Tag: Art News

PechaKucha San Antonio Returns to the Tobin Center

The final PechaKucha of 2025 will take place this Thursday November 6. Photo: PechaKucha San Antonio, used with permission.

PechaKucha San Antonio Closes Out 2025 with Volume 47 at the Tobin Center

SAN ANTONIO, TX — PechaKucha San Antonio, the global arts and culture series known for its fast-paced storytelling format, is excited to announce Volume 47 — the final event in its 2025 series. (PechaKucha San Antonio, 2025)

📅 Date: Thursday, November 6, 2025
📍 Location: Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, TX 78205
🕕 Schedule:

  • 6:30 p.m. — Welcome Reception
  • 7:30 p.m. — Presentations Begin

A Night of Creativity at the Tobin Center

Nestled along the banks of the San Antonio River, the historic Tobin Center is a downtown landmark that blends its original facade with a state-of-the-art performance space. This beautifully restored venue has become a beacon of creativity, fine art, and urban revitalization and it’s the perfect setting for PechaKucha’s final 2025 event.

Meet the Volume 47 Presenters

This edition of PechaKucha San Antonio will spotlight seven inspiring local voices, each sharing their passions through the signature 20×20 format — 20 images, 20 seconds each.

🎤 Featured Speakers:

  • Debby Andersen – Healer
  • Agosto Cuellar – Fashion Designer / Fashion Activist
  • Attie Jonker – Master Craftsman
  • Juliette Montoya – Salon Owner & Operator
  • Oscar Perez – Chief Everything Officer
  • Ed Saavedra – Visual Artist
  • Tori Santos – Community Choreographer

✨ The evening’s emcee will be Naomi Shihab Nye, San Antonio–based poet, educator, editor, and former Poet Laureate.

Music, Food, and Community

The welcome reception will feature live music by Kitten Mitten, a band of animal-loving friends turning their pets’ antics into anthems, blending heart and humor to amplify both furry and human voices that too often go unheard.

Guests will enjoy complimentary bites from local favorites including:
🍽 Liberty Bar • Tio Pelon’s Salsita • Cheesy Jane’s • Bakery Lorraine • Tobin Catering

The Tobin Center will also offer drinks and cocktails for purchase throughout the night.

Tickets

🎟 Tickets: $10 per person
🔗 Purchase here: Tobin Center

About PechaKucha

PechaKucha (pronounced PEH-chuh KOO-chuh) is a global arts and culture event where presenters share their passions through 20 images x 20 seconds — a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds per talk.

The format was created by Klein Dytham Architecture in Tokyo in 2003 to encourage creative professionals to share ideas in a concise and engaging way. Since then, PechaKucha has grown to over 1,200 cities worldwide.

San Antonio hosted its first PechaKucha Night in February 2011 and now attracts hundreds of attendees each quarter, featuring architects, artists, makers, academics, community leaders, and more.

Photo: Ben Yanto, used with permission.

Art exhibition: American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection

San Antonio Museum of Art’s American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection will close on January 7, 2024. Photo: San Antonio Museum of Art

The San Antonio Museum of Art’s special exhibition American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection is set to close on January 7, 2024 after an acclaimed run. The exhibition features more than a hundred artworks depicting the American experience in striking landscapes, Colonial-era portraits, still lifes, impressionist paintings, abstractions, and bronze sculptures. Spanning over 250 years of American art, American Made features exemplary works by renowned artists, including Baby Charles Looking Over His Mother’s Shoulder (No.3) by Mary Cassatt, An American Landscape by Luigi Lucioni, Elsie Wagg by John Singer Sargent, Chow Choy by Robert Henri, Seated Woman by Elizabeth Catlett, and Paris le Soir by Loïs Mailou Jones. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2023)

American Made demonstrates not only how American art has changed stylistically, but also how the face of American art has changed — literally and figuratively. Though many objects from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection have been on view at museums around the country, American Made is the first exhibition to bring together highlights of this extensive private collection.

American Made was organized by The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee.

San Antonio Museum of Art
200 W. Jones Ave.
San Antonio, TX 78215

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 former 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.

Thomas Moran (American,1837-1926), Moonlight in Venice,1898, Oil on wood board. Courtesy of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen PhD Foundation. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

San Antonio Museum of Art announces acquisition of two major gifts of art

SAMA announces acquisition of two major gifts of ancient art from the Americas Museum as well as a selection of contemporary artworks. Photo: Google

The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) recently announced the acquisition of two extensive collections focused on the art of the Americas before 1500. The first is a gift from collectors and longtime SAMA supporters John M. and Kathi Oppenheimer and features nearly two hundred objects, primarily ceramic and stone figures and vessels, which represent societies that thrived in West and Central Mexico and Central America, including the Aztec, Mixtec, Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco, as well as objects made by the Maya, Zapotec, and Olmec cultures. The second collection comes from Lindsay and Lucy Duff and includes 110 objects, including ceramics and textiles and carved stone and wood objects, from early South American cultures, such as the Moche, Nasca, Wari, Chimu, and Inca and spanning from around 500 BC to AD 1500. Several of the works in the Duff Collection are currently on loan to SAMA, including a large gold beaker and a ceramic portrait vessel. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2023)

As part of SAMA’s acquisitions, the Museum also acquired a range of objects across its Contemporary, American, Latin American, Asian, and Ancient Mediterranean collections. Some of the highlights include a photograph by Stuart Allen, titled Shadow No. 10, 9 Pixels (2005), which reflects the artist’s interest in examining abstract composition through digital photographic pixelation; two Transport Amphorae (Roman-Byzantine, 5th–7th century AD), which were likely used to ship commodities like wine across the Mediterranean; ten ceramic works by modern and contemporary Japanese artists, including Nakamura Takuo, Koie Ryoji, Takiguchi Kazuo, Ito Motohiko, and Seto Hiroshi; the oil on metal work Emma Tenayuca Retablo (1993) by Santa Barraza, a major figure in Chicana/o art and the Chicano Art Movement in South Texas; the mixed-media sculpture Space In Between: Nopal (Candelaria Cabrera) (2010) by Margarita Cabrera, which continues the artist’s ongoing explorations of cultural identity, migration, labor, violence, and empowerment through sculpture, craft, and social practice; and the large-scale portrait Yemayá, one of the three paintings in the Goddess Triptych, a set of paintings by San Antonio artist Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz that celebrates the beauty, confidence, and power of women of color. Rodríguez-Díaz’s three large-scale nude portraits will be featured in the focus exhibition Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz: The Goddess Triptych Reunited, which will be on view from January 27, 2024, through January 26, 2025.

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 thirty thousand works representing five thousand years of history and is particularly strong in arts of the Americas, ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman art, Asian art, and modern and contemporary art.

Amphora (jar) with Dionysos and satyrs, Greek (Attic), ca. 530–510B.C., Attributed to the circle of the Antimenes Painter, Terracotta, black-figure technique; h. 15 3/16 in., Purchased with the Grace Fortner Rider Fund, 2023.6 Photo: SAMA, used with permission.

Summer 2023 exhibitions open at Contemporary at Blue Star

Public opening for the Summer 2023 exhibitions will be on First Friday, July 7 from 6p.m. to 9p.m. Photo: Contemporary at Blue Star, used with permission.

Contemporary at Blue Star, San Antonio’s first and longest running exhibition space for contemporary art, proudly announces the opening of three solo exhibitions on July 7, 2023. These exhibitions feature new work by Brittany Ham, Adam Schreiber, and Michael Velliquette, three artists with strong ties to the San Antonio community. Ham and Schreiber are alumni of the Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program and Velliquette is a former San Antonio resident, now based in Madison, WI. This year marks the 20-year anniversary since his first solo exhibition at the Contemporary. These exhibitions offer unique perspectives on self-portraiture, urban landscapes, and intricate paper sculptures, captivating audiences with their distinct artistic visions. (Contemporary at Blue Star, 2023)

Brittany Ham: Unmooring reaches into the exploration of interior and exterior spaces, both architecturally and psychologically. Through oil paintings, Ham chronicles her personal experiences with lockdown, social distancing, and the challenges of early motherhood. The seemingly longing subjects in her artworks often escape claustrophobia through imagined landscapes. Her works draw inspiration from sculptures, woodcuts, and paintings of exhausted women, including the Virgin Mary which she researched during her time at Künstlerhaus Bethanien International Studio Program as a grantee of Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program. Ham’s works employ line and value to create molded planes that provide multidimensional perspectives. The curious contortions and collapsing of space in her pieces evoke a melancholic humor, inviting viewers to reflect on challenging times and the unknown horizons ahead.

Adam Schreiber: Stadtwald showcases photographs created during and since his residency at Künstlerhaus Bethanien as part of Contemporary’s Berlin Residency Program. Employing large format film cameras, he adopts the role of a photographic surveyor to document the city’s quiet and suspended scenes devoid of action. Schreiber’s images of isolated and decontextualized objects ignite viewers’ curiosity. Some of Schreiber’s photographs are visually dense with textural descriptions of the subject, yet they leave the viewer to decipher what exactly the subject is and what its significance might be. Grids, recurring in his work, hint at the artist’s camera lens and reflect the meticulous process of inspection. By presenting his subjects as unknown and encouraging active observation, Schreiber’s work engages viewers in a delightful game of curiosity and concentration.

Michael Velliquette: The Direct Path features an extraordinary display of intricate paper sculptures, making it the most comprehensive exhibition of these works to date. Velliquette’s installations create intimate spaces that invite viewers into these structural collages. Through layering, complexity, and vibrant colors, his works communicate a sense of ornate preciousness. However, their material and meditative creation process—meticulously measuring, cutting, composing, and gluing paper—reveal a delicate yet ordinary quality. This convergence of methods symbolizes transformation, showcasing unexpected metamorphoses of materials and offering moments of reflection to viewers as they visually enter these temple-like constructions.

As an artist-centric organization, the Contemporary is delighted to showcase the work of these talented artists and to nurture their creative practices. This commitment to supporting artists highlights the vital role that accessible spaces play in fostering a vibrant and dynamic art scene, encouraging artistic growth, and amplifying the diverse voices and perspectives that contribute to the richness of our cultural landscape. 

Upcoming events at the Briscoe Western Art Museum

Events include a Father’s Day celebration and other art events. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Hands-on fun, free family activities and saddling up with sci-fi fill the summer with art and adventure at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. The Briscoe is hosting an array of programming to explore the Southwest influence on Western art during Southwest Rising: Contemporary Art and the Legacy of Elaine Horwitch Now through September 4. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2023)

The summer exhibition celebrates one of the most powerful and influential art dealers in the Southwest. Horwitch was responsible for launching the careers of hundreds of artists and was a leader in fostering “new Western art” or “Southwest pop.” During the exhibition, Southwest Rising artists will demonstrate their techniques and lead sessions where everyone can create a masterpiece of their own. Along with artist talks, monthly hands-on learning, free Locals Days and the museum’s annual National Day of the Cowboy celebration on July 22, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

The summer line-up includes:

Celebrate the opening of Southwest Rising by exploring the way light and color interact with one another. In the exhibition’s interactive gallery, visitors can construct a display that will allow them to experiment with how light can change the way our eyes see color. This hands-on program is family-friendly, and all ages are welcome. Children 12 and under always receive free admission to the Briscoe.

  • Southwest Rising with Mark McDowell – Saturday, July 8, 1p.m. – 3p.m. $25 for non-members, $20 for museum members

Southwest Rising artist Mark McDowell leads guests in creating a work of art with colored pencils on wood, his preferred technique. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, McDowell has been featured in more than 40 one-man shows and numerous group exhibitions in museums, art centers and galleries across the United States and Europe. His work is in many public, corporate, and private collections. Class size is limited, so register today to ensure your spot. All skill levels are welcome and supplies are included with registration.

Art-FULL Summer: Painting Sessions

Enjoy painting sessions led by energetic and charismatic international artist Gio DiZurita. Based in San Antonio, DiZurita tells stories through her art, an everlasting transformation of life experiences.

Two summer dates include:

  • Father’s Day Fun:  Painting with Gio – Saturday, June 17, 10a.m. – Noon, 2p.m. – 4p.m.

Bring your dad jokes and have some hands-on fun. Fathers and their children (5 years or older) can enjoy a creative and fun family painting adventure, creating a Western scene in acrylic on an 11 x 14 canvas. Tickets are $45, or $35 for museum members. Registration is needed for each participant over the age of 12 and includes all supplies. The class size is limited, so register early to ensure your space.

  • Create Together:  Painting with Gio Date Night at the Briscoe – Thursday, July 13, 6:30p.m. – 8:30p.m.     

Let love and creativity bloom during a hands-on date night under the stars. Create a work of art during a relaxing evening sipping beer and wine in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden. Couples will enjoy a creative painting adventure creating a Western scene in acrylic on an 11 x 14 canvas. Tickets are $45, or $35 for museum members. Registration is per person and includes beer, wine, and all supplies. The class size is limited, so register today to ensure your spot.

Add Some STEAM to Your Summer:  Hands-on Learning

The Briscoe’s free monthly education series “Full STEAM Ahead” sprinkles educational fun into the summer the first Sunday of each month. Learners of all ages work together and learn about the American West by engaging in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) learning experiences. Full STEAM Ahead is designed for all ages to enjoy, making it a terrific family activity. Enjoy STEAMing with your family 1p.m. – 3p.m. on the first Sunday of every month at the Briscoe – the same day that locals are welcome to enjoy the museum for free.

Summer 2023 Full Steam Ahead dates and topics include:

  • August 6: Full STEAM Ahead – Gone for the Winter

Learn more about wildlife and the fall migration of hummingbirds. After a short presentation, families will have the opportunity to create a hummingbird feeder using found and recyclable materials.

  • September 3: Full STEAM Ahead – Art in the Sky

Study the night sky through Kim Wiggins’ “Colonel Crockett’s Return to Cibolo Creek.” After a short study of the painting, everyone will create a bedroom planetarium to take home.

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 22, 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. Saddle up with your family and head west for a day you will not forget.

Actions for the Earth opens at Contemporary at Blue Star

Lhora Amira, IRMANDADE: The Shape of Water in Pindorama, 2018-2020, HD video, single channel sound, film still. Image courtesy of SMAC Gallery, copyright Lhora Amira.

Blue Star Contemporary announces Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology, an exhibition curated by Sharmila Wood and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) on view from June 2 through September 3, 2023. Actions for the Earth is a traveling exhibition that considers how artistic practices use kinship, healing, and restorative intervention to foster a deeper consciousness of our interconnectedness with the earth. (Contemporary at Blue Star, 2023)

This exhibition turns to a group of interdisciplinary artists to engage with the overlapping, worldwide crises of our time. Ongoing climate change, entrenched social inequity, and renewed concerns over public health have all underscored the need for approaches that take on global responsibilities while caring for our local environment. For decades, artists have sought to find new antidotes to oppressive structures of power, and promoted greater understanding of the many ways that nature, health, and sustainability are intertwined.

Actions for the Earth presents the work of eighteen intergenerational artists and collectives who place action, instruction, reciprocity, and exchange at the forefront of their practices. By sharing their participatory artistic interventions and healing strategies alongside research in ecology, science, and ancient beliefs, these artists remind us that we are connected within a constellation of living networks, inseparable from the planet and its environments. Artworks on view create space for the honoring of ancestors, foreground the significance of Indigenous knowledges, and engage in speculative imaginings through science fiction and network sciences—organic, digital, and spiritual.

In its curatorial approach, Actions for the Earth acts as a resource for studying our current times. The works on view not only emphasize themes of learning, care, and intimacy, but offer concrete knowledge by inviting the public to participate in actions such as instruction-based meditation and deep listening activities. The life of these works, and the interventions they propose, extends far beyond the scope of the exhibition to engage people in their personal contexts. 

Artists: Ackroyd and Harvey, Lhola Amira, Arahmaiani, Sayan Chanda, Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser), lololol, Ana Mendieta, Zarina Muhammad, Patrina Mununggurr, Pauline Oliveros, Yoko Ono, Tabita Rezaire, Eric-Paul Riege, Cecilia Vicuña, Katie West, and Zheng Bo

Contemporary at Blue Star 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, the Contemporary contributes fresh insights and perspectives on larger issues affecting society and culture by highlighting trends, movements, and conversations happening in art. Admission to the Contemporary is always free.

Night of Artists showcases the best of today’s western art

The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s annual exhibition and sale proves once again the strength of the genre. Opening weekend events take place March 24 – 25. Photo: Google

If you imagine Western art as dusty, historic relics of the past, you need to set your sights for San Antonio and the Biscoe Western Art Museum’s  2023 Night of Artists Exhibition and Sale, March 24-25. With the opportunity to view and purchase nearly 300 new works of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by 80 of the country’s leading contemporary Western artists, Night of Artists draws artists, collectors and art enthusiasts to the banks of the San Antonio River Walk for two days of unforgettable festivities kicking off one of the premier Western art exhibitions and sales in the world. Beyond the opening celebration, Night of Artists is a public exhibition and sale that spans six weeks at the Briscoe, March 26 – May 7, and is included with general admission to the museum. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2023)

The wide range of artwork reflect the vastness of the great American West. From scenic landscapes and inspired Native Americans, classic cowboys, and dazzling vaqueros, to stunning wildlife and detailed portraiture, Night of Artists features something for every art enthusiast. Some of the featured artists include Billy Schenck, Don Oelze, Z.S. Liang, C. Michael Dudash, George Hallmark, Kim Wiggins, Bonnie Marris, Michael Ome Untiedt, Teresa Elliot, and Jan Mapes.

Notable new artists participating this year include Jeremy Lipking, Eric Bowman, Glenn Dean, Dustin Van Wechel, Bob Guelich, Kevin Red Star and Tony Pro.

The Briscoe’s signature event and a must for any collector, Night of Artists, serves as the primary fundraiser for the museum, benefiting the Briscoe’s full array of exhibitions and programs throughout the year. The event’s two-day opening weekend kicks off with the annual Briscoe Bison Society Collectors Summit, where artists, collectors and gallery owners gather to share their insights during panel discussions and conversations exploring the Western art market and trends. Intended for everyone from the novice to the seasoned art collector, the panels feature nationally recognized Western artists, experts and gallery owners. The two-part summit takes place March 24 and March 25 at The Westin Riverwalk.

The Exhibition Preview, Dinner and Live Auction taking place in the Briscoe’s Jack Guenther Pavilion on the banks of the San Antonio River Walk unfolds on March 24 with an evening of cocktails in the Night of Artists exhibition, an elegant, seated dinner, and a spirited live auction. Conducted by Troy Black, the live auction features 35 separate works.

The Night of Artists Awards Luncheon takes place March 25, honoring the artists in this year’s exhibition and recognizing the annual award winners.

Night of Artists’ signature event, the Exhibition Opening, Art Sale and Reception, takes place March 25. This memorable evening includes the “Luck of the Draw” Art Sale, where works of art are available for purchase at a fixed price established by the artist. Attendees receive a ballot book and place an intent to purchase slip in the box next to a work of art they would like to purchase. When time expires, two slips are randomly drawn, allowing the first drawee the opportunity to purchase the piece or pass it along to the second drawee. All the excitement happens to the tune of live music under the stars in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden.

Tickets for all Night of Artists events are available online or by calling 210.299.4499. The Night of Artists public exhibition will be on display during regular museum hours March 26 – May 7 and is included in museum admission. Unsold works during opening weekend will be available for purchase both in-person and online.