Many San Antonians start a new year with a pledge to get fit and eat healthier. But others are looking to nurture their minds with art, history, and education. Here are just some area museums and galleries that will be hosting a variety of art exhibits and interactive displays in 2026.

McNay Art Museum
“Ferias, Parques y Plazas: A Celebration of Public Space” includes art from the McNay collection and loans from local artists that capture the energy and vibrancy of public gathering spaces. The dynamic show uses depictions of markets, streetscapes, fairs, folk life, dancing, and celebration to highlight the importance of human connection in everyday life.

Featured artists will include Elizabeth Catlett, Howard Cook, Diego Rivera, and San Antonian Adriana M. Garcia. The exhibit starts Jan. 8 and ends April 12.

San Antonio Museum of Art
“New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations”is a unique display of works by artists from four regions of West Africa: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Nigeria, Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah of Sierra Leone, David Sanou of Burkina Faso, and Hervé Youmbi of Cameroon.

Through each artist’s set of works, museum visitors learn about the masquerade, a tradition that features costumed performers wearing detailed masks to symbolize spirits, ancestors, or deities at funerals, initiations, festivals, and agricultural cycles. The rituals link the living with the spiritual world. The exhibit, which runs Feb. 28 through July 5, will offer 13 masquerade ensembles made from materials such as wood, cloth, sequins, feathers, and shells.

Briscoe Western Art Museum
“Tejanos Legacy: Another American Origin Story” will contain paintings and other artworks sharing the triumphs and struggles of Tejanos, the descendants of the earliest Mexican settlers who became part of the story of Texas long before statehood.

“Tejanos Legacy” demonstrates Tejanos as pioneers who fought to stay strong in the face of adversity, and whose impacts on society, culture, and tradition endure to this day. The exhibit will open on July 24.

The Briscoe Western Art Museum's upcoming exhibit, "Tejanos Legacy: Another American Origin Story," will include this oil painting that depicts a fandango, or dance, from the mid-19th century. Courtesy of the Briscoe Western Art Museum

Witte Museum
“The Steves Family: Building San Antonio,” now open at The Witte, offers rarely shown photos, documents, and other objects from the museum’s collections and archives, and select loans from the family of German immigrant Edward Steves, who arrived in Texas in the mid-1800s.

As a San Antonio lumberman, Steves and his family both contributed to San Antonio’s fledgling business community and to the physical infrastructure of the growing city itself. Handcrafted works like a carved pipe, a firefighter’s helmet, and Fiesta garments show how the family has been ingrained in San Antonio’s evolution over decades. The display also includes an interactive family tree and a recreated tablescape from the Steves family’s historic King William homestead. The exhibit closes June 21.

San Antonio Art League and Museum
“Texas Legacy: Hidden Gems from the Permanent Collection” will shine a spotlight on select, rarely shown works from renowned Texas artists that the local art league has preserved for decades.

Specifically, the exhibit will feature paintings that reflect evolving styles of Texas art over a span of 12 decades. Some of the art pieces are called masterpieces, while others were labeled controversial.

“Texas Legacy” will open with a reception from 3-5 pm on January 11 at the Art League Museum and end on February 19.

UT San Antonio Main Art Gallery
“Fronterizx: Art by M. Jenea Sanchez and Gabriela Muñoz with Jenelle Esparza” features works created by the Fronterizx Collective, a collaborative of artists working and living in communities along the U.S.-Mexican border. Sanchez and Muñoz founded the collective during their first collaboration in 2009.

This new exhibit includes contemporary artworks such as the video ”Caldo de Pollo” and the photographic series ”Living Altar,” as well as a new collaborative project between Esparza and Fronterizx. The show will have an opening reception from 6-8 pm on January 28, and will close on February 28.

New Braunfels Art League
“Home Brewed Fantasy” is all about community engagement and pop culture. The art league invited members of the public to submit their best sculpture, fan art, photos, or sketches inspired by their favorite comic book, cartoon, anime, or manga.

Accepted family-friendly artworks will be split into two categories — teenagers and adults — and shown from February 9-March 21 at the NBAL Gallery. Entries are due February 8 and will be judged for awards and offered for sale during the exhibit.