Category: community events

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s 43rd annual CineFestival

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center announces the 43rd annual CineFestival at the historic Guadalupe Theater. Photo: google

San Antonio’s original Latinx film festival returns on July 6 through July 10 at the historic Guadalupe Theater with a large Texas filmmaker presence. Featuring 85 films, including 22 films from San Antonio and 24 films in the Lone Star State, CineFestival San Antonio continues to support local and regional filmmakers while offering a well-rounded program to local audiences that also includes national and international films that highlight artistic excellence and diversity. (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 2022)

“The amazing response that CineFestival San Antonio got this year to our call for entries, receiving a record number of submissions from filmmakers from across the State and the US, local and international, is a testament to the privileged position San Antonio has as a cultural hub, bridging the cultures of South Texas and the state’s borderlands with the rest of Texas and beyond. This response means focusing the film festival in local and regional works while reflecting artistic excellence in Latinx and indigenous filmmaking is the right path for a festival with such an amazing history to continue in a relevant trajectory that is meaningful to both audiences and participating artists.” – CineFestival Programmer Eugenio del Bosque.

The 43rd annual CineFestival San Antonio will feature 24 screenings showcasing 12 feature films and 73 short films. The festival will open on July 6 with the San Antonio premiere of PEPE SERNA, LIFE IS ART (Dir. Luis Reyes, 2022), a joyous look at the life and work of groundbreaking Mexican-American character actor Pepe Serna, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas whose hundred-plus charismatic scene-stealing roles paved the way for generations of Chicanx actors in Hollywood and beyond. 

The closing night film will be the world premiere of ‘Cuerpo,” directed by San Antonio’s own Mark Zuñiga, an ambitious horror film set in 18th century San Antonio exploring the culture and clashes between the Spanish colonists and the indigenous people they are trying to convert; a recipient of the San Antonio Film Commission’s local filmmaker grant, “Cuerpo” is a passion project produced and shot in the San Antonio area with local cast, crew, and an original score. 

Other feature films include:  

  • World premiere of the comedy “An Awesome Action Movie,” directed by Luis Antonio Rodriguez and shot in McAllen, Texas, and starring veteran Mexican actor Hector Soberón;
  • Sundance acclaimed documentary “Mija” by Isabel Castro;
  • Mexico’s powerful documentary “Comala” by Gian Cassini, which has strong ties to San Antonio;
  • “A Run for More” by Ray Whitehouse, which follows Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe as the first trans woman to run for city council in her hometown of San Antonio, Texas;
  • SXSW laureate Iliana Sosa’s “What We Leave Behind,” a love letter to the El Paso native director’s grandfather and an intimate and insightful exploration of her own relationship with him and his homeland;
  • The social justice horror film “Madres” by Ryan Zaragoza, co-written by San Antonio native Marcella Ochoa who will be in attendance and will also offer a master class for registered filmmakers.
  • “Jockey” by Clint Bentley, featuring an award-winning performance by Mexican-American thespian Clifton Collin’s Jr., grandson of Aguilares, Texas native character actor Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, most famous for his humorous sidekick roles in 1950s and 1960s John Wayne westerns.
  • “Earth Mother,” directed by Austin’s Brandon Polanco and starring San Antonio’s Annette Mia Flores.
  • “Capitol Barbie” by New Mexico native Riley Del Rey is a TV pilot, and a new programming line for CineFestival. A political show about a translatina on Capitol Hill, “Capitol Barbie” deals with delicate and socially pertinent themes, raising questions and opening conversations around racism, homophobia, and transphobia in the work place. The screenplay is written by trans and indigenous filmmakers Riley Del Rey and Violet Martinez.

The Mezquite Awards will be bestowed in two main categories: Audience Awards for the public’s favorite feature film and Jury Awards for Best Texas Short Film. A panel of industry professionals will be part of this year’s festival jury, who will choose the jury award-winning documentary and narrative films from a collection of 14 short films made in Texas, including works from Austin, Buda, Denton, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, and San Antonio. 

The ever-popular San Antonio showcase will featuring eight short films made by local artists, including works made by Nathaniel Avila, Guillermina Zabala, Esmeralda Hernandez, Ái Vuong, Samuel Díaz Fernández, Lisa Salinas Sosa, Miguel Contreras IV, Raymond Ramos, and Violeta de León Dávila. 

43 CineFestival San Antonio will offer ten free screenings, including Family Day with the Texas premiere of “Ainbo, Spirit of the Amazon” by Richard Claus and Jose Zelada, a US-Peruvian animated feature in the spirit of “Moana” and “Frozen;” and Senior Cinema, featuring an exclusive reprise screening of the documentary “Pepe Serna: Life is Art” dedicated to San Antonio’s elderly film lovers.

Free screenings will also include short film showcases including the Texas short film showcase featuring works from Austin, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Greenville, El Paso; a selection of international short films from Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Peru, Spain, and Venezuela; a collection of short films showcasing Latinx and indigenous talent from around the US; and the always eye-opening Youth Day screenings, featuring films made by artists 18 years old or younger which includes works made in San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley, Dallas, Arizona, Connecticut, Peru, and Spain. 

All 43 CineFesitval San Antonio screenings will take place at the historic Guadalupe Theater, located at 1301 Guadalupe Street, San Antonio, TX 78207. Full festival schedule and tickets are available online. Individual tickets are $8 and festival passes are $40. The 43 CineFestival San Antonio is made possible thanks to the continuing support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the San Antonio Film Commission, the City of San Antonio Department of Arts and Culture, and the Ford Foundation. 

 

Photo: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, used with permission.

Three new summer exhibitions at Blue Star Contemporary

Blue Star Contemporary unveils three new summer exhibitions on July 1, 2022. Photo: google

Blue Star Contemporary (BSC), San Antonio’s first and longest- running contemporary art nonprofit, proudly unveils three new summer exhibitions opening to the public on First Friday July 1, 2022 at 6p.m. Andreas Till: De Ami, focuses on the influence of the presence of American troops in artist, Andreas Till’s, hometown Heidelberg, Germany. The Other Side, is a small selection of films by Faezeh Nikoozad, Aki Pao-Chen Chiu, Breech Asher Harani, and Fumiko Kikuchi . Fake Plastic Forest features photographic and lens-based work by France Dubois, Annette Isham, Işık Kaya, and Leigh Merrill. The exhibitions will be on view through October 9, 2022. (Blue Star Contemporary, 2022)

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. His research is based on found material from various archives such as the Rose Library in Atlanta and the Archive of the City of Heidelberg as well as various personal collections. The artist’s personal collection chronicles a lifelong friendship between former editor and publisher of the Atlanta Constitution, Ralph Emerson McGill and Till’s grandmother Else Volkwein. 

Andreas Till (b. 1984) holds a M.A. in Photographic Studies from the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Germany. In 2010, he received a Fulbright scholarship to the Fine Art Photography and Integrated Media program (M.F.A.) of Ohio University in Athens, OH. He currently lives in Hamburg, Germany where he works as a photo editor.

THE OTHER SIDE brings together a small selection of films referencing ideas of transitions and events that foundationally change someone, i.e., “to be on the other side of something.” Works also allude to ideas of mortality and the spiritual concept of metaphysical selves entering a new plane.

This group of films was selected from Darmstädter Sezession’s 2021 prize shortlist for its collaborative Projection/Projektion grants and screenings programs with BSC. This will be the first screening of these films in San Antonio. 

Featured Films 
Asb by Faezeh Nikoozad 
Translating Erasure by Aki Pao-Chen Chiu
BINTANA (Window) by Breech Asher Harani
I know where you are right now by 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. Collectively these themes relate to ideas of preservation, the transcendent practice of experiencing nature, and seeking representations of nature to process and release intense events and emotions such as fear and grief. Our various relationships with nature are revealing of personal and collective selves. The urgency to reflect on these relationships is ever-present as we globally contend with humanity’s impact on our environment and consider transnational identities. The selected artists can be considered in the context of numerous other female photographers throughout the history of the medium who have used their environments, both natural and human made, as the site/studio where the work is made, and a part of the subject. These artists used the context of vast landscape, forests, and trees as well as fabricated, nature-inspired spaces, as sites and pivotal subjects for addressing themes such as psychology and mysticism.

Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX 78204

Blue Star Contemporary is an anchoring cultural institution in San Antonio and a destination for residents and tourists alike. Located along the banks of the San Antonio Riverwalk, BSC is a central highlight between the bustle of downtown and the UNESCO World Heritage San Antonio Missions. BSC has remained true to its artist-centric foundation alongside this fiscal and programmatic growth. BSC is San Antonio’s first WAGE-certified organization, committed to transparent and equitable payments to artists for their creative contributions to BSC’s exhibitions and education outreach programs. Through its commitment to artists with a social practice, tuition-free youth arts education programs, and community-centric fundraising, BSC is dedicated to equity and social justice in all its endeavors.

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center announces Groupo Animo 2022 summer theater camp

Grupo Animo members Class of 2019: ‘Youth Nation Network.’ Photo: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, used with permission.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center announces Grupo Animo 2022, a summer theater camp for students between the ages of 13 and 18 years old. This three-week theatrical camp is at no cost to students and will take place at the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St, from July 5 to 22, 2022. Camp will take place Monday through Friday from 1p.m. to 5p.m. Its summer program will culminate with a student showcase created and performed by Grupo Animo company members on Saturday, July 23 at 7p.m. (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 2022)  

Grupo Animo is the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s resident youth theater company consisting of youth (ages 13-18) members from all backgrounds and areas of San Antonio and beyond. Under the mentorship of professional teaching artists and directors, Grupo Animo’s company members are guided through a three-week summer theater experience, allowing youth a platform to make their voices heard through thought-provoking, engaging, and culturally relevant, performance-based Teatro.  

“It is critical, even more so now in light of recent events in Uvalde, that students are taught to use their natural talents to creatively express themselves, working cooperatively to share their thoughts and feelings about the world they live in. We strive to provide a safe space for our members to feel comfortable no matter what race, sex, economic background, or sexual orientation. Lastly, we understand that through Chicano, Latino, and Native American arts and culture, we can revolutionize how we imagine the world.”  – Jorge Piña, Guadalupe Theater Manager.

Founded in 1993, Grupo Animo’s mission is to use teatro/theatre to instill an understanding of the value of culture, creativity, and community. Grupo Animo’s goal at the end of the program is to have taught students basic history and practice of teatro/theatre, acting, teamwork, poetry, creative writing, movement, and videography.

First annual Paella on the River Walk event by Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails

Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails is inside Hotel Contessa on the River Walk. Photo: Hotel Contessa, used with permission.

Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails is bringing a taste of Spain to San Antonio with its first ever Paella on the River Walk Patio event on Thursday, June 30 from 6p.m. to 9p.m. In addition to authentic paella and sangria, Ambler will host guests for a performance from world-renowned flamenco guitarist Randy Cordero. There will be three different types of paella available including game paella (quail, pork belly, rabbit, Spanish chorizo), seafood paella (shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops), and vegetarian paella (bell peppers, artichokes, asparagus, peas, okra, sweet potato, vegetarian stock). Live paella cooking presentations will start at 6:30p.m. Tickets are now available for purchase in two different options, VIP and General Admission, but both feature all-you-can-eat paella. (Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails, 2022)

VIP tickets are $100 per person and include:
• All-you-can-eat paella
• Complimentary valet parking
• All you can (responsibly) drink Sangria during the event
• Reserved table
• Access to entertainment
• Gift Bag
• Ticket for Raffle for a 2 night stay and experience at Hotel Contessa
• Designated VIP Badge

General Admission tickets are $50 per person and include:
• All-you-can-eat paella
• Complimentary valet parking
• Welcome drink – sangria
• Access to entertainment

Ambler Texas Kitchen + Cocktails
(Inside Hotel Contessa)
306 West Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
River Walk level

Photo: Hotel Contessa, 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.

County Line Community Band summer concert

The County Line Community Band will perform in the Buena Vista Theater on the UTSA downtown campus. Photo: google

On Sunday, June 26, 2022 at 3p.m., the County Line Community Band will perform their “Concert Favorites and Solos” in the beautiful Buena Vista Theater on the UTSA Downtown Campus from 3p.m. to 4p.m. This concert will feature world renowned Saxophonist, Dr. Andy Wen and Tyler Neufer, French Horn instrumentalist with the U.S. Air Force Band of the West. The band will also highlight music considered some of the favorites in band literature like, “Funiculi, Funicula,” “Bugler’s Holiday,” “Lassus Trombone,” and more. (County Line Community Band, 2022)

This concert is free and open to the public. Parking is free at the Cattleman’s Square parking lot across the street from the theater. Come out and support community music in San Antonio. Donations deeply appreciated.

The CLCB is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and our mission and endeavor is to create an environment whereby our all-volunteer organization can further their musical education and enjoyment through the performance of concert and symphonic music, to further the efficacy of music as an integral piece of the culture of the local community, to advocate for the synergistic integration of music education, to work with our cultural partners in our communities for the advancement of the arts and to be a source of pride for our members and the communities we serve.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s Teatro Salon presents La Niña Girasol

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center proudly presents the Teatro Salon’s world premiere of La Niña Girasol (The Sunflower Girl) by J. Cesar Duenas. Photo: The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, used with permission.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center proudly presents the Teatro Salon’s world premiere of La Niña Girasol (The Sunflower Girl) by J. Cesar Duenas, scheduled for June 22 – 25, 2022 at the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., San Antonio, TX 78207. Clint Taylor, who has over 25 years working with numerous theater companies in San Antonio and New York, will be directing this unique and imaginary children’s play. (Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 2022)

“Follow a brother & sister on a journey through their dreams to save their maternal line from being lost forever…. A magical tale of family, history, and the struggle to keep their roots alive,” this, according to playwright J. Cesar Duenas. Mr. Duenas is a local theatre actor and while La Niña Girasol is his first play, he has acted with VIVA 48hr Play, Teatro Audaz, Killer Productions, Overtime Theatre, and Jumpstart. He is a first-generation American and a US Army veteran who was born and raised in San Antonio. “I am so excited with this rare opportunity to have my first play produced and enjoyed by the community.”

Teatro Salon is a project of the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center that provides opportunities to developing new plays and is sponsored by City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, Texas Commission on the Arts, Trinity University and National Performance Network.

Show times include two morning performances on Wednesday and Thursday June 22 and 23 at 11a.m. and two evening performances on Friday and Saturday June 24 and 25 at 7p.m.. Admission is $12 Adults, $6 Teens and Seniors and $2 Children (13yrs and under). All performances will take place at the historic Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St. San Antonio, TX 78207.

The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center was founded in 1980 as a non-profit, multidisciplinary organization. Located in the heart of San Antonio’s westside, the Guadalupe is one of the largest community-based organizations in the United States. Its mission is to cultivate, promote, and preserve traditional and contemporary Chicano, Latino, and Native American arts and culture through multidisciplinary programming.

Enjoy summer with Auberge Resorts Collection’s Commodore Perry Estate

Commodore Perry Estate in Austin. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resort Collection will charm guests this season with Father’s Day and July 4th celebrations and immersive activities that embrace Austin, a city with so much to offer travelers. Where Southern hospitality and European elegance meet – the Estate is Austin’s luxury urban escape for a summer getaway the family won’t forget. (Commodore Perry Estate, 2022)

Father’s Day at The Estate (June 19): Bring dad to an exclusive private session with Austin’s Trovador Custom Hats to design his personalized custom hat from scratch at their studio on South Congress. Afterward, join the Estate team for a Father’s Day Grill and Chill at the Mansion Loggia where award-winning chefs, Bradley Nicholson and Susana Querejazu will be serving up specials straight from the grill, paired with delicious frozen drinks to cool down.

Fourth of July at The Estate (Weekend of July 4): From July 1 – 4, Milk & Honey will be bringing mini versions of their signature organic treatments to the intimate property. Poolside facials, hand, and foot massages, lasting from 10a.m. to 2p.m. each day, are the perfect ways for guests and members to enjoy the holiday poolside. On July 2, a KUTX Show featuring Austin-based creative Mobley will take place from 6p.m. to 8p.m. with free entry and cocktails available for purchase. On July 3, join the property for a BBQ with old-school, finger-lickin’ good purveyors, LeRoy & Lewis; which will be open to the public. Tickets are $100 and include food and two (2) drinks. From 6p.m. to 11p.m., visitors can enjoy delicious locally sourced and inventive barbecue while roaming the beer garden (featuring oversized lawn games) and enjoying a live DJ at Lutie’s Cocktail bar. On July 4, sparklers & bubbles will be available on the Loggia to end off this picture-perfect weekend.

In addition, summer-long activities will be available, from curated hiking trails to traditional weekday punchbowls to the Summertime Poolside Theater series to tarot card reading.

The Briscoe heats up with sizzling events all summer long

Events at the Briscoe include artist demonstrations, paint-alongs, talks, movies, and family activities. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Fathers, sons and tons of fun await everyone at the Briscoe Western Art Museum this summer. Featuring the fantastic summer exhibition The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America, the Briscoe is hosting an array of programming to allow everyone to step into the West from the heart of the River Walk. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

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. To accompany the exhibition, the Briscoe is hosting a summer of programming that brings Western art to life through artist talks, demonstrations, and more. 

The summer line-up includes:

Cowboy Creations:  Learn from Cowboy Artists

Bringing the art of The Sons of Charlie Russell to life, members of the Cowboy Artists of America are appearing in a series of demonstrations and talks throughout the exhibition. Guests can enjoy meeting and watching these talented cowboy artists share the processes behind their work. All sessions are included in general museum admission.

  • Saturday June 25 – Mikel Donahue
  • Saturday August 6 – Chad Poppleton (Paint-along)          
  • Saturday July 23, 10a.m. – 3p.m. – Jason Scull (Sculpture demonstration, part of the Briscoe’s National Day of the Cowboy Celebration)
  • Saturday August 27, 10a.m. – 11:30a.m. – Bruce Greene (part of The Lessons of Our Fathers Panel)
  • Saturday September 3, 11a.m. – 1p.m. – Teal Blake (Paint-along)
  • Saturday September 3, 11a.m. – 3p.m. – Jason Scull (Sculpture Demonstration)

STEAMing into the West with The Sons of Charlie Russell

Families and visitors of all ages are invited to learn about the American West through the works featured in The Sons of Charlie Russell during the museum’s “Full STEAM Ahead” series on the third Saturday of each month. From transportation and weather to animals, astronomy and engineering, each program explores an aspect of life in the West to engage and inspire learning. Full STEAM Ahead is included with museum general admission. Children 12 and under receive free admission to the Briscoe.

  • Saturday June 18, 11a.m. – 1p.m. – Full STEAM Ahead:  Red Moon – Participants will learn about the lunar eclipse, and the significance the moon had on the people of the American West. Guests will also learn and practice perspective and contrast in creating art, exploring “Red Moon,” by CAA member Phil Epp and featured in The Sons of Charlie Russell. Children and families will paint their own fizzy moons using special combinations of baking soda and paint to create uniquely textured and colorful moons.
  • Saturday July 16, 11a.m. – 1p.m. – Full STEAM Ahead:  All A-Gnome – Families will make their own gnomes inspired by the beloved children’s book “Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bullhead Lodge” by renowned author and Briscoe curator Emily Wilson. Wilson curated The Sons of Charlie Russell exhibition.
  • Saturday August 20, 11a.m. – 1p.m. – Full STEAM Ahead:  Whimsical Windmills – While conservation and renewable energy efforts may seem like new solutions to the energy crisis, cowboys and settlers alike used renewable energy long before access to gas and electricity was ever invented. Guests will learn how windmills were some of our first sources of alternative energy.

What is a Western? Summer Film Series

The Briscoe’s popular Summer Film Series returns with a question:  What is a Western? What are the elements of a Western and how has the Western been re-interpreted through the years? The first film in the series will explore the traditional components of Western cinema. A short presentation discussing the foundations of the Western will begin at 1p.m., followed immediately by the screening. Each film is included in general museum admission, with free brews courtesy of Ranger Creek Brewery. Popcorn, drinks and snacks will be available for purchase.

  • Sunday June 19, 1p.m. “The Searchers” – In the 1956 movie considered by many to be the greatest Western ever made, John Wayne stars as a post-Civil War veteran on a journey to find his niece after Comanche Native Americans kidnapped her. Its influence is reflected in the works of Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and other critical filmmakers.
  • Sunday July 10, 1p.m. “Dances With Wolves” – In his directorial debut and breakout role, Kevin Costner stars as a post-Civil War veteran who comes into contact with the Lakota while on assignment in South Dakota. The 1990 film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards, winning seven, including Best Picture and Best Director, and received Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
  • Sunday August 21, 1p.m. “Wind River” – In this tense neo-western thriller, Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olsen star as a U.S. Fish and Wildlife hunter and an FBI agent investigating a murder on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The 2017 film was “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan’s directorial debut.

Books and Brews:  Briscoe Book Club

  • Thursday July 14, 6p.m. – Briscoe Book Club: “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy

Weathered Souls Brewery, 606 Embassy Oaks #500, San Antonio, 78216

Join the Briscoe Book Club for a lively chat in a laid-back social gathering as we explore significant works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction inspired by the vast and varied experiences of the American West. We will discuss a new book each quarter. Books are available for purchase at the Museum Store, or you may reserve a copy for check out through the San Antonio Public Library system before each meeting. There is no charge to participate in the book club. Reserve your spot by registering online.

Free Cowboy Fun:  National Day of the Cowboy Celebration

Tippin’ its hat and celebrating the legacy of the cowboy, cowgirl and vaquero, the Briscoe Western Art Museum presents its annual National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 23, 10a.m. – 4p.m. at the Briscoe. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities for cowpokes of all ages. This year’s celebration will feature The Sons of Charlie Russell, with artist demonstrations to include leatherworking, metalsmithing and more. Saddle up with your family and head west for a day you will not forget.

The Lessons of Our Fathers:  Panel and Artist Presentation

With The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America, the Briscoe Western Art Museum casts a spotlight on the history and significance of the Cowboy Artists of America and its efforts to maintain and evolve the style and subject matter of traditional Western art. The museum is hosting a panel of Western art scholars to discuss the importance of preserving traditions and the necessity for tradition to evolve and undergo revision to remain relevant in a changing world. The panel will also examine the CAA’s success at executing its mission: to authentically preserve and perpetuate the culture of Western life through fine art. The panel will be moderated by Emily Wilson, Curator of Art for the Briscoe Western Art Museum and the curator of The Sons of Charlie Russell. The panel is Saturday, August 27, 2p.m  – 4p.m.  

Before the panel discussion at 10a.m. – 10:30a.m., CAA artist Bruce Greene, the 2022 President of the CAA, will do a presentation detailing his journaling techniques and how he uses his journal to help with the accuracy of his art Both the presentation and the panel are included in museum general admission.

210 West:  Gallery Talks

Join the Briscoe for in-gallery chats featuring selected works from The Sons of Charlie Russell. Using the exhibition gallery guide, Curator of Art Emily Wilson will provide an overview of the tools and strategies used to evaluate narrative art. Guests will leave with a deeper appreciation of the artistic strategy, methods and design choices made by the artists. Gallery talks are included in general admission and start at 1p.m.

  • June 24, July 8, Aug. 12

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, and Western Art Collector.

Admission to the Briscoe Western Art Museum is always free for children 12 and under and for active duty military members. The museum is proud to participate in Museums For All, Blue Star Museums and Bank of America Museums on Us. The Briscoe is located on the south end of the River Walk, near the Arneson River Theatre and La Villita, with convenient parking at the Riverbend Garage directly adjacent to the museum or one of many downtown surface lots. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online.

 

Spa at Hotel Contessa Celebrates National Rosé Day

Hotel Contessa’s rooftop Spa will pair rosé infused treatments with signature rosé cocktails and complimentary rosé all day for guests purchasing a treatment only on June 11, 2022. Photo: Spa at Hotel Contessa, used with permission.

Spa at Hotel Contessa is celebrating National Rosé Day on June 11 from 9a.m. to 6:30p.m. by offering specially curated services including a rose-infused facial, massage, and poolside reflexology. The national holiday falls on the second Saturday of June every year, making it perfect for a weekend ‘winedown.’ Rosé lovers can book a service by calling the Spa at Hotel Contessa directly at 210-298-8038 for a day to sip wine, relax, and look forward to the approaching summer at the Spa’s rooftop location. (Spa at Hotel Contessa, 2022)

The full services available for National Rosé Day are as follows: 

  •  Rose Water Facial – $160 for 50 minutes
    • Facials will take place in a spa treatment room
  • Lotus Rose Cold Stone Massage – $75 for 30 minutes or $160 for 50 minutes
    • Massage can take place poolside or in a spa treatment room
  • Rose Oil Reflexology – $75 for 30 minutes
    • Reflexology will take place poolside

Additional specials for guests who book a treatment on National Rosé Day include complimentary cold rose-infused towels offered both in the spa and poolside, and a complimentary glass of rosé. The spa will also offer a signature rosé cocktail for purchase.

Complimentary valet parking for spa guests is available at Hotel Contessa also located at 306 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205. Spa guests also have access to the hotel’s rooftop pool and fitness center.

Spa at Hotel Contessa
306 West Market Street
San Antonio, TX 78205
Rooftop Level