of their project.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists must meet these following requirements to be considered:

Open to visual and multidisciplinary artists.
Desire to work collaboratively with museum staff and the public to create works that step away from traditional models.
Experience creating social engagement participatory works of art.
Experience with miniatures and creating miniature scenery
Local and regional mid-career professional artists are encouraged to apply.
Artists presently enrolled in post-secondary or graduate-level programs are encouraged to apply after completing studies.
Chosen artists will need to pass a background check.

Artists with the above-mentioned experience, interested in exploring non-traditional exhibition spaces, and available for The DoSeum’s 2021 production and exhibition timeline are strongly encouraged to apply.

TIMELINE

Application Deadline: Friday, June 18, 2021

· June 2 at 10a.m.: Optional Virtual Question Forum – Registration link for Q&A.

· June 18: Application Deadline

· June 18-25: Organization Deliberation

· June 25: Finalists Announced

· July 16: Finalist Proposal Deadline

· July 23: Winners announced

· August – October: Prototyping and Fabrication

· November 6: Exhibition Opening

For information regarding the Artist-In-Residence program, eligibility, or questions about the process please contact Meredith Doby, VP of Exhibits.

More information about the program is available online.

The DoSeum is one of the leading children’s museums in the nation; a place where your mind is always at play. The DoSeum offers innovative exhibits and experiences to get children excited about concepts in science, math, art, and literacy and encourages them to take the excitement into the world. Through joyful learning and discovery, The DoSeum Experience grows curious minds, connects families, and transforms communities. For more information, visit TheDoSeum.org The DoSeum is a 501 c3-non-profit organization.

Blue Star Contemporary presents summer exhibition The Sitter

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest-running contemporary art nonprofit, announces the opening of its first summer 2021 exhibition, The Sitter, opening to the public on Thursday June 3, 2021. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2021)

The Sitter features works by artists using contemporary portrait painting and figuration to build narratives and generate conversation around the subjects’ actions, experiences, or identities. The exhibition highlights how contemporary artists expand their definition of portrait painting and how they can activate the figure through paintings, drawings, and photography. The sitters or subjects transcend the role of model or muse and are sometimes collaborators or activators, giving access to broader contexts and unraveling complicated stories.

The exhibition, curated by BSC’s Curator and Exhibitions Manager, Jacqueline Saragoza McGilvray, features the work of La Vaughn Belle, Suzette Bross, Ruth Leonela Buentello, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Madison Cowles Serna, Natan Dvir, Sarah Fox, LaToya Hobbs, Loc Huynh, David Johnson and Philip Matthews, Zora Murff, Cruz Ortiz.

For the first time at Blue Star Contemporary, The Sitter is accompanied by an interactive app featuring an in-depth look at the exhibition through gallery texts, visitor prompts, and information aimed at giving visitors a broader context to engage with the works of art. The newly launched app is free to download and available at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

“As our community heals and feels ready to venture out, we are thrilled Blue Star Contemporary stands strong and ready to be a place for inspiration and enjoyment of contemporary art. We had long planned to launch an interactive app to accompany our exhibitions, and now seems like the perfect time to launch a digital component that enhances the visitor experience on-site and provides an opportunity to revisit and reflect on the art once back home.” – Mary Heathcott, Executive Director.

Opening later in the summer on July 1 are new exhibitions featuring the work of three distinctive artists. Doerte Weber presents weavings reflecting on COVID-19, everyday life during the pandemic, and climate issues. Joanna Keane Lopez is a multidisciplinary artist whose work blurs boundaries between contemporary sculpture and architecture through the medium of adobe mud. Her BSC presentation will include a newly commissioned sculptural work. Terran Last Gun presents an exhibition of ledger drawings, a form which rose to prominence among Native American artists in the mid-1800s and continues today. All of BSC’s summer exhibitions will be on view through September 5, 2021.

Blue Star Contemporary’s exhibitions are supported in part by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the John L. Santikos Charitable Foundation Fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation, and the Texas Commission on the Arts. Terran Last Gun’s exhibition was made possible in part by First Peoples Fund.

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is the first and longest-running nonprofit space for contemporary art in San Antonio, Texas. Founded by artists and grown from a grassroots art exhibition in 1986, BSC arose from the need to provide a platform for the work and ideas of contemporary artists.

As an artist-centric, educational, forward-thinking, inclusive institution that strives to exceed expectations, BSC welcomes 30,000 residents and cultural tourists each year to experience contemporary art through its exhibitions, public art projects, and education programs. In 2016, BSC became the only San Antonio arts organization to be W.A.G.E.-certified, solidifying its commitment to fair compensation of artists and creative professionals.

Blue Star Contemporary

San Antonio Museum of Art announces artist selection for community mural project

Sandra Gonzalez is one of the artists chosen to curate murals for the community mural project. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

As part of the generous grant awarded to the San Antonio Museum of Art by the Art Bridges Foundation this spring, SAMA has selected three local artists to create community murals celebrating the vibrancy and community of the Alamo City. Positioned on San Antonio’s eastside, westside and onsite at SAMA’s campus, the artists will begin creating their works this July and will showcase their completed murals this August. The community is invited to participate in the process through voting this June and sharing their ideas starting this week. The purpose of the initiative is to celebrate the importance of community through the arts, connecting San Antonio’s culturally diverse neighborhoods and their traditions through a creative framework. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

The mural curation project is a joint effort between SAMA’s education department, the San Anto Cultural Arts, and the San Antonio African American Community Archive & Museum

About the Artists:

Suzy González – Mural Location: San Antonio Museum of Art Campus
Suzy is an artist, curator, zinester, educator, and organizer based in San Antonio, Texas. She has had solo exhibits at Presa House Gallery, Hello Studio, Palo Alto College, and two-person exhibits at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and the University of Connecticut. Suzy co-publishes the Yes, Ma’am zine, co-organizes the San Anto Zine Fest, and is half of the collective Dos Mestizx, who recently curated XicanX: New Visions in New York and Texas. She has created public art with the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio Street Art Initiative, Centro San Antonio, and the City of San Marcos, and is currently working on a project with the City of Pasadena.

Victor Zarazua – Mural Location: Wicho’s Mexican Deli on the Westside
As a practitioner of the Graffiti Art Subculture, Victor started painting at the age of ten. Victor used this medium as an escape from outside influences in his neighborhood and schools. As a youth, he began to appreciate art, what it could do, and where it could lead him to. During high school, Victor found himself looking for like-minded youth and found SACA & SAY Si. Those two programs opened the door further for him to delve further into the arts and the “lowbrow” art movement.

Sandra Gonzalez; Mural Location: Tony G’s on the Eastside (Mural to be created in partnership with Malachy McKinney)
Sandra is an active muralist in South Texas and an art educator at Roosevelt High School in San Antonio, who has also participated in numerous art exhibits throughout the U.S. In 2013, Sandra received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Sandra learned about engaging with the community through her work for the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program where she worked for over a year and assisted with various large-scale murals, involving different communities such as inmates, mental health patients, students, and several artists.

From Saturday, June 26, 2021, to Saturday, July 10, 2021, the San Antonio community will have the opportunity to vote on one of three themes designed by each artist to create for each mural location. Those interested in voting may do so by visiting SAMA’s website where a landing page will be available for voting or in-person at SAMA using the onsite voting box; both will be available starting in late June. Each mural will be constructed throughout the summer starting July 12, 2021, and the completion of each will be revealed on Sunday, August 15, 2021. The San Antonio community is also invited to join in a special conversation between the mural artists and committee panel that Sunday.

The San Antonio Museum of Art serves as a forum to explore and connect with art that spans the world’s geographies, artistic periods, genres, and cultures. Its collection contains nearly 30,000 works representing 5,000 years of history. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of San Antonio’s River Walk, the San Antonio Museum of Art is committed to promoting the rich cultural heritage and life of the city. The Museum hosts hundreds of events and public programs each year, including concerts, performances, tours, lectures, symposia, and interactive experiences. As an active civic leader, the Museum is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the city and the region, and to supporting its creative community.

Art Bridges is a nonprofit arts foundation whose mission is to expand access to American art across the U.S. Founded by arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton, Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that expand access to American art around the country by partnering with institutions of all sizes and in all regions on projects that deeply engage communities via thematic traveling exhibitions, long-term loan sharing collaborations, among additional initiatives.

“Murals have always been a powerful tool to educate and commemorate local histories. By asking for community input and having residents of San Antonio be a part of the mural selection process, we are emphasizing that art is for all and that art can be enjoyed anywhere. Communal relationships are the foundation of any society, so we must continue to build and grow with the people of San Antonio. We hope that the selected businesses continue to be an anchor in their community, and that these murals shine a light on how San Antonio is a beautiful, culturally rich city.” – Yohanna Tesfai, Public Programs Manager for San Antonio Museum of Art.

San Antonio Museum of Art receives grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The San Antonio Museum of Art receives grant towards the exhibition Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art, used with permission.

The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is honored to have been selected to receive a grant through the National Endowment for the Arts’ Grants for Arts Projects program. The Museum has been awarded a grant of $35,000 toward the exhibition Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii, which will be on view in Spring 2023. SAMA’s project is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

The San Antonio Museum of Art will be the only venue for this groundbreaking exhibition, which will be the first in the U.S. to explore the rich body of landscape imagery in ancient Roman art. The exhibition will feature landscape scenes in a variety of media, including wall paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and cameo glass and silver vessels, many from Rome, Pompeii and other archaeological sites in Italy. These works depict a fascinating yet imaginary vision of a countryside replete with seaside villas and rural shrines, where gods and mythological heroes mingle with travelers, herdsmen, and worshippers. The NEA grant will support the installation of Roman Landscapes at SAMA and development of a bilingual self-guided tour that will draw connections between works in the exhibition and landscapes from other cultures in SAMA’s collection.

“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as the San Antonio Museum of Art re-engage fully with partners and audiences.” – NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers.

The San Antonio Museum of Art serves as a forum to explore and connect with art that spans the world’s geographies, artistic periods, genres, and cultures. Its collection contains nearly 30,000 works representing 5,000 years of history. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of San Antonio’s River Walk, the San Antonio Museum of Art is committed to promoting the rich cultural heritage and life of the city. The Museum hosts hundreds of events and public programs each year, including concerts, performances, tours, lectures, symposia, and interactive experiences. As an active civic leader, the Museum is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the city and the region, and to supporting its creative community.

San Antonio Museum of Art

San Antonio Museum of Art to participate in 2021 Texas Biennial

Big Medium announced the five museum exhibition partners in the 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon, which includes the San Antonio Museum of Art. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Big Medium is pleased to announce the 51 participating artists and five museum partners of the 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon, co-organized by curators and artistic directors Ryan N. Dennis and Evan Garza. For the seventh iteration of the Biennial and for the first time in its history, the project will be distributed across five Texas museums, featuring exhibitions, programs, and works of public art in San Antonio and Houston from September 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022. Works will be implemented and on view at the San Antonio Museum of Art beginning August 19, 2021 through December 5, 2021. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

In addition to artists living and working in Texas, the Biennial curators have broadened the scope of the project to include “Texpats,” i.e. Texas natives and artists with deep connections to the Lone Star State working in any part of the world. In another first, the 2021 Texas Biennial will also feature international artists for whom Texas and its history are subject matter.

Big Medium is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting artists and building community through the arts in Austin and across Texas. We provide opportunities for artists to create, exhibit, and discuss their work and connect to an engaged and diverse audience. We strive to make art a part of everyday life.

The Texas Biennial is a geographically-led, independent survey of contemporary art in Texas. The 2021 Texas Biennial: A New Landscape, A Possible Horizon is the seventh iteration of the program, making the Texas Biennial the longest-running state biennial in the country. The program was founded in 2005 by Austin nonprofit Big Medium to provide an exhibition opportunity open to all artists living and working in the state. Since its inception, the Texas Biennial has brought the work of over 300 artists to new audiences, spring boarding many artists’ careers and underscoring the diversity of contemporary practice in Texas.

Ryan N. Dennis is the chief curator and artistic director of the Center for Art & Public Exchange (CAPE) at the Mississippi Museum of Art. Evan Garza is a Washington, DC-based curator, writer, and a 2021–2022 Fulbright U.S. Scholar at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin, Ireland. The curators are each natives of Houston, Texas.

Exhibition Partners:
San Antonio
Artpace (August 5 – December 26, 2021)
McNay Art Museum (September 1, 2021 – January 9, 2022)
Studio at Ruby City (August 1, 2021 – January 30, 2022)
San Antonio Museum of Art (August 19 – December 5, 2021)
Houston
FotoFest (September 2 – November 13, 2021)

Artists featured in the 2021 Texas Biennial range from emerging artists and collectives to well-established and internationally celebrated artists working in sculpture, film and experimental video, photo-based media, installation, sound, painting, printmaking, music and performance, social practice, and public art. The curators selected artists from more than 850 considerations over the last 18 months. Both Garza and Dennis performed hundreds of studio visits––in person before the pandemic and exclusively through virtual means since March 2020. Shortly after their appointment to curate the Texas Biennial, both Dennis and Garza moved with their respective partners and families out of Texas––Dennis to Jackson, Mississippi, and Garza to Washington, D.C.––immediately followed by the coronavirus pandemic and a year in lockdown. Separated from each other, their Big Medium team in Texas, and artists across the country by thousands of miles, Dennis and Garza organized the 2021 Texas Biennial via Zoom, FaceTime, email, phone, and text with the aid of curatorial and production assistant, Rigoberto Luna, in San Antonio and the support of Coka Treviño, Shea Little, and Big Medium in Austin.

“Intentionally broad in its scope and organized throughout the pandemic, the 2021 Texas Biennial is spread across San Antonio and Houston in order to realize a diversity of practices and explore a vast landscape of disciplines, themes, and historical events relevant to both Texas and contemporary global discourse. Principal themes of the project––the mutable histories contained within objects and people, activism and issues of racial and social justice, and narratives unique to the history and land of Texas––are examined in multiple creative disciplines and across multiple sites.” – Evan Garza

Hopscotch May events and more

Hopscotch welcomes the month of May with a variety of new programming including live music, yoga, Mother’s Day specials, and more. Photo: Hopscotch, used with permission.

Hopscotch, the new immersive art gallery in downtown San Antonio, is excited to announce a variety of programming, specials, and more for the month of May. (Hopscotch, 2021)

Hopscotch is an immersive and experiential brand that brings together artists in collaborative environments to create distinctive shared experiences. Co-founded by entrepreneurs Nicole Jensen and Hunter Inman, Hopscotch provides distinct experiences through the curation of local-centric, immersive, and experiential art. Hopscotch creates platforms for local, national and international artists to experiment with a wide spectrum of mediums and technology. Hopscotch’s aim is to elicit a sense of joy and wonder in the curated spaces, where guests may explore beyond their day to day reality. Hopscotch strongly believes in cultivating lasting relationships and a synergy with artists and their local communities.

Hopscotch’s May 2021 offerings include:

Expanded Hours – Starting May 7, 2021. Just in time for the summer months, Hopscotch will begin staying open longer for visitors to enjoy. The new hours are as follows:
• Friday: 11a.m. – Midnight
• Saturday: 11a.m. – Midnight
• Sunday: 11a.m. – 7p.m.
Guests can purchase their tickets online.

New Seasonal Cocktails
Along with their expanded hours, visitors to Hopscotch can find new cocktails for the season, like the crowd favorite Sangrita Swirl which combines the new Secret Sangria and Hopscotch’s frozen Rabbit Hole Rita, perfect for spring and summer days on the patio.

Backwoods BBQ & Tacos + ChipKabobs Residency at Hopscotch every weekend in May
Backwoods BBQ & Tacos, a food truck and DJ booth combined, will be stationed at Hopscotch every Friday through Sunday on the patio. The truck will offer items like brisket grilled cheese sandwiches, chopped BBQ sandwiches, mini tacos, and quesadillas. ChipKabobs will also be available every Friday and Saturday from noon to 5p.m.

Hopscotch Live featuring Sunday Salsa – Select Sundays from 2p.m. – 5p.m.
Guests can now visit Hopscotch to hear various live music acts each weekend such as the musical stylings of Jose Amador. Visitors to Hopscotch are encouraged to stop by the gallery to listen to Latin Jazz and Salsa favorites on the Hopscotch patio while sipping on a cocktail and enjoying food from the Backwoods BBQ & Tacos food truck. There is no cover charge to attend. Jose will be performing at Hopscotch on the following dates:
• Sunday, May 2, 2021
• Sunday, May 16, 2021
• Sunday, May 30, 2021
• Sunday, June 13, 2021
• Sunday, June 27, 2021

Parents Rock! – Sundays in May and June 2021
In celebration of Mother’s Day (May 9) and Father’s Day (June 20), Hopscotch is recognizing parents for all their hard work. Moms and Dads can use the code PARENTSROCK at checkout to receive 20% off their ticket order for the gallery every Sunday in May and June. Moms and Dads can also enjoy live music from Brass Tacs, complimentary Pop Rocks candy, and drink specials on May 9 and June 20. The 20% off tickets offer is valid on Sundays in May and June of 2021 only.

#OnlyinSA Mural Launch Weekend – Friday, May 14 – Sunday, May 16, 2021
In connection with Centro San Antonio, Wide Awake Creative, and the San Antonio Parks Foundation, Hopscotch will be celebrating the launch of a new mural in Travis Park on Friday, May 14. Hopscotch will offer drink specials, music, and more during the launch weekend, which will be free to the public (please note: the launch at Travis Park and in the Hopscotch lounge and patio is free but guests must still pay for tickets to experience Hopscotch).

Third Eye Awakening – Every 4th Saturday in May – August at 9:30a.m.
Guests are invited to unroll their mat in a consciously curated yoga and art experience designed to awaken the mind and body while inspiring the soul with the immersive masterpieces at the gallery. Inspired by the mural Conscious by local artist Los Otros, the yoga class led by Mobile Om will interweave breath, mindful movement, and meditation into a holistic experience aimed to unlock guests’ connections to their third eye consciousness, the home of their intuition and imagination. After a blissful savasana, guests can awaken their taste buds with a refreshing Rabbit Hole Rita to sip while they enjoy exclusive access to browse the Hopscotch gallery. Mobile Om Yoga will set up at Hopscotch every fourth Saturday over the summer. The yoga sessions begin at 9:30a.m. and space is limited. Guests are required to bring their own mats. Dates for Third Eye Awakening include:
• Saturday, May 22, 2021
• Saturday, June 26, 2021
• Saturday, July 24, 2021
• Saturday, August 28, 2021

Tickets for Third Eye Awakening are $45 and can be purchased online.

Love, Tito’s – Charity Event benefiting San Antonio Pets Alive – Friday, May 28, 2021
Hopscotch is Partnering with Tito’s Vodka to announce a monthly partnership that will benefit local nonprofit organizations. Their inaugural event, Bark on the Park will benefit San Antonio Pets Alive. The event will feature live music, give back opportunities, swag, and cocktails from Tito’s including Hair of the Dog (a Bloody Mary) and Tito’s Greyhound, a grapefruit and vodka concoction. Guests are invited to kick off Memorial Day weekend with their pups on Hopscotch’s patio at the Bark on the Park event and learn more about volunteer and adoption opportunities.

Hopscotch

Photography: Recent Acquisitions now on view at San Antonio Museum of Art

Photography: Recent Acquisitions is now on view through Fall 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

The latest installation at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA), Photography: Recent Acquisitions, is now on view through Fall 2021 during standard hours of operation in the Museum’s Arcade Gallery. Spanning different generations and diverse backgrounds, the artists whose photographic works are on view are united by their insightful awareness of everyday life, especially the experiences of marginalized communities. Their ability to capture a formally rich image with socially conscious content makes their voices some of the most vital today. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

Influenced by photojournalism and documentary photography approaches, these works are drawn from larger photo-essays or series and often motivated by a personal desire for social change or justice. Featuring works by Danny Lyon, Leonard Freed, and LaToya Ruby Frazier, the installation focuses on photographers who have a close relationship with their subjects—immersing themselves in the communities and the lives of those who inhabit them. Through their cameras, these photographers capture life in America—both monumental and everyday moments—in unforgettable images that explore the connections we have with our surroundings and one another. This exhibition of recent acquisitions was curated by Lana Meador, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Frida Kahlo Oasis at San Antonio Botanical Garden

The Frida Kahlo Oasis will open on Saturday May 8, 2021. Photo: San Antonio Botanical Garden

The San Antonio Botanical Garden, in partnership with the Museo Frida Kahlo, have created a world-class exhibition celebrating Frida Kahlo and her deep connection with plants and the natural world. Frida Kahlo Oasis opens on Saturday May 8 and will be on view until Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Opening weekend activities on May 8-9 from 10a.m. to 2p.m. will feature exhibition tours, Frida-inspired hands-on activities, cash bar and food prepared by Jason Dady, and more. (San Antonio Botanical Garden, 2021)

The Botanical Garden invites you to immerse yourself in the lush green sanctuary of the exhibition which features a one-of-a-kind stylized version of Casa Azul, Kahlo’s iconic blue home. Discover the tropical and native plants that Kahlo loved, iconic landmarks, and Mexican Arte Popular – monumental animals that profoundly influenced her timeless art. Exhibit is included with Garden admission and membership.

The exhibition’s Casa Azul garden will occupy a 2,100 square food space nestled in the heart of the Botanical Garden, shaded by giant oak trees, and overflowing with Mexican native plants, and a mixture of tropical foliage and desert plants, including elephant ears, bougainvillea, agave, and marigolds. Visitors are invited to explore the famous landmarks of Kahlo’s garden at Casa Azul such as the pyramid that displayed Diego Rivera’s pre-Columbian artifacts collection, the frog-themed fountain, and Kahlo’s desk and easel. The exhibition will also feature six monumental animals specially sighted throughout the lush garden grounds – a Dog, Monkey, Deer, Butterfly, Parrot, and Hummingbird – which often appear in Kahlo’s artworks, as a testimonial to her passion for Mexican Arte Popular.

The Botanical Garden will offer a variety of Frida Kahlo and Mexican inspired programs to engage visitors along with the exhibition. These include special curated tours, art history lectures, culinary and cocktail workshops, and adult and family events.

San Antonio Botanical Garden

San Antonio Museum of Art announces American Impressionism exhibit

America’s Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution opens at the San Antonio Museum of Art on Friday, June 11, 2021. Photo: google

On June 11, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) will open America’s Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution, an exhibition that explores the development of Impressionism in the United States. While Impressionism made its public debut in Paris with a shocking exhibition in 1874, the style did not fully take hold in America until more than a decade later, after a major exhibition of French works in New York in 1886. With this belated arrival, American Impressionism might be understood merely as the adaptation of techniques and visual vocabularies honed by French masters. Through more than 70 works assembled from public and private collections, America’s Impressionism redefines our understanding of the movement to show how American artists drew upon transatlantic exchange to create an independent movement, uniquely shaped by American sensibilities and regional landscapes. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2021)

Originally curated by Amanda C. Burdan of the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the exhibition is also co-organized by SAMA and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee. At SAMA, it is curated by Yinshi Lerman-Tan, Acting Associate Curator of American and European Art. It will remain on view at SAMA through September 5, 2021, and then travel to the Brandywine. The exhibition is also accompanied by a catalogue published in conjunction with Yale University Press, which includes a full complement of color plates and new essays on the subject by the exhibition’s curators.

Impressionism has been one of the most enduring styles of art ever produced, and its complex and often contradictory American expression has captured interest for more than a century. Yet, the development of American Impressionism remains understudied, and the artists who worked within the genre have not been given ample credit for the ways in which they made this imported style wholly their own. Featuring works by Cecilia Beaux, William Merritt Chase, Willard Metcalf, Emma Richardson Cherry, Jane Peterson, and Theodore Wendel, among numerous others, the exhibition reveals a more nuanced history of the artistic exchange between the U.S. and France in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the trajectories of Impressionism across the Atlantic.

As Impressionism spread west, Texas, too, became an important place. To engage audiences with this history, SAMA’s presentation of America’s Impressionism will include outstanding works by Texas artists, including Onderdonk, Dawson Dawson-Watson, and José Arpa, among others. These paintings are drawn from SAMA’s permanent collection as well as from local private collections. American Impressionists were attracted to Texas’ varied landscapes, from the wildflowers of the hill country to the plains of North Texas and the arid West Texas countryside.

The SAMA presentation is further distinguished by the incorporation of masterworks from the San Antonio-based Marie and Hugh Halff Collection, a premier collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American impressionist painting. Among the numerous works to be featured are Frederick Carl Frieseke’s striking painting The Bathers (about 1914), Childe Hassam’s The New York Bouquet (1917), and Edmund C. Tarbell’s Girl Cutting Patterns (1907-8). These works from the Marie and Hugh Halff collection deepen and broaden SAMA’s iteration of the American Impressionist story for San Antonio audiences, made possible by the dedication and vision of San Antonio collectors.

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San Antonio Museum of Art

Pabst Blue Ribbon announces ‘The Mural Connection’ art walk

‘The Mural Connection’ will feature murals by a range of local, regional, and national artists. Photo: Pabst Blue Ribbon, used with permission.

Pabst Brewing Company is excited to announce “The Mural Connection,” a one-day art walk event taking place on Saturday, April 24, 2021, celebrating San Antonio’s arts community. As part of its commitment to supporting emerging artists, Pabst Blue Ribbon has partnered with the San Antonio Street Art Initiative (SASAI) and various artists to showcase new murals by local, regional, and national artists throughout downtown San Antonio. (Pabst Blue Ribbon, 2021)

Anyone interested in participating in “The Mural Connection” art walk can RSVP online. Tickets to participate in “The Mural Connection” are free by reservation only; limited tickets are available due to COVID restrictions. The after party will be open to the public, but participants who RSVP will have first access to the space. Masks and social distancing are enforced for each stop and hand sanitizer stations will be available at various stops along the way.

Participants in “The Mural Connection” will start at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) and end the walk at Pabst Blue Ribbon Studios in Southtown. The event will feature several stops along the trail, with one “hot stop” at Hopscotch where walkers can rest, grab something to drink, and take in the sights. The trail is as follows:

Start: 1p.m. – San Antonio Museum of Art – 200 W Jones Ave. As the starting point of the day, participants can check in at the Museum from 1p.m. to 2p.m. to scan the official event mural map QR code, featuring event details and the mural map for the participant’s journey. Participants can then experience the first mural by San Antonio artist Gary Sweeney and grab refreshments before they continue the rest of the mural walk. Participants are encouraged to find free parking at the SASAI pillars located on the corner of Quincy & St. Mary’s and walk a few blocks to the first stop at SAMA. Paid parking is also available at SAMA.

Former “San Antonio Brake & Clutch” Building – 891 Avenue B. Participants can view a mural by Los Otros at their leisure.

Pabst Marketing/Culture Building – Corner of Avenue B & 6^th St. Participants will have a chance to view murals by Angela Fox, Connie Chapa, and Jenkins2D at their leisure.

3p.m. to 4p.m. – “Hot Stop” at Hopscotch – 711 Navarro St., Suite 100. Participants are encouraged to stop along their journeys at Hopscotch’s lounge to refresh and take in the sights and sounds, including music by DJ Pop Guy Freakshow. Participants will be given a code to receive 30% off admission to experience the rest of Hopscotch’s interactive gallery at the day of the event or return and use the code for a future visit.

Corner of S. Alamo and Commerce St. Participants will have the chance to view a mural by Manola & Maria Ramirez at their leisure.

Corner of S. Alamo and Market St. Participants will have the chance to view an art installation by Essential Collective at their leisure.

328 Martinez St. Participants will have the chance to view murals by San Antonio artists James Supa and Albert Gonzales at their leisure.

812 S. Alamo St. Participants will have the chance to view a mural by Ricardo Oviedo aka Trout at their leisure.

Finish: 5p.m. – 8p.m. – Pabst Blue Ribbon Studios – 1112 S. St. Mary’s St. To close out the event, Pabst will host an artist reception at their recently opened gallery space to be installed by acclaimed street art gallery curator, Shek Vega of Gravelmouth Gallery. The celebration will feature music from DJ Rob Wolf, a mural by Ashley Dreyfus – Pabst 2020 Art Can Contest Winner, additional artwork, prizes, and more. The event will also feature a food truck vendor as well as refreshments.

Guests are encouraged to share pictures of their journeys on social media using the hashtags #Pabst and #SanAntonioStreetArt at the various stops along the way. Participants that tag and post at each of the mural stops will have a chance to win official prizes from SASAI at the reception at Pabst Blue Ribbon Studios from 5p.m. to 8p.m.

Artists involved in “The Mural Connection” include Gary Sweeney, Nik Soup, Shek Vega, Angela Fox, Connie Chapa, Jenkins2D, Manola and Maria Ramirez, Essentials Collective, James Supa, Albert Gonzales, Ricardo Oviedo AKA Trout, and Ashley Dreyfus – Pabst 2020 Art Can Contest Winner.

Pabst Blue Ribbon has done similar art walks in other cities across the globe, but following the company’s move to San Antonio last year, Pabst has tapped into San Antonio’s vibrant art culture. The brewing company hopes that “The Mural Connection” will encourage San Antonians to support local artists while becoming more familiar with walking and biking trails throughout downtown. The event also supports SASAI’s Phase III initiative to build “The Largest Outdoor Gallery in Texas™” and continue advocating for public art and its artists through SASAI’s signature Artist Development Program.

“Ever since Pabst’s headquarters relocated to San Antonio last year, the city’s various communities, especially its artistic community, have embraced us with open arms,” “Pabst has always been a supporter of change-makers and creative doers across the U.S., so we definitely want to highlight and support the doers here. San Antonio is filled with so much creativity and we’re excited to be a part of it.” – Moima Chowoe, Pabst Community and Social Impact Lead.

Since 1844, Pabst has been American-owned and operated, and is North America’s largest privately held brewing company. Pabst’s portfolio includes iconic brands with deep ties to American heritage, such as its flagship Pabst Blue Ribbon and others such as Lone Star, Rainier and Old Style. Their people and their brands are committed to embracing change and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.

San Antonio Street Art Initiative (SASAI) is a private non-profit charity that focuses on two areas of advocacy: education and mural art programming. SASAI scouts talent to participate in the city’s best, highly visible, community projects that showcase their artwork on a larger scale and also seeks to create educational programming for career development. This ultimately allows our diverse and colorful city to be recognized and celebrated globally, across the world while advocating for artists through fair-pay, continued work opportunities, and professional development to aid in the artists’ continued career growth. To date, SASAI has completed almost 50 murals and advocated for the careers of over 36 artists.

2021-04-24T13:06:00