Giddy Up

Groundbreaking art show saddles up for debut at San Antonio's Briscoe Western Art Museum

John Wayne's swagger, the Native American sage (or savage), the promise of gold on the other side of the mountain's crest. The iconography of the Old West is indelibly tied to the story of America, both in history and in myth.

This summer, a new temporary show at the Briscoe Western Art Museum is reexamining what we thought we new about the Western frontier — and inviting viewers to questions their own conventions.

"Into A New West" features 50 contemporary art pieces that "showcase a shift from traditional representations, to new ideologies and expressions of the West," according to a release.

The exhibition features works from the 1960s through today, and is designed to "challenge the conventions of representation that hallmark traditional Western art." As organizers explain, the same 1960s counterculture that led to the Civil Rights and Women's movements also led artists to reexamine the conventions of the Old West. Using traditional narratives as lenses — cowboys on horseback, Native American in tipis — the artists meditate on nontraditional subjects, ranging from the environment to feminism.

"Into A New West" was curated by Georgia's groundbreaking Booth Museum of Western Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution, which is inviting the Briscoe to display it May 24 through September 1.

“The Briscoe is excited to share these groundbreaking works from the Booth Museum with the city of San Antonio and its visitors,” said Briscoe Museum VP Liz Jackson in a release. “The exhibition will resonate with audiences across generations by exploring universal themes presented in a new light.”

In addition to the art, the Briscoe is also hosting a special opening weekend celebration in support of the exhibition. On May 23, guests can get a preview of the show during the "Into A New West" Exhibition Preview Party. A $30 ticket gets partygoers a sneak peek, hors d'oeuvres, and an open bar beginning at 6 pm.

On May 25, Briscoe Museum president and CEO Michael Duchemin will offer a walkthrough of "Into A New West" beginning at 2 pm. And the following afternoon, on May 25, the museum will screen the Kirk Douglas classic Lonely Are The Brave, part of its Summer Film Series. The screening begins at 1 pm.

Kevin Red Star's Ready for the Two Step

Kevin Red Star/Briscoe Western Art Museum

Kevin Red Star's Ready for the Two Step

openings museums

Preserving history

San Antonio art exhibit honors recently uncovered history of 1875 church

San Pedro Creek, public art, St. James AME Church, San Antonio

Courtesy San Antonio River Authority

Artist Gordon Huether's rendering shows part of a planned public art project, “Presence of the Past” and “Culture Crossing Pavilion." Set to open in February 2025, the installation will pay tribute to the history of St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, San Antonio's first AME church, along San Pedro Creek.

Come February 2025, visitors to San Pedro Creek will be able to check out a new public art installation that will pay tribute to part of San Antonio’s heritage.

California artist Gordon Huether is creating Presence of the Past and Culture Crossing Pavilion, a two-part, $2 million project that will represent the legacy of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church. Renderings of the art project were unveiled at a September 4 press conference.

Construction crews worked to restore and improve San Pedro Creek on the western edge of downtown in 2020, while archaeologists uncovered the cornerstone of the church, which was laid in 1875.

Over the past four years, church members worked with the San Antonio River Authority, which maintains the creekway, to come up with a permanent way to memorialize the congregation’s origins and the church’s impact on the community.

River foundation officials said St. James served a key role for local African Americans in the post-emancipation era. Formerly enslaved and free African Americans were able to gather and worship under the direction of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The first congregation members initially met in each other’s homes between 1867 and 1871, until they secured a central place to worship — the former San Antonio Soap Works along San Pedro Creek.

St. James AME Church these days sits on North Richter Street on the city’s West Side; part of the original church site is now home to the Soap Factory Apartments.

According to a news release, Huether is putting together historic quilt patterns to lead visitors through the Presence of the Past, which is designed to resemble the church’s façade, and examine its emergence as the first AME church in San Antonio from 1867-1878.

The art installation will feature the AME shield, which will guide visitors to an altar bearing the names of the original church parishioners, and commemorate their contributions. The pavilion, the release says, will engage today’s church and community members, and encourage them to share their tales that will act as a larger story of San Antonio’s evolution.

The September 4 event, which happened at the future art installation site on West Houston Street, included San Antonio Poet Laureate Emeritus Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson reading a poem inspired by the site's story. Sanderson collaborated with several San Antonians to craft personal quilt patterns inspired by their individual histories, which will appear above the dais at the exhibit. These patterns are meant to bring to life a lively tapestry reflecting an important yet often-overlooked portion of San Antonio’s history.

"We are thrilled with the entire project, from the discovery of the St. James foundation and cornerstone to the unveiling of this innovative design that creatively and architecturally preserves the original structures,” Rev. Cynthia Ladson, St. James’ pastor, said in a statement.

Leaders from SARA and the river authority’s nonprofit arm, San Antonio River Foundation, said Huether’s previous large-scale public art installations around the nation will serve to inspire a unique exhibit commemorating St. James AME Church and early contributions of San Antonio’s African-American community. They also said the art installation will be a welcome addition to San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

“Thanks to careful assessment and input from the community, this site will be rehabilitated into a gathering place where people can connect with San Antonio’s dynamic and multi-layered history, honoring the contributions of the diverse ethnic groups that shaped the city’s unique culture,” Frates Seeligson, SARF’s executive director, said in a statement. “The site remains a tangible landmark of the thriving Reconstruction-era African American community.”

SARA Chair Jim Campbell said St. James AME Church was the first local Black house of worship where parishioners could gather autonomously, free from external restrictions.

“The church quickly became a beacon on the west side of San Antonio, championing political participation, education, civil rights, public service, and economic empowerment,” he said in a statement.

The river foundation is accepting donations toward the completion of the project.

san antonio st. james ame church public art san pedro creek