Category: art

Briscoe Western Art Museum celebrates National Day of the Cowboy

Briscoe’s Day of the Cowboy celebration will feature free admission, live music, cowboy games, food trucks, art, and more. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Celebrating the legacy of the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero, the Briscoe Western Art Museum presents its National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 23, 10a.m. – 5p.m. at the museum’s campus on the banks of the River Walk. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities for cowpokes of all ages, with live music in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden, a chuck wagon with tasty cowboy treats, artist demonstrations and hands-on arts, crafts and games for all ages to enjoy. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

Cowboy Fun Under the Sun – And Throughout the Museum

One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy works to highlight, share and preserve America’s cowboy culture and pioneer heritage. It was founded in 2005 as a day to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the American cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in the United States. The state of Texas declared it a day of honor in 2015 and the Briscoe annually hosts a celebration event, throwing open the doors of the museum to honor the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in us all.

The celebration pairs perfectly with its fantastic summer exhibition The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America. Premiering at the Briscoe and including works from 17 public and private collections, The Sons of Charlie Russell features 70 works of art showcasing the forefathers of Western art and how their great works provide foundations, traditions and ideals for today’s contemporary artists. On display through September 5, the exhibition is the first and only time these works will be viewed together. While visitors may not be able to rope and ride alongside the cowboys and ranch hands often depicted in Western art, thanks to immersive technology in the exhibition, visitors are able to see themselves as shadow outlines in the paintings, striking poses as they add themselves to the scene.

Other National Day of the Cowboy Celebration highlights include:

  • Free admission and activities for the whole family, including scavenger hunts through the Briscoe. Museum volunteers will be on hand to share details about the museum’s art and artifacts, highlighting works that relate to lives and work of cowboys, cowgirls and vaqueros.
  • Cowpoke games and crafts, where you can outfit yer’self in a bolo tie and spurs, try your hand at silversmith etching, make a stick pony and try out some barrel racing, learn how to rope and ride, herd some balloon animals, do a little bull riding, toss horseshoes, craft a cowhand puppet, and more.
  • Demonstrations of how to craft the essential tools of the cowboy trade by members of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association of saddle making, braiding, and forging.
    • See the leather work and tooling that goes into making a saddle with saddle maker Troy West.
    • Learn the art of rawhide braiding from braider Leland Hensley.
    • Watch forger Wilson Capron shape metal into bits, spurs and more with a live forging demonstration in the Briscoe’s McNutt Sculpture Garden.
  • Western art brought to life through a live sculpting demonstration by Jason Scull, one of the Cowboy Artists featured in The Sons of Charlie Russell.
  • Lil Partners Reading Zone, offering up cowboy tales. Sit a spell and enjoy a book reading with Emily Wilson, the Briscoe’s Curator of Art. Wilson’s children’s book, “Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge,” crafts a modern fairy tale based on the life of Charles M. Russell (1864–1926), the namesake of The Sons of Charlie Russell Stop by to learn the art of gnome-making so you can craft your own cowboy gnomes.
  • Storytime at the Stagecoach, featuring the story of Mary Fields, the first African American woman stagecoach driver. For many years, Fields traveled the West with her pet eagle, never losing a single horse or package. Hear her story as Antoinette Lakey reads from “Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver.” A community leader, researcher, and dramatist, Antoinette Lakey currently serves as Artistic Director for Teatro Anansi, an organization with a mission to connect, celebrate and commemorate African American theatre, performing arts and history within the greater San Antonio community.
  • Chuck wagon cooking with samples of peach cobbler and beans, along with food truck grub available to satisfy any hungry cowpokes.
  • Surrounded by the beauty of the garden’s fantastic bronze sculptures and lush greenery, kick back and soak in the sounds of West with live music throughout the day, including singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clint Tomerlin.

Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.

Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Free Family Saturday at Blue Star Contemporary

Free fun and art making for families at Blue Star Contemporary’s Family Saturday. Photo: google

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest- running contemporary art nonprofit, welcomes the public on Saturday, June 25 for Free Family Saturday. From 1p.m. to 4p.m., families with children of all ages are invited to enjoy free hands-on art making activities, led by artists on view Jenn Hassin, Sarah Sudhoff, and Jill Ewing with Bihl Haus Arts. Also in attendance will be Vicki Johnson, who will be leading a letter writing activity with Operation Gratitude, a nation-wide nonprofit dedicated to providing people across our great country with opportunities for hands-on volunteerism to say ‘thank you’ to our Military, Veterans, and First Responders. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2022)

This free family event focuses on BSC’s current exhibitions and gives families an opportunity to interact with local artists and community organizations. The artworks on view inspire art making that encourages children to look deeply and understand contemporary art better through fun activities. Families are invited to enjoy BSC’s exhibitions as well as complimentary food and refreshments.

On View at Blue Star Contemporary
BSC’s main gallery features Travel Distance, curated by independent curator and interdisciplinary artist Amber Zora. The exhibition features the work of Miridith Campbell (Kiowa), Joe Devera, Claudia Hare, Jenn Hassin, Gina Herrera, Monte Little (Diné), Jessica Putnam–Phillips, Daniel Rios Rodriguez, Renee Romero, and Sarah Sudhoff. The artworks featured represent how veterans and their families have processed, moved through, purged, and reclaimed their experience around military service.

The Learning Lab at BSC presents The Veterans Book Project, a library of books authored collaboratively by artist Monica Haller and dozens of people who have been affected by, and have archives of, the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In their printed format, the books provide a place, or “container,” that slows down and materializes the great quantity of ephemeral image files that live on veterans’ hard drives and in their heads. Each book re-deploys volatile images with the aim of rearticulating and refashioning memories. It stands both independent of and in concert with the larger collection.

These exhibitions coincide with the Blue Star Museums program, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums. Running from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2022, museums across the United States offer free general admission to active-duty military personnel and their families. BSC participates in this program in an effort to say “thank you” to our military community.

Opening on July 1, Andreas Till: De Ami, focuses on the influence of the presence of American troops in artist Andreas Till’s hometown Heidelberg, Germany and the relationship between Germans and Americans between 1945 and 2013 born out of this presence. The Other Side, is a selection of films referencing ideas of transitions and events that foundationally change someone, i.e. “to be on the other side of something.” The video works also allude to ideas of mortality and the spiritual concept of metaphysical selves entering a new plane. The films were selected from Darmstadt Sezession’s 2021 prize shortlist for our collaborative Projection/Projektion grants and screenings program, and feature the work of Faezeh Nikoozad, Aki Pao-Chen Chiu, Breech Asher Harani, and Fumiko Kikuchi. Fake Plastic Forest features the work of France Dubois, Annette Isham, Işık Kaya, and Leigh Merrill, contemporary photographers and lens-based artists dealing with themes of artifice, truth and fiction, and the theatricality of our interactions with nature.

BSC presents exhibitions with artists from San Antonio and around the world sharing their global perspectives that encourage understanding, empathy, change, and action, fulfilling our mission to inspire, nurture, and innovate. Like most non-collecting contemporary art spaces, BSC contributes fresh insight and perspective on larger issues affecting society and culture by highlighting trends, movements, and conversations happening in art.

BSC was founded for artists by artists in 1986 in a grassroots movement sparked by the cancellation of the first major museum exhibition of contemporary art in San Antonio. Six arts supporters and artists founded Contemporary Art for San Antonio to provide an exhibition venue for artists and the public. With the support of a handful of donors and property developers, the founders, artists, and volunteers converted an abandoned warehouse into a gallery for the first annual Blue Star Exhibition. Over the years, BSC has grown to encompass a professional staff, a robust calendar of onsite and offsite exhibitions, community collaborations, creative youth development programs, international exchange opportunities for artists, and public art projects.

Free Family Saturday at Blue Star Contemporary. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Texas Women for the Arts awards grants to arts organizations

Texas Women for the Arts awards 33 arts organizations with $171K in grants at 16th annual meeting in San Antonio. Photo: google

Texas Women for the Arts, a program of the Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT), has selected 33 arts programs across the state to receive nearly $170,000 in grants at their 16th Annual Meeting that took place on April 25 – 26, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is one of TXCT’s statewide giving circle, with nearly 200 members from all over Texas. Through their collective generosity, TWA invests in the arts and arts education with the mission of increasing access to the arts for all Texas children. TWA grant applications for 2023 will open for submission on October 1, 2022 and will close December 1, 2022. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust and their Texas Women for the Arts program, please visit Texas Cultural Trust. (Texas Cultural Trust, 2022)

“Since its inception in 2005, Texas Women for the Arts has awarded 318 grants, totaling nearly $3.7 million to arts programs across the state of Texas, and we are honored to continue this legacy in 2022.” – Heidi Marquez Smith, Executive Director of Texas Cultural Trust

On Tuesday, April 26, day two of their annual meeting, Texas Women for the Arts granted Leslie D.
Blanton the Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award for her continued support, promotion, and generosity for arts and culture in the state of Texas. Blanton currently serves as Chairman of the Governing Council for the Shepherd Society of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. She is a member of the Liberal Arts Development Board and the National Leadership Board of the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas. Blanton is also a long-time member of the Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors, serving in various capacities including Board Chairman and Co-Chairman of the 2019 Texas Medal of the Arts Awards and is a founding member of Texas Women for the Arts, of which she previously chaired and will chair again in 2022-2023.

The 2022 Texas Women for the Arts Impact Grantees are:
• Creative Kids, El Paso
• Art Center of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi
• Artpace San Antonio, San Antonio
• Hope Stone, Inc., Houston
• Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport
• Texas Ballet Theater, Inc., Fort Worth
• Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Basin, Odessa
• Imagination Fort Worth, Fort Worth
• Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association Inc., Fort Worth
• El Paso Symphony Orchestra Assn., Inc., El Paso
• Art League Houston, Houston
• Harris County Cultural Arts Council, Houston
• Victoria Ballet Theatre, Victoria
• The Kindness Campaign, Austin
• Lubbock Community Theatre, Lubbock
• Magik Theatre, San Antonio
• Contemporary Art Museum Plainview, Plainview
• Jewish Federation of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, Fort Worth
• Gillespie County Children’s Foundation, Fredericksburg
• Alcorta’s Folklórico Diamante, Inc., Corpus Christi
• Zachary Scott Theatre Center, Austin
• Amphibian Productions, Inc., Fort Worth
• Cypress Creek Fine Arts Association, Spring
• Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo
• Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview
• Kids Excel El Paso, Inc., El Paso
• Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
• The Citadelle Art Foundation, Canadian
• Amarillo Symphony, Inc., Amarillo
• Austin Classical Guitar, Austin
• Texas Book Festival, Austin
• Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, Tyler
• Ballet Austin Incorporated, Austin

Texas Cultural Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts, and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state.

Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) is a statewide giving circle and membership program with nearly 200 members from across Texas. Since its inception in 2005, this philanthropic force and champion for the arts in education has awarded 318 grants totaling nearly $3.7 million, impacting nearly 3.5 million Texas children.

New exhibit at the Briscoe Western Art Museum

The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America premieres at the Briscoe on May 27 and runs until September 5, 2022. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

A cowboy saddles up his horse, drives cattle from one pasture to another, gets down from his horse, and picks up a paintbrush. He is not doing typical ranch work as he stands in front of an easel, painting a scene inspired by the trail. He is authentically preserving and perpetuating Western life’s culture through fine art. Dedicated cowboy artists are the foundation and the future of Western art, showcased at the Briscoe Western Art Museum May 27 – September 5 with the premiere of  The Sons of Charlie Russell:  Cowboy Artists of America. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

An art form as uniquely American as jazz music, Western art has long defined the American West worldwide. Illustrating the lives, landscape, and wildlife that define the West fueled storied artists like Charles M. Russell, Frederic Remington, Edward Borein, W.R. Leigh, and Frank Tenney Johnson. Together, they then defined the look and style of traditional Western art and inspired the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA).

Spotlighting those founding fathers of Western art alongside the CAA artists who have safeguarded the traditional style of the genre, The Sons of Charlie Russell traces the roots and successive artwork of the Cowboy Artists of America and defines a core set of criteria for what constitutes traditional Western art. Encompassing 70 paintings, sculptures and works on paper dating from 1890 to the present day, the exhibition includes works typically only seen in private collections and never before exhibited together. Displaying the strength and vibrancy of the genre through the masterpieces of 40 artists, The Sons of Charlie Russell offers a rare opportunity to see contemporary art along with historical works.

Curated by Emily Wilson, the Curator of Art for the Briscoe, The Sons of Charlie Russell features works from 17 lenders including the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, the Booth Western Art Museum, the Eddie Basha Collection, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum and the Sid Richardson Museum, as well as private lenders from Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming, making the exhibition the first and only time these works will be viewed together. Nine of the featured pieces are sourced from the Briscoe’s permanent collection.

Shadows of the West:  Interactive Elements Add to the Experience

While visitors may not be able to rope and ride alongside the cowboys and ranch hands often depicted in Western art, thanks to immersive technology in the exhibition, The Sons of Charlie Russell allows visitors to literally add themselves to the scene. Visitors can virtually step into three works featured in the exhibition: “Rawhide Rhapsody by Charlie Dye (1906-1972),” “Texas Cattleman – Oil Man” by George Phippen (1915-1966), and “Pony Tracks and Empty Saddles” by Tom Lovell (1909-1997). Visitors will be able to see themselves as shadow outlines in the paintings, striking poses as they add themselves to the scene and find responsiveness to a few actions – such as strumming a guitar.

To help visitors learn more about Western art, the exhibition’s guide gives visitors the skills to interpret and evaluate works in the genre. After touring the exhibition, visitors can apply their art evaluation skills and vote on which art best illustrates the four categories explored in the guide: originality and uniqueness, technique and application, composition and subject matter, and aesthetic awareness. Different paintings will be featured throughout the exhibition’s run, allowing visitors to evaluate new paintings each month.

Cowboy Artists of America:  Riding Together

Author and Western art scholar Byron Price’s book inspired the exhibition’s title, “The Sons of Charlie Russell.” The book commemorates 50 years of the Cowboy Artists of America, a membership organization of individual artists committed to authentically preserving and perpetuating the culture of Western life through art. Members of the CAA work to ensure authentic representations of the life of the West past and present. Many of these accomplished, award-winning artists are cowboys themselves, living the cowboy life as they work their own land and cattle.

The Sons of Charlie Russell Opening Celebration

To mark the exhibition’s opening, the Briscoe is hosting a series of events May 26-28, followed by monthly gallery talks and art demonstrations featuring current CAA members, including the museum’s annual National Day of the Cowboy celebration on July 23.

Opening weekend events include:

  • The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America Exhibition Preview Party

Thursday, May 26, 6p.m. to  8p.m.

Help the Briscoe kick off the summer showcasing the foundation and future of Western art alongside members of the Cowboy Artists of America and Michael Duchemin, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Briscoe. The event includes complimentary beer, wine, specialty cocktails and light bites. Free for Briscoe members and $45 for non-members. In addition to enjoying the exhibition, guests may tour the museum from 5:30p.m. to 7p.m. Tickets are available online. 

  • “The Sons of Charlie Russell: Celebrating Fifty Years of the Cowboy Artists of America” Book Signing with Byron Price

Thursday, May 26, 5:15p.m. to 5:45p.m.

Friday, May 27, 10a.m. to 10:45a.m.

Byron Price will be signing copies of his book “The Sons of Charlie Russell,” the inspiration behind the Briscoe’s exhibition. Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Cowboy Artists of America, Price details the organization’s founding to perpetuate the history, romance, and significance of the American West. The stories of these cowboy artists come alive with essays, photographs and beautiful images of their work. Available for purchase in the Museum Store and online.

  • An Enduring Desire: Tradition and the Cowboy Artists of America

Lunch and Curator’s Tour

Friday, May 27, 11a.m. to 2p.m.

Join Emily Wilson, the Briscoe’s Curator of Art and the curator of The Sons of Charlie Russell for an in-depth look at the exhibition, detailing how traditional Western art represents an enduring desire for continuity, stability, and a fixed identity of what it means to be an American. Wilson will focus on the ties between CAA artists and historical artists of the American West, examining the artistic choices made by members navigating between cohesion and individuality and tradition and innovation in pursuing the work of creating traditional Western art. The lunch begins at 11a.m., followed by the tour at 1p.m. Tickets are $50 for Briscoe members, $60 for non-members and are available online.

  • Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Crafts:  Family Art Activities

Saturday, May 28, 10a.m. to 1p.m.    

Explore America’s cowboy culture and heritage with hands-on activities available for visitors to celebrate the opening of The Sons of Charlie Russell. Crafts include Make Your Own Spurs, Make Your Own Paper Bag Cowhand and Hands-on-chaps, cowboy hat, and lasso. Included in general museum admission.

  • Cowboy Creations:  Demonstration and Talk with C. Michael Dudash

Saturday, May 28, 10a.m. to 4:30p.m.

A member of Cowboy Artists of America since 2016, C. Michael Dudash trained in the fine arts before working in classic illustration and gaining a prestigious and national reputation. In 2002, he left his illustration work behind and became a full-time painter in the fine art world. Hundreds of collectors and corporations have his paintings in their permanent collections, as well as The Booth Museum, the James Western Art Museum and the Briscoe. Included in museum general admission.

10a.m. to 1p.m. Live Painting Demonstration:  Narrative Western Painting

Dudash will demonstrate and discuss the various approaches and painting techniques he uses to create his narrative western paintings. He will teach how to create a successful painting through dynamic design by prioritizing the position of the subjects and elements, effectively posing figures and animals, how to use color and value, making proper landscape choices, and adding “atmosphere and dust” to give a work of art an emotional lift.

2:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. Talk by C. Michael Dudash, “Illustrations’ Influence on Western Art”

Dudash will share illustration examples from the late 1800s to the year 2000 that have influenced Western Art’s biggest names and trends throughout the last 150 years. Understanding this subject will enhance one’s appreciation and enjoyment of the contemporary Western art being created today.

The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America is supported in part by Jan McCaleb Elliott, the Eddie Basha Collection, Mr. and Mrs. Marrs McLean Bowman, The Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, the Klesse Foundation, Jessica Elliott Middleton, Debbie and John T. Montford, Western Art Collector.

Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.

Pearl presents Summer Night Markets every other Wednesday

The Summer Night Markets will feature free live music curated by Stable Hall and a wide variety of art, artisan goods, and food from local vendors. Photo: Pearl, used with permission.

If the summer weather makes it too hot to shop during the day, then this series of events is right up your alley. Pearl is excited to announce 2022 Summer Night Markets beginning in May. Guests are invited to spend their summer nights at Pearl while exploring products from local vendors, including San Antonio staples such as Kin Khao and Last Place Burgers, in addition to goods like beautifully handwoven baskets from The Koncierge or the intricate hand-pressed greeting cards from Works of a Quirk. The Summer Night Markets will feature more than 40 vendors each week. (Pearl, 2022

Along with the variety of vendors, guests can also enjoy free live music curated by the highly anticipated Stable Hall group, a new music venue opening at Pearl in Spring 2023. The local artists include The Brothers WayFare, Mariachi Las Coronelas, Noah Harris, Spud Sims, Kathryn Legendre and Juliette McConkey.

  • May 18 – 5p.m. to 9p.m.
    • Performance by Mariachi Las Coronelas
  • June 1 – 5p.m. to 9p.m.
    • Performance by Noah Harris
  • June 15 – 5p.m. to 9p.m.
    • Performance by Spud Sims
  • July 6 – 5p.m. to 9p.m.
    • Performance by Kathryn Legendre 
  • July 20 – 5p.m. to 9p.m.
    • Performance by Juliette McConkey

Pearl is a dynamic neighborhood built around the historic Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 1999. Located just north of downtown San Antonio on the banks of the San Antonio River, it is home to architecturally significant buildings like the brewhouse and stable—both built in 1894—and numerous plazas. Today, Pearl is home to dozens of unique culinary concepts, one-of-a-kind retail, weekend markets, residential communities, innovative office tenants, the San Antonio campus of the Culinary Institute of America, and the award-winning Hotel Emma. Pearl is a vibrant district where community gathers to play, work, and live; it is a place where things are made and celebrated with purpose and sincerity. We invite all to gather and experience the best of what San Antonio has to offer.

Cosmic Couture and more at Blue Star Contemporary

Blue Star Contemporary presents Cosmic Couture open call on First Friday, May 6 and Readings on Loss and Grief on May 7. Photo: Blue Star Contemporary

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC) is pleased to offer two unique public programs which encourage reflection and honor personal history and identity. Cosmic Couture takes places on First Friday, May 6 from 6p.m. to 9p.m., the public is invited to wear their best “cosmic couture” or a space-inspired suit to apply for galactic citizenship and receive a MASAporte. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2022)

In BSC’s current exhibition Threads Bare, artist Luis Valderas presents cosmic couture as a part of his ongoing Project:MASA (MeChicano Alliance of Space Artists). His Alien Skins are articles of clothing that metaphorically represent the outside “skin” that people develop and wear to navigate social and cultural spaces. Cosmic couture is imaginative clothing that can be assembled or created out of anything. Artist Luis Valderas in collaboration with Jojo Dancer Photos will be onsite at BSC taking portraits and issuing MASAportes during First Friday.

On Saturday, May 7 at 3p.m., artist Megan Harrison presents Readings on Loss and Grief. During this intimate reading, Harrison will share her personal writings included in her current solo exhibition, From Your Brow Rise Leaf and Lyre, inviting a collective reflection on loss and grief and connection through these shared life experiences. The writings and exhibition center on Harrison’s loss of her son as an attempt to “find the right combination of words and images that can move matter, reverse time, to find that invisible door through which I must have tumbled.” Registration required. The Project:MASA series (MeChicano Alliance of Space Artists) was co-founded in 2005 by Luis Valderas and Paul Karam in San Antonio, Texas. This series of exhibitions featured latin@ artists from across the nation who use of cosmic and space iconography to comment on Mestizo issues, culture, and/or the Chicano consciousness. 

In 2016 The Project:MASA exhibit series was featured in the award winning Chicano Futurist anthology “Altermundos Latin@ Speculative Literature, Film, and Popular Culture” by Cathryn Merla-Watson Ph.D. and Ben Olguin Ph.D. Soon after in 2017 a contingency of the group was featured In Mundos Alternos-Art and Science in the Americas that was part of the Pacific Standard Time LA/LA sponsored by the Getty Foundation. It was curated by Rob Hernández, Assistant Professor of English at UCR; Tyler Stallings, Artistic Director of the Culver Center of the Arts; and Joanna Szupinska-Myers, Senior Curator of Exhibitions at the California Museum of Photography. Kathryn Poindexter, CMP Assistant Curator, as part of the Pacific Standard Time LA/LA. Currently another contingency of the group is being featured in Mundos Alternos-Art and Science in the Americas at the Queens Museum and in Alien Skins-Mundos Alternos at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in SOHO until the end of 2019.

Cosmic Couture. Photo: Blue Star Contemporary, used with permission.

Wendy Red Star-inspired workshops at San Antonio Museum of Art

San Antonio Museum of Art’s Photography Workshop: The Visualization of Identity with local artist Mari Hernandez will be held on Saturday April 23, 2022. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art, used with permission.

In support of Wendy Red Star’s “A Scratch on the Earth” exhibit, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is hosting two interactive events encouraging self-discovery and worldly exploration. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2022)

Travel inward at SAMA’s Photography Workshop: The Visualization of Identity with local artist Mari Hernandez on Saturday, April 23, from 1p.m. – 4p.m. Guests will be given the knowledge and space to contemplate their identities and histories to create a portrait of self, a theme seen frequently throughout Red Star’s current work on display. Participants are asked to bring their phone with a working camera, a tripod and any personal objects such as clothing and props they would like to include in their portrait. After drawing connections to the provided artworks, participants can execute their vision on the grounds of the San Antonio Museum of Art. Tickets are available for purchase here starting at $50 for members and $60 for non-members. 

On Friday, April 29 from 5:30p.m. – 7p.m., art and culinary experiences converge at SAMA’s River Pavilion for a culinary journey with Chef Rebe Mariposa. This special interactive exhibition introduces duos to a personal connection to the land through food and native ingredients. Participants will create their own delicious amaranth polenta accompanied by various other natively-grown ingredients such as mesquite, juniper berries, pecans, and chile pequin. Participants will end the night with an understanding of the correlation between access to food and the knowledge of how to use wild ingredients to create meals. Tickets are available for purchase here, and prices are based on attendance for two, starting at $50 for members and $60 for non-members. 

Celebrate National Poetry Month at the Briscoe Western Art Museum

The Briscoe Western Art Museum presents The Poetry of Art: National Poetry Month Celebration and Reading. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Celebrate National Poetry Month by enjoying an afternoon of poetry inspired by art as the Briscoe Western Art Museum hosts “The Poetry of Art:  National Poetry Month Celebration and Reading” in honor of San Antonio’s 2022 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest on Sunday, April 10, 2p.m. – 4p.m. The free reading and celebration is part of National Poetry Month San Antonio and will be held in the Briscoe’s McNutt Sculpture Garden, 210 W. Market Street, San Antonio. Admission to the reading is free. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

Showcasing poetry inspired by select artworks at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, the McNay Art Museum, Ruby City, the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Witte Museum, “The Poetry of Art” will feature local poet laureates reading their work and Jim LaVilla-Havelina, San Antonio’s National Poetry Month Coordinator, as well as adult and youth winners of San Antonio’s 2022 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest. Former San Antonio poet laureate Carmen Tafolla will read a poem inspired by a piece of art from the Briscoe, while other San Antonio poet laureates will be on hand to read their poems based on works from other local institutions. The pairings featured in this year’s ekphrastic poetry effort include Jenny Browne, the McNay Art Museum; Jim LaVilla-Havelin, San Antonio Museum of Art; Octavio Quintanilla, the Witte Museum and current San Antonio Poet Laureate, Andrea Vocab Sanderson, Ruby City.

An ekphrastic poem is based on a piece of art, taking an existing piece of visual art and using written words to describe and expand on the theme of that work of art. Many of these poems explore hidden meanings or an underlying story. Each local art institution selected one work from their collection to feature in the 2022 Ekphrastic Poetry Contest for adult and youth poets.

The featured works include:

  • The Briscoe Western Art Museum, With No Roof but a Resistol, Bruce Greene.
  • The McNay Art Museum, The Sole Sitter, Willie Cole.
  • Ruby City, Hub, 3rd Floor, Union Wharf, 23 Wenlock Road, London N1 7ST UK, Do Ho Suh.
  • San Antonio Museum of Art: Landscape of Four Seasons, Unkoku Togan.
  • The Witte Museum, Carretta Wheel from a Tejano Freighter.

From its McNutt Sculpture Garden to the museum’s beautifully restored historic home inside the former San Antonio Public Library building, the Briscoe’s collection spans 14 galleries, with special exhibitions, events and a fantastic Museum Store, providing art, culture, history and entertainment. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online.

Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.

Immersive Van Gogh exhibition secures San Antonio venue

After securing a venue, the opening date for Immersive Van Gogh San Antonio has been rescheduled for May 26. Photo: Lighthouse Immersive, used with permission.

Lighthouse Immersive, the producers behind the blockbuster Immersive Van Gogh exhibition, announced a venue and new opening date for Immersive Van Gogh San Antonio. The new Lighthouse ArtSpace San Antonio will open at 221 Burleson in Dignowity Hill, a few blocks from the San Antonio Museum of Art, on Thursday, May 26 and will run through September 5, 2022. (Lighthouse Immersive, 2022)

“We sincerely apologize for the delay. A proper venue for these unique immersive experiences needs to satisfy a long list of criteria, and locating an optimal space in San Antonio has presented some challenges. With the help of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, however, we have finally found a venue that suits all of our needs and we are on-track to open May 26. We would like to extend our gratitude to our patrons for their patience and to the Tobin Center for getting us situated.” – Corey Ross, producer at Lighthouse Immersive

The new Lighthouse ArtSpace will transform the former industrial space into a welcoming gallery to showcase the breathtaking animated projections of Vincent van Gogh’s work, set to a sumptuous musical score featuring both contemporary and classical music. The venue offers high ceilings so that Van Gogh’s art will tower over viewers. Lighthouse ArtSpace San Antonio is easily accessible near the intersection of I-35 and I-281 and offers ample parking. Lighthouse Immersive’s Global Creative Director David Korins, best known for his work on the musicals Hamilton and Dear Even Hansen, will outfit the venue with interactive elements that will provide audiences with a richer understanding of Van Gogh.

Lighthouse Immersive has opened 16 Lighthouse ArtSpaces across North America, gallery spaces dedicated to immersive art presentations that merge the boundaries between entertainment and culture to give visitors the sense that they are immersed within the artwork, interacting with art as never before. The Lone Star State already has two Lighthouse ArtSpace venues in Dallas and Houston, where more than 200,000 visitors have already experienced Immersive Van Gogh, and some have had a chance to experience the new Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibition.

Ticketholders for dates prior to May 26 will be contacted by Lighthouse Immersive over email with a set of tickets for an alternative date. If the new date is not optimal, ticketholders can easily reschedule. If they are unable to attend, they will be instructed on how to receive a full refund.

Immersive Van Gogh is a visually spectacular digital art exhibition that has received widespread critical acclaim throughout North America. Immersive Van Gogh invites audiences to “step inside” the iconic works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh, evoking his highly emotional and chaotic inner consciousness through art, light, music, movement and imagination. The Italian creative team have custom designed their vision to fit the unique architecture of each Immersive Van Gogh venue.

The touring exhibition has sold over 4.6 million tickets across North America, securing its place as one of the most sought-after attractions on the continent. Featuring state-of-the-art technology and immersive storytelling, Immersive Van Gogh has been called “a mesmerizing interactive experience” by Architectural Digest and “breathtaking” by NBC’s TODAY Show, with the New York Times calling it an “artistic spectacle.”

Ticket prices start at $39.99 ($24.99 for children 16 or younger), with timed and flexible ticket options available.

 

Texas Cultural Trust to host Texas Women for the Arts event

The recruitment event will feature an evening of art, cocktails, and conversation on Texas Women for the Arts membership. Photo: google

Texas Cultural Trust (TXCT), a non-profit and the leading voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, is pleased to announce they will be hosting a Texas Women for the Arts (TWA) recruitment event on March 22, 2022 from 5p.m. to 7p.m. at the AnArte Gallery in San Antonio featuring cocktails, live entertainment, and a chance to connect with the current TWA members. (Texas Cultural Trust, 2022)

Hosted by TWA Annual Meeting chairs Kim Lewis and Mary Vance Jones, TXCT invites the San Antonio community to come out to learn more about becoming a member of their TWA program and how to get involved at their TWA 16th Annual Meeting taking place on April 25 – 26, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas. Set in a different location each year, the Annual Meeting brings members together for a two-day event to announce the TWA grant recipients, the Donna Axum Whitworth Champion of the Arts Award recipient, and to highlight the unique arts and culture that the host city offers.

TWA, a statewide giving circle and membership program, is part of the Texas Cultural Trust and its mission is to awaken and nurture the artist in every Texas child. Established in 2005, this philanthropic force of influential women from across the state has awarded 282 grants totaling more than $3.4 million impacting more than three million Texas children.

AnArte Gallery
7959 Broadway St, Suite 202
San Antonio, TX 78209

Texas Cultural Trust is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and increasing access and awareness for the arts across the state. Programs of the Texas Cultural Trust include the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, Art Can, Texas Young Masters, Texas Women for the Arts, Partners in the Arts, and Arts Access. Texas Cultural Trust efforts are amplified by its partners who are instrumental in the success of leading a cohesive voice for the arts in education, advocacy, and economic impact in Texas, spotlighting the artistic excellence of our state.