From SA to SA

Prolific photography exhibition puts Latinx life in focus for San Antonians

Now is your chance to see more than 200 works from 20 award-winning Latin American and Latinx photographers living in South, Central, and North America taking on the topics of immigration, indigenous realities, aftereffects of the COVID pandemic, and women’s rights.

“From SA to SA: From South America to San Antonio” is an exhibition that demonstrates the power of documentary photography as a direct representation of our realities and as a force of social change.

On display at the Centro de Artes Gallery through December 30, 2023, the exhibition is put on by the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture

Photo courtesy of the artist

Tamara Merino "Isolated Soul."

Curated by San Antonio multi-disciplinary artist and educator Guillermina Zabala, the artworks focus on the interconnected weaving of individual and collective stories depicted in appealing, powerful, and thought-provoking photographic images.

"As an Argentine-American artist and curator, I wanted to bring part of my history and culture to San Antonio,” Zabala says. “With this exhibit I present a glimpse of a wider panorama of sociopolitical and economic realities emerging from Latin America and Latinx communities in the U.S. Through striking imagery and compelling storytelling, I want to invite the audience to immerse themselves in the stories, the places, and the people."

The exhibition features work by Rodrigo Abd, Sara Aliaga, Eliana Aponte, Guillermo Arias, María Paula Avila, Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas, María Eugenia Cerutti, Francisco Cortés, Ana Carolina Fernandes, Mariana Greif, Sáshenka Gutiérrez Valerio, Adeline Lulo, Tamara Merino, Sandro Pereyra, Natacha Pisarenko, Joseph Rodriguez, Jorge Saenz, Claudio Santana, Yvonne Venegas, and Martín Zabala.

“Images are an illuminating component in storytelling and these artists expertly use their cameras to document social change, historical events, and everyday life,” says Department of Arts & Culture executive director Krystal Jones. “At first you may think the photography on display is straightforward, yet when you take a closer look you quickly discover alternative ways of viewing the world through these talented artists’ eyes.”

There will be an Artist Talk on Thursday, October 26, from 6-8 pm, and a virtual option on Wednesday, November 15, from 6-8 pm.

Centro de Artes is free to visit and open to the public Wednesdays through Fridays from 10:30 am-5 pm, plus Saturdays and Sundays from noon- 5 pm. The gallery is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and City holidays.

Located in Historic Market Square, Centro de Artes is dedicated to telling the transnational story of the Latino experience in the U.S. with a focus on San Antonio and South Texas through local and regional art, history, and culture.

For more information, visit sanantonio.gov/arts and follow on social at @getcreativesa, #CentrodeArtesSA, and #FromSAtoSA.

galleries photography promoted

The Big Picture

Hill Country conservation group announces 2024 photo contest winners

“Sunset” by Jesus Corona, via the Hill Country Alliance

This sunset (cropped here to fit site ratio) won the grand prize.

The Hill Country is looking its best in a new round of award-winning photos. In them are landscapes, surprise moments with hard-to-find creatures, and one shot that highlights the beauty of the old-fashioned architecture. The winners of the photo contest organized by the Hill Country Alliance are available to look at in this article, and Texans are encouraged to carry the images forward through 2025 with a wall calendar.

The premise is both proud and cautious; as beautiful and thriving as the Hill Country is, heightened development is known to bring problems along with progress to rural towns. The Hill Country Alliance, a coalition of more than 85 area organizations that focus on natural and cultural preservation, has created the contest as an initiative to visually preserve the region.

There is national interest in the Hill Country, although no one sees it quite like locals. CNN named the Hill Country one of its 24 best places to visit around the world in 2024, and in 2023, motorcycle classifieds site Cycle Trader named the Twisted Sisters outside San Antonio as one of the best scenic routes in the country. Just days ago, William Chris Vineyards in Hye made the World's Best Vineyards list for the third year in a row.

More than 550 entries were submitted to the alliance this year, but only four won prizes, and of course nine more make their way onto the calendar (if you count the cover).

Grand prize:

$\u201cSunset\u201d by Jesus Corona$ This shot by Jesus Corona features wildflowers bathing in the sunset in Bexar County.“Sunset” by Jesus Corona

First place:

$\u201cGruene Nights\u201d by Gary T. Ray$ Gary T. Ray caught Gruene Hall and the surrounding buildings at the perfect dusk moment.“Gruene Nights” by Gary T. Ray

A release announcing the winners extolls the beauty of sunsets. "However, just as a sunset is fleeting, the health of our region can also be precarious," it warns. "This balance is particularly evident in current drought conditions, and HCA’s water program is focused on protecting our most delicate resources – like clear, flowing waters and the natural infrastructure we rely on to keep springs bubbling."

Second place:

$\u201cDanger in the Wildflowers\u201d by Bill Weekley$ It's amazing that Bill Weekley found this rattlesnake among sunny wildflowers and much more ominous skies.“Danger in the Wildflowers” by Bill Weekley

Third place:

$\u201cGray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella$ This gray fox may look like he's sitting on the ground, but Mike Zarella caught him sitting in a tree in Blanco County.“Gray Fox up a Tree" by Mike Zarella

Many of the submitted images were of animals. "So much of the photography submitted in this annual contest reminds viewers of their own connection to the region’s delicate web of life," the release says. "This urgency underscores the importance of the HCA’s work to advance local land stewardship and conservation efforts that directly benefit the wild creatures and open spaces of the Texas Hill Country."

People's choice award:

It's not surprising viewers were enchanted by this welcoming road, which seems to lead into a future with more Hill Country blooms and beauty.Bluebonnet and Live Oak Road by William Shelton

The images above are featured on the calendar (even if they're not a full page), along with other selections that highlight unique geography, beautiful pollinators, cacti, and the darkening night sky.

Hill Country Alliance calendar The rest of the calendar images.Mockup courtesy of the Hill Country Alliance

The Hill Country Alliance works in five major areas, which are represented in some way in the images above: land, water, night sky, community, and collaboration.

This year's calendar ($15) is available now at hillcountryalliance.org. Other items like an illustrated map and apparel are also available in the online store. More information about the coalition's work (with more amazing photos sprinkled in) is available here.

The release credits the following photographers with work featured in the calendar:

Airon Mothershed
Alan Zhou
Ashley Campbell
Aspen McCallum
Baba Arimilli
Carol Serur
Carolyn Whiteside
Daniel Gomez
Delaney Kempf
Donna Chance
Elvis Canoy
Gary Sertich
Jackies Wise
Jacob Saunders
Jeff Newton
Jennifer Bauerkemper
Jess Brown
Joseph Richards
JP Sanchez
Katherine Carvajal
Kim Smith
Lisa Hood
Matthew Guthrie
Meghan James
Michael Tidwell
Michael Wight
Nicky Scott
P. Michael Jones
Patty Robertson
Paul Huchton
Shelby Sckittone
Steffen Baumgart
Stephen Isenhower
Tim Speer

hill country photography nature conservation