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.
Blue Star Contemporary designs art making activities for University Health’s Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Program. Photo: google
Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest-running contemporary art nonprofit, is pleased to announce its partnership with University Health’s Salud-Arte: Art of Healing Program to create an art activity kit for patients of University Health’s Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program. University Health’s AYA Cancer Program delivers comprehensive, expert medical care to teenagers and young adults with all types of cancers. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2021)
The goal of University Health’s Salud-Arte: Art of Healing Program is to use art to inspire healing, compassion, hope, and trust. The art kits, conceived and organized by BSC’s Education Manager Mari Hernandez, use the healing power of art to help young cancer patients navigate the difficult emotional and physical challenges that are part of a cancer diagnosis. Hernandez worked with San Antonio-based artists/educators Joe Harjo and Kim Bishop and writer/educator Viktoria Valenzuela to create art kits that are available to patients of the AYA Cancer Program. “I selected these remarkable artists for their ability to facilitate creative activities for patients in a thoughtful and sensitive manner,” Hernandez said. “We hope to create safe space for reflection and provide aid in the holistic process of healing.”
The kit contains three art activities that stimulate and guide patients through the creative process. Joe Harjo’s photographic prompts encourage the imaginative use of a black and white disposable camera as a form of documentation. Kim Bishop presents a series of cards with playful prompts that encourage the patients to make drawings and watercolor paintings. Viktoria Valenzuela’s poetry writing guide inspires self-expression and emphasizes the importance of one’s ideas and voice.
While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in limited access to its exhibition spaces, Blue Star Contemporary sought new ways to fulfill its mission to inspire, nurture and innovate through contemporary art. By partnering with University Health, BSC serves a new community and upholds its promise to help San Antonio heal through the power of art.
Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is the first and longest-running nonprofit venue 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.
“We are thrilled to join University Health’s Salud-Arte: Art of Healing Program to provide a moment of respite for young cancer patients, whose strength and resilience is worthy of admiration, particularly during this trying year. I commend BSC Education Manager Mari Hernandez and the three artists she’s worked with to create an extremely thoughtful and nurturing set of activities with the intent to inspire healing and hope.” – Mary Heathcott, Blue Star Contemporary’s Executive Director.
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
Special exhibition, trivia night, and a summer film series brings Hollywood to the River Walk, Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
This summer, the Briscoe Western Art Museum will showcase the Hollywood Western in a new light during Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western, premiering at the Briscoe May 28 – September 6, 2021. Step back in time and see the classic films in the context of then-current events, including the turbulent 1960s. Pairing historical context with film insights and facts to highlight the films and the genre in a new perspective, Still in the Saddle showcases the cinematic art and storytelling of the Western. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2021)
From an actual red carpet, velvet ropes and the unmistakable smell of popcorn to film clips rolling throughout the exhibition, the Briscoe will transform into a 1960s movie theater featuring almost 60 vintage original movie posters, as well as movie costumes and dozens of authentic lobby cards. Display screens throughout the exhibition will feature film clips illustrating representative moments of the genre, and costumes worn by John Wayne in the movies “Chisum,” “The Cowboys,” and “The Undefeated” will be on display.
The cinema focus is an opportunity for the Briscoe to spotlight the culture of the American West through the art of movies. “In the 1940s and 50s, the Western was the most popular movie genre in America. Even through the social unrest, political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and generational change we witnessed from 1969 to 1980, Hollywood Westerns continued to capture audience attention,” explains Michael Duchemin, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. “As the world outside of the theater doors changed, many thought the Western would ride off into the sunset. Yet the Western remained as rich and complex as at any time in its history. Looking at these films in the social context of the period provides a renewed appreciation of the stories these films share.”
Still in the Saddle was organized by the Briscoe with guest curator Dr. Andrew Patrick Nelson, a historian of American cinema and culture, film programmer, museum curator, and media commentator. Nelson is Chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts and Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Utah, as well as the author and editor of numerous books and essays on Western cinema, including “Still in the Saddle: The Hollywood Western, 1969-1980,” and “Contemporary Westerns: Film and Television since 1990.”
Also this summer, the Briscoe’s popular Summer Film Series returns, kicking off with “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” on Sunday, May 30. The Summer Film Series features an iconic film on the third Sunday of each summer month, with 1970’s “Little Big Man” on June 20, “True Grit” on July 18, and “The Long Riders” on August 22. “The Shootist” will close out the summer on Sept. 5. Guest curator Andrew Patrick Nelson will introduce each movie and explain how it relates to Still in the Saddle. Each film is free for members and $ 10 for future members or enjoy both general admission to the Briscoe and the film for $12. Briscoe Summer Cinema passes include three films for $25 or enjoy all five films for $50 and receive an individual museum membership, granting you unlimited access to the Briscoe’s exhibitions and programming throughout the year. Tickets are available online.
Red Carpet Fun Still in the Saddle events and programming include an opening preview party, a curator’s talk and meet and greet, and the kick-off of the Briscoe’s popular Summer Film Series. Note: All events will follow COVID safety protocols. Event details and scheduling are subject to change.
• Exclusive Preview Party: Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western Exhibition Thursday, May 27, 6p.m. to 8p.m.
Join guest curator Andrew Patrick Nelson, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts and Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Utah, and Briscoe CEO and President Michael Duchemin, Ph.D., to go behind the velvet ropes for a first look at Still in the Saddle. The event includes complimentary valet, beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and light bites. Free for Briscoe members and $25 for future members, tickets are available by calling 210.507.4864.
• Meet & Greet and Curator’s Talk with Andrew Patrick Nelson Saturday, May 29, 2 p.m.
Join the Briscoe’s guest curator Dr. Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts and Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Utah, for an in-depth look at this summer’s blockbuster exhibition, Still in the Saddle. Nelson will analyze the films that comprise the exhibition and discuss how the 1960s made the Western richer and more diverse. Included with museum admission.
• Briscoe Summer Film Series: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” Sunday, May 30, 1p.m.
Start your summer with a Western classic, paired with an old-fashioned malt from Cheesy Jane’s food truck, sweet treats from Candy Counter, and free beer from Ranger Creek Brewing as the museum morphs into a draft house cinema to give everyone the full movie theater experience. Guest curator Dr. Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chair of the Department of Film and Media Arts and Associate Professor of Film Studies at the University of Utah, will introduce the 1969 classic, “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and highlight how it fits into Still in the Saddle. Free for members and $10 for future members or enjoy both general admission to the Briscoe and the film for $12.
• Wild West Trivia at the Briscoe Friday, June 11, 7p.m. to 9p.m.
Enjoy a fun night of Western trivia and test your smarts at the Briscoe’s first Wild West Trivia Night. Bring your friends to create a team or join a table of soon-to-be-friends and test your smarts. Teams will revel in friendly competition while enjoying food and signature cocktails. Participants must be 21 to attend. The event is $10 for individual or $50 a team for a team of six people.
Pabst Blue Ribbon’s First Friday event will feature art, music by Steven Lee Moya, and more. Photo: Pabst Blue Ribbon, used with permission.
Pabst Blue Ribbon will host a First Friday event at its Southtown gallery in San Antonio this coming Friday, May 7 from 4p.m. to 10p.m. The free event will feature music by local DJ Steven Lee Moya, refreshments and more. DJ set by Moya will be from 7p.m. to 10p.m. Guests can hang out, enjoy the music and view art from Pabst Blue Ribbon’s annual can design competition, which highlights the work of emerging artists across America.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Studios 1112 S St. Mary’s St. San Antonio, TX 78210
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.
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.
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.
Lavanderia #2 by Christina Fernandez
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.
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.
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.
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.
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In Living Pixels’s Pabst Immersive Art Show will take place at the Aztec Theatre in April. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Pabst Brewing Company and Wide Awake are excited to announce a new interactive art pop-up at the Aztec Theatre in downtown San Antonio next month. The art experience titled In Living Pixels will feature seven San Antonio-based artists’ creative interpretations of the digital and natural world around them. The pop-up is free to the public and takes place April 9-15. (Pabst Brewing Company, 2021)
In Living Pixels is a series of immersive and interactive installations that allow guests to have a multi-dimensional view of themselves and the spaces around them. The artists and collectives featured in the exhibition are Wide Awake, Chris Sauter, Natalia Rocafuerte, Charlie Kitchen, Domeinic Jimenez, and Ryan Hunter.
In Living Pixels will contain five separate installations:
Garden Party – Wide Awake + Dom Jimenez – Guests will be surrounded by neon flowers, greenery, and more as they are invited to sit in retro lounge chairs while their faces are projected on vintage TV sets, though their bodies appear as they are, making for a unique photo opportunity.
Let’s Meet Up – Wide Awake + Alan Weissling Pallares – Guests can catch their reflections in 18 large mirror security domes as they seesaw back and forth.
Rainbow Xscape – Natalia Rocafuerte + Dom Jimenez – The installation will use cameras mounted on top of televisions and throughout the space that project images onto selected screens, while morphing the images through various color gradients.
Knowing and Seeing – Chris Sauter – The installation features a freestanding room with circular holes scattered through the walls allowing light to filter through the space creating a mildly hallucinogenic effect. The installation aims to inspire viewers to question their perceptions and the way they take in information.
Unnamed – Charlie Kitchen – Charlie Kitchen will use nature and optical illusions to create a space that makes guests look at the natural world differently.
In addition to the installations, In Living Pixels will also feature the Creators Lab, a space where two creators provide exploratory engagements inspired by the installations including nail art and aura photography. The Creators Lab is available on the opening weekend only (April 9-10) for the first three hours each day.
In Living Pixels will be open from 5p.m. to 10 p.m. each day and will take place in the Aztec Theatre located at 104 N St Mary’s St. in downtown San Antonio. The exhibit is free to experience, but time slots must be reserved to ensure a limited capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks will be required to walk through the installations. Tickets can be reserved online. In Living Pixels will also feature local DJs from Midnight Swim during operating hours and a bar on the upper deck of the theatre.
Since 1844, Pabst is American-owned and operated and 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.
Wide Awake creates and produces experimental and immersive art shows and specializes in connecting artists with community-driven brands. Founded by two San Antonio natives, Paloma Cortez and Pamela Rachél, Wide Awake has collaborated with a wide range of local and global partners to create engaging and thought provoking work. Mantra – “We believe in taking risks and cultivating experiences that inspire each of us to stay curious and connect on a human level.”
SA Examiner 