Category: Arts, Culture, Photos

By R Eguia . Last month, scholars, community members and students gathered at the Southwest School of Art Coates Chapel to hear a conversation by the San Antonio Conservation Society Endowed Professor at UTSA, William Dupont, called A Resilient Heritage: Designing San Antonio’s Future to Preserve Our Past. The talk introduced Cultural Sustainability as the continuity of cultural systems of human existence. People have heritage identities and values that bind them to places and communities are essential for full sustainability. “Design with respect for Heritage,” was a key theme as Dupont explored the challenges in capturing intangibles in cultural...

On March 9, the local performance art collective, HoK (House of Kenzo) presented Permutations, a 20 minute production exploring systems, fluidity, work and cycles, at the Lawndale Art Center in Houston. The trio, Ledef (sound production), Brexxitt (choreography) and Grapefruit (concept design) embodied possibilities through splash choreography and projection mapping. Local carpenter company, Precision Woodworking Texas, assisted the group with an installation that included an indoor water trough, a 10 part pulley system and a network of clear bags filled with water tied onto natural rope. The performance was inspired by Yanaguana aka the San Antonio River. The group...

Many women have made their mark in the performance arts. In San Antonio, girls go to places like the Magik theatre to begin their journey. Like 14-year-old San Antonio actress, Lucero Garcia. She began acting at the age of 7 during The Magik Theatre’s summer camps and classes. She plays the role of Carmencita in the new show called Mariachi girl at the Magik Theatre. “I fell in love with musical theatre. All I could think about was being on stage singing and dancing and performing for people and making them happy,” said Garcia. The Mariachi Girl audition was...

By Melinda Gonzalez There is a renewed energy in the air and the culmination of efforts to re-establish the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (GCAC) as the beacon of Chicano Art is paying off. Founded in 1980 and located in the heart of San Antonio’s historic Westside, the nonprofit organization serves over 100,000 people each year on a local, national and international scale through artistic, educational, and community programming. Jorge Piña who is a native San Antonian is back and fulfills a key leadership position for the GCAC after resigning from the organization in 2000. Prior to his resignation, he...

Latino Art Now! (LAN!) is coming to Texas–at last! This week the first of 70 planned exhibitions opened. LAN! has been in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, but never in a Texas city. That makes the LAN! Conference in Houston ever more significant. Over the next three months, the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR) at the University of Houston Central campus will join up with the City of Houston to host LAN!. Universities, museums, art galleries, and cultural centers from across the city have signed on to promote exhibits and cultural engagements featuring Latino art. My...

The Puerto Rican Heritage Society will host the Three Kings Day Celebration today, January 6, 2019 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the San Fernando Hall (San Fernando Cathedral) located at 231 West Commerce Street Downtown. Entry is free and parking is available on the streets surrounding the area. Free snacks will be available for the children while traditional Puerto Rican food plates will be sold on site. The PRHS 25th annual celebration of the Three Kings, also known as the Three Wise Men in the Epiphany, will introduce this year a magical “Coqui” –a miniature tree frog native...

1321 El Paso Street, San Antonio, TX 78207 This free event is in celebration of the 30th pilgrimage with the Sister Parish of Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine and the Tricentennial of San Antonio. El Encuentro A one man play about the Apparitions of Guadalupe will be performed by local actor, Mr. Jose Ruben de Leon at 6:30 pm. Come, watch the story unfold of the Lady in the Tilma! SAVAE The San Antonio Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform at 8:00 pm. Come, listen to music from the time of...

Lucha libre wrestlers are known as luchadores (singular luchador, meaning “wrestler”). They usually come from extended wrestling families who form their own stables. Tradition is about passing customs and/or beliefs from one generation to the next. In San Antonio, we have a family trying to do just that. Father, Jaime Guiterrez has been not only a luchador but a promoter of this sport. When the place he started fighting at shut down, he started Mexican American Lucha Libre ( M.A.L.L. ) and opened a venue where he has been able to keep las luchas alive. His 13 year old...

When local artist Cruz Ortiz was approached by Eva’s Heroes about collaborating with the nonprofit’s teen and adult participants on a Tricentennial inclusion mural, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. “My daughter, Graciela, has Rett syndrome, so I know what it’s like to for individuals with special needs,” Ortiz said. “They are often ignored, but they just want to be included.” So, on October 17, despite the chilly morning air and chances of rain, more than 20 teens and adults with intellectual special needs picked up paint brushes and used bright orange, red, yellow and blue to paint three...