Jump into January and Alamo City’s jubilant art scene with six diverse and dynamic shows. Catch the final days of the celebration of “la Virgen de Guadalupe” at the Centro Cultural Aztlan, or journey with artist Maverick Pascal into mental health, self-reflection, and healing with his show at the Carver. From images of red peppers at Semmes Gallery representing strong Latina women, to an exploration of color at the McNay, there are treasures to discover in the city’s galleries, museums, and art spaces once you take the plunge.

Centro Cultural Aztlan

“Celebracion a la Virgen de Guadalupe” — Now through January 20
Every year, Centro Cultural Aztlan produces an annual “Celebracion a la Virgen de Guadalupe.” The event explores this icon's significance in the Latin American community, where in December of 1531 she first appeared in Mexico, speaking in the native tongue of the Aztecs. Visitors can experience this “phenomenon” through a visual narrative showcasing a myriad of artistic representations by some of San Antonio’s most noted artists. This exhibition is one of the oldest and most reverend featuring La Virgen de Guadalupe as the main theme and includes a special art installation by nationally recognized floral designer, Henry De Leon.

The McNay

“The Art of Color” — Now through June 1
The McNay has taken a cross section of artwork from their permanent collection and organized it by color. Through three galleries, explore works of art with warm, monochromatic, and cool colors. This installation encourages close up observations and introspections, and serves as an introduction to the variety of objects in the McNay’s Collection.

Carver Community Cultural Center

“Maverick Pascal: MAVP365” — January 5 through February 17
Maverick Pascal is a multidisciplinary artist who uses his work to highlight self-reflection and mental health as a personal journey. His inspiration comes from different parts of his trauma, lessons from his healing, or learning from the journeys of others. The geometrical fragments and broken pieces used in his work draw inspiration from the ancient Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken objects are mended with gold to become more beautiful. In 2020, he dedicated himself to creating at least one piece a day for the entire year, hence the name of this show, MAVP365. He started with sketches and then expanded back into charcoal on paper, acrylic paint on canvas, and digital works. On this journey, he came upon the realization that he was progressively connecting with his inner child.

Sala Diaz

“Kim Bishop: Threads & After Shocks” — January 6 through 28
According to Carl Jung, we live in the entanglement of the past, present and future; a collective consciousness he called “a sympathy for all things.” Jung inspired Kim Bishop who draws with her grandmother’s thread (literally and metaphorically), the continuous line of her path, as she journeys through a world that seems familiar but is not. The drawings and drawing processes in this exhibition are a way for Bishop to navigate the social condition of her time in her constant endeavor to measure the standards that determine her worth. “My imagery focuses on the entanglement of body, time and movement which carries a universal theme of quantum remembrance and the repetition of the physical world that I live in today,” Bishop says in her artist statement.

Semmes Gallery - University of the Incarnate Word

“Elizabeth Rodriguez: Las Mera Meras" — January 15 through February 10
Las Mera Meras is a painting of a group of red peppers reflected on a shiny maple tabletop, serious, tough, and unified. Las Mera Meras is a symbolic portrait representing strong Latina women as observed by the artist at a café downtown she frequented. Elizabeth Rodriguez began her career as a self-taught artist in oil painting and later apprenticed with other artists.

  

Courtesy of Semmes Gallery - University of the Incarnate Word

Las mera_meras by Elizabeth Rodriguez at Semmes Gallery

UTSA Main Art Gallery

“Refined Reflections into the Formidable: Contemporary Latino Art from the Zoe Diaz Collection” — January 27 through March 11
This exhibition features twenty artists whose works span a broad range of approaches in exquisite large-scale and intimate paintings, drawings, photographs, and mixed-media sculptures regarding themes of power and pride in cultural legacies, spirituality, family, and everyday life.