San Antonio arts soar with these 8 June exhibits

State of the Arts

Photo courtesy San Antonio Art League

Awaken your artistic muse this summer with these exhibits to inspire and ignite your creativity. Angela Guerra Walley weaves joy into her series of deconstructed quilt dresses at Artpace; a big spotlight shines on the little stages or maquettes at the McNay exhibit, “Big Little Stage"; Alethea Jones woos her viewers with neon colors and fantastical landscapes in “Floating Between Chaos and Peace”; and a group exhibit examines both cultural and social-economic commentary in “I Am Not Your Mexican” at Ruiz-Healy Art. Seize the summer and make it an artful one.

Artpace

“Angela Guerra Walley: We Are Quilted Together” — Now through September 3
Angela Guerra Walley, who is also a local documentary filmmaker and frontwoman for the band Dreambored, says she has come back to a place of “love, joy and comfort” in her art. Her new subject material comforts her as she pays tribute to the lineage of quilt-and-clothing-making women that she comes from. “I’m interested in dresses as symbols of beauty and femininity as a gender-ﬂuid, queer person. I brieﬂy pursued dressmaking, but I realized the most satisfaction I found was in ripping my worn dresses apart at the seams and sewing together textile collages from the pieces.” “We Are Quilted” displays her series of “quilt dresses” made from fabrics that were cut apart, reconﬁgured, and sewn back together.

Un Grito Gallery

“Joao Quiroz: Fluxus” — June 1 through 15
Mexican visual artist Joao Quiroz settled in San Antonio in 2019 and established himself as an urban landscape impressionist. His work is eclectic, outwardly impressionist, and inwardly expressionist, exploring classical art and the avant-garde. Quiroz also has a sense of humor, as witnessed in his painting of the artist Frida Kahlo wearing a Buc-ees t-shirt.

The McNay

"Big Little Stage" — June 1 through February 25, 2024
“Big Little Stage” is an exploration in how designers "present creative visions for stage productions through small-scale and large-scale models called maquettes." A variety of materials are used: "Papier-mâché, fabric, and wood ... as well as sleeker materials like stainless steel and plexiglass." Some of the stage pieces on view include a miniature Hanging Gardens of Babylon (1860), Pablo Picasso’s pastel maquette for Le Tricorne (1919) and a futuristic set by Ralph Koltai for Shakespeare’s Othello (1985).

Sala Diaz

"Alethia Jones: Floating Between Chaos and Peace" — June 2 through 30
In this vibrant exhibit with pieces that look like they were made from collage, Alethia Jones explores her personal mental health through her work. Neon colors and "fantastical landscapes" with "hints of recognizable objects" captivate the viewer. Jones says of her experience, “Like so many people on the planet, I have spent the majority of my life living with mental illness. This body of work exposes the helplessness of one grappling with negative current events, but also suggests that hope does exist, and there is still much beauty to behold in this world.”

Blue Star Contemporary

"Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology" — June 2 through September 3
18 artists, including Yoko Ono, have created an exhibit that "considers kinship, healing, and restorative interventions as artistic practices and strategies to foster a deeper consciousness of the interconnectedness with the earth." They are putting their concerns about the planet, social inequity, and public health into a creative outpouring. This touring exhibit invites the public to participate in "instruction-based meditation and deep listening among other actions."

Ruiz-Healy Art

“I Am Not Your Mexican" — June 7 through September 9
Featuring works by six different artists, “I Am Not Your Mexican” is a title inspired by James Baldwin’s documentary film “I Am Not Your Negro,” and "is a glimpse into an international macro-cultural phenomenon," according to the gallery's description. Artist Jesse Amado came up with the series name in reference to understanding art that may at first appear to be "highly conceptual or purely abstract." Instead, it prompts visitors to reconsider what belongs in a contemporary canon for this century. Amado’s series is "innovative" in its use of "chicharrón (pork rind) and Styrofoam fast food containers, products with both cultural and social-economic commentary."

San Antonio Art League

"Wax and Wildflowers" — June 11 through August 11
The International Encaustic Artists Annual Juried Exhibition, which is a mouthful to say, simply celebrates layered wax art. The encaustic medium consists of natural bees wax and damar resin (crystallized tree sap), heated or burned. The theme of the all-encaustic exhibit is “Wax and Wildflowers” and invites national, international, and regional encaustic artists to interpret the theme of wildflowers. If you are not familiar with this process, this show is definitely worth discovering.

San Antonio Museum of Art

Photo courtesy San Antonio Art League

Shary Bartlett, Vancouver BC for Wax and Wildflowers at SAALM.

“Still Brewing Art” — June 29 through September 3
Once upon a time, SAMA’s Romanesque style grand brick and stone building was the Lone Star Brewery, the first large, mechanized brewery in Texas. “Still Brewing Art” shares the history of the building with "historic photographs and artwork including belle époque large format brewery posters." In addition, the exhibition will "explore San Antonio’s history as a brewing city and how the San Antonio River fits into the story." The renovated complex reopened in 1981, accompanied by the slogan, “We’re Brewing Art.”

Courtesy of MBAW

May heats up with 7 sizzling exhibits in San Antonio

State of the Arts

Construction workers, topiary dragons, and Southwest pop art — these are just a few of the topics explored this month at galleries and museums across San Antonio. Visitors are invited to discover a mother and daughter’s story from labor camp imprisonment to liberation captured in images at the Holocaust Memorial Museum, or dive into common imagery of dream consciousness at AnArte Gallery through the work of Andrea Broyles. Meanwhile, Ruby City gives us a meditative multi-screen film installation by Isaac Julien called “Fantôme Afrique.” All in all, San Antonians can rejoice at the many options for ardent art fans this May.

Holocaust Memorial Museum

"Two Regimes: A Mother’s Memoir of Wartime Survival" — Now through May 21
“Two Regimes” is the life’s work of two Ukrainian women; Teodora Verbitskaya, who wrote about her life from 1920 to 1945, and her daughter, Nadia Werbitzky, a professionally trained artist who painted from memory. They both witnessed the Holodomor, or Great Famine genocide from 1932-1933, when millions of Ukrainians were starved to death as a result of Soviet Union policies, and the Holocaust in Mariupol, Ukraine, in 1941. Verbitskaya and her two daughters were sent to Germany to serve as slave laborers until the forced labor camps were liberated by United States troops in 1945. Eventually, they emigrated to Canada after spending time in displaced persons camps. The paintings in this exhibit are by Werbitzky and are based on the “Two Regime’s” book, written to validate the lives of those Ukrainians, Jews, Greeks, and others whose lives were lost and whose voices were silenced forever.

Bihl Haus Arts

“Mary Helwick: Hard Hats: Portraits of Construction” — Now through May 30
A series of portraits of 18 construction workers, including the artist herself, are included in “Hard Hats” where Mary Helwick’s focus was on capturing the workers’ individual traits while playing with color to create a vibrancy and synergy between the faces and backgrounds. “Although not the usual subject matter associated with portraiture, it’s been a privilege to paint this group of light-hearted and lively co-workers,” she says in a statement.

MBAW Art Gallery

“Gwen Rhea Cowden: Looking for Spring” — Now through July 31
“Looking for Spring” includes 40 works by artist Gwen Rhea Cowden (G. Rhea) created over a lifetime of artmaking, ranging from intimate figure studies and quiet still lifes, to the active dynamism and gesture of line drawings, and the layered bursts of color, shape, and texture contained in wild garden scenes. Transformed through the artist’s selective vision, each image evokes the little mysteries and moments of awe in the world around us, if only we take the time to witness them.

San Antonio Botanical Garden

"Imaginary Worlds: One Upon a Time" — Now through January 2024
Meet the larger-than-life, whimsical sculptures created by Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. Unearth a massive dragon towering nearly 25 feet in the Lucile Halsell Conservatory, a mermaid lounging in the Hill Country, and a parading peacock in the Rose Garden. Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal is an international competition and exhibition, which has gained numerous prizes and distinctions.

AnArte

"Andrea Broyles: Dream State" — May 11 through June 4
Andrea Broyles' new body of work explores common imagery of dream consciousness through washes of veiled color and vigorous mark-making techniques. Broyles is a contemporary figurative painter and sculptor whose work explores and is based on the human condition, specifically emotionality, mortality, and conflict. Broyles works her paintings in a variety of media (clay, plaster, and oil on board), offering ambiguous, enigmatic narratives drawn from her life to resonate with the viewer on many levels.

Ruby City

"Isaac Julien: Fantôme Afrique" — May 11 through July 25
“Fantôme Afrique" references the French colonial powers that forcibly shaped the West African country of Burkina Faso and the country’s self-determined response in the aftermath of occupation. Isaac Julien is internationally known for his poetic, meditative, multi-screen film installations and photographs, which reflect his long-term study of film history and production. With both lyrical and descriptive power, Julien’s works reveal the complexities of contemporary human experience alongside historical events.

Briscoe Western Art Museum

Courtesy of MBAW

“Gwen Rhea Cowden: Looking for Spring” at MBAW Gallery.

“Southwest Rising: Contemporary Art and the Legacy of Elaine Horwitch” — May 26 through September 4
A significant force in contemporary art from the early 1970s until her death in 1991, Elaine Horwitch was instrumental in bringing experimental styles such as pop art, minimalism, and conceptual art to the Southwest. With galleries across Arizona, New Mexico, and California, she was a leader in fostering what has been called “new Western art” or “Southwest pop," and this new exhibit highlights the works of some of the Elaine Horwitch Galleries’ most popular artists.

Courtesy the Carver Cultural Center

7 sensational exhibits to sample in San Antonio this April

State of the Arts

The elements, clouds, Superman, and the Mexican-American experience are the themes of San Antonio exhibits this April. Discover Puerto Rican artist Raul Rivera in his first solo show at Un Grito Gallery; David Alcantar explores the iconography of Superman at Mercury Project; and Joe Lopez embraces people whose lives are not often in mainstream cultural representation in his show, “Moments.” The arts are spirited in San Antonio this month and ready for exploring.

Un Grito Gallery

“Raul Rivera: Contemplation | Contemplaciones” — April 6 through 20
In this exhibition of acrylic monotypes from Puerto Rico-born, San Antonio-based artist Raul Rivera, his work, often influenced by the landscapes of the Caribbean where he grew up, “responds to the need to dismantle the reality that we observe and highlight the relationship that exists between the elements that forms it.” This is Rivera’s first solo show.

Centro Cultural Aztlan

“Joe Lopez: Momentos en Tiempo/Moments” — April 6 through 27
Joe Lopez, a San Antonio native, captures in this exhibit the everyday lived experiences, identities, relationships, spiritual life, and hard work of people whose lives are not often in mainstream cultural representation. “Although we were looked down on, we were extremely proud of who we were…Mexicanos Americanos/Chicanos. I hope they can see their experiences reflected in my paintings,“ says Lopez in an artist statement.

Ruby City

“Amy Cutler: Past, Present, Progress” — April 6 through February 25, 2024
At the center of this exhibition is surrealist artist Amy Cutler’s interactive, multi-media installation Fossa (2015). Cutler is known for her finely detailed paintings, drawings, and prints of women working at domestic or mysterious tasks in intimate, magical settings, and Fossa creates the experience of walking into one of her works. Also included in the exhibition will be Cutler’s large drawing of the same name, acquired by Ruby City earlier this year, along with a selection of loaned works from two other series. For over two decades, Cutler has created beguiling images that only hint at unknown and open-ended stories, inviting endless interpretations.

Mercury Project

“David Alcantar: The Superman Project "— April 7 through 30
Texas artist David Alcantar’s exhibition is a partial culmination of his research about how societal negotiations surrounding power have defined American heroism, and vice-versa. The iconography of Superman and his association to “Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” is used as a touchstone to investigate how we negotiate and reconcile our desire for salvation and heroism with our flaws and mortality. The project highlights questions about America’s identity, political power, military policy, immigration policy, and its supposed constitution to moral righteousness, to name a few.

Ruiz-Healy Art

“Nate Cassie: A Knife Out Of A Cloud” — April 12 through May 27
The exhibition features ceramics, prints, paintings, and video installation to examine a mixture of rousing and frightening feelings, along with the ever-present sense that one never knows what the future holds for them. Nate Cassie presents an array of objects evoking sentiments of transformation and change. In his body of work, cloud imagery is a hallmark that best captures these concepts. In the artist’s words, “They signify transition, clouds moving across the sky. Depending on what they look like, it is a sign of change in the weather. I feel that analogy applies to contemporary life, our current moment.”

Clamp Light Studios

“Narratives at Play” — April 14 through May 6
“Narratives at Play” features new and recent artworks by three Texas-based artists: Vincent Fink, Stephanie Gonzalez, and Calvin Pressley. Through surrealist imagery and abstraction, there is a sense of human nature and the connection to the natural and subconscious world pervading through each of the artists’ works. Whether it be through an intuitive process or mathematical planning, there is an essence of play and exploration inviting viewers to re-interpret the works with their own sense of curiosity.

The Carver Cultural Community Center

Courtesy the Carver Cultural Center

Find words by Akaimi Davis and Kwanzaa Edwards at the Carver Cultural Center this month.

“Akaimi Davis & Kwanzaa Edwards” — April 20 through May 26
Akaimi Davis and Kwanzaa Edwards display two distinct aesthetics in their work, but both draw inspiration from their personal life to inspire others through their histories and artistry. Davis is known for her bold, graphic lines and strong imagery while Edwards blends personal history with fantasy to create a romanticized understanding and appreciation of all life holds.

Courtesy of the Witte Museum

7 scintillating ways to soak up the arts in San Antonio this month

State of the Arts

March brings some stellar exhibits to Alamo City with themes as varied as women and Latinx artists to dogs, dinosaurs, saints, and the Wild West. The Fronteriza project at Presa House focuses on women artists in Texas contemplating the U.S.-Mexico border through their art; “Alchemy” features Latin American artists demonstrating the magical process of transformation that occurs when art is created. Meanwhile, the Witte introduces viewers to the dinosaurs of the Antarctic, where 200 million years ago these Early Jurassic theropods thrived, while “Night of Artists” at the Briscoe celebrates cowboys. There's so much art to devour, so giddy up and get out there.

Ruiz-Healy Art

“Alchemy: Works on Paper” — Now through April 1
“Alchemy” features Latin American and Texas-based artists, and demonstrates the power of the brushstroke and the seemingly magical process of transformation that occurs in the creation of an artwork. The flexible quality of paper, and its two-dimensional constraints, is manipulated in this way to blur the realms of reality and fantasy. The immediacy of drawing, collage, and photograms find kinship with the multi-step techniques of printmaking and papermaking. In the case of Jesse Amado’s “Machine,” materials such as ink and graphite produce an elaborate three-dimensional drawing, while “A Bailar,” by Cisco Jimenez playfully uses collage to deconstruct the human body.

The Witte Museum

“Antarctic Dinosaurs” — Now through September 10
Visit Antarctica at the Witte: Now one of the most isolated and dangerous environments on Earth, Antarctica was a bountiful, forested habitat where dinosaurs thrived 200 million years ago. “Antarctic Dinosaurs” transports visitors back in time to discover the dinosaurs that ruled these now-fossilized forests. Explore the plants and animals that once flourished in the thick forests of Jurassic Antarctica, then part of the supercontinent Gondwanaland, and learn how the land drifted and changed to become the polar continent we know today. View fossils that reveal Antarctica’s past, alongside large-scale replicas of dinosaur species unique to the continent. Marvel at the 25-foot-long Cryolophosaurus, the largest and most complete Early Jurassic theropod in the world, and a new-to-science juvenile sauropodomorph.

AnArte Gallery

“Sergio Mata: Saint Anthony” — Now through March 30
On June 13, 1691, San Antonio was named after Saint Anthony, the Spanish version of the name. Sergio C Mata, a 31-year-old artist from San Antonio, creates modern colorful portraits of Saint Anthony with titles that reflect the color palette like, “Cantaloupe Anthony,” “Lavender Anthony,” and “Citrine Anthony.” The artist’s intention is that the Saint Anthony’s will “watch over those who live within his city,” Mata says in an artist statement. “My art project will hopefully show the entire world how San Antonio's belief in art and culture is above all miraculous.”

Blue Star Contemporary

“The Dog Show: Hiromi Stringer” — Now through June 4
Almost 30 years ago, Hiromi Stringer was inspired by seeing a Siberian Husky dog on a busy street in Bangkok, and this later informed his work in “Dog Show: Time Traveler Umeyama’s Drawings from the 21st Century.” Intertwined with the various dogs in the gouache and sumi ink on oriental paper paintings is the story of Umeyama, a mediocre scholar who time-travels to various times and places. His base point is the Japan of 170 years ago when the country was under government-enforced national isolation. “There are many parallels between him and myself,” Stringer shares in a statement, “but he is not my alter ego. I use him to see the world more objectively through his subjective view, yet some traces of my subjectivity are not denied in my works.”

Presa House Gallery

“Fronteriza: Aquí y Allá"— Now through April 15
The Fronteriza project focuses on women artists in Texas contemplating the U.S.-Mexico border through their art. The nine participating artists bring a different perspective from uniquely personal experiences depicted in various media and techniques, such as ceramics, fibers, textiles, painting, drawing, photography, video, and performance. As women, the collective approaches art and themes about the border collaboratively; the interconnectedness in their work includes aspects of the female perspective in family history, culture, place, and politics.

The McNay Art Museum

“Womanish: Audacious, Courageous, Willful Art” — Now through July 2
"Womanish” features artwork by women acquired by the McNay from 2010 to the present. The title of this exhibition is inspired by Alice Walker’s essay "Womanist," in which she defines womanish as “usually referring to outrageous, audacious, courageous or willful behavior.” By highlighting the wide variety of ways women express themselves through art, this exhibition aims to celebrate the term “womanish,” which is all too often considered derogatory. The work represented spans over 90 years and includes portraiture, abstraction, landscapes, and more.

Briscoe Western Art Museum

Courtesy of the Witte Museum

Antarctic Dinosaurs at the Witte Museum.

“2023 Night of Artists”— March 26 through May 7
This annual event allows the public to view and purchase over 270 new works of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by 80 of the country’s leading contemporary Western artists. The wide range of artworks reflect the vastness of the great American West: From scenic landscapes and inspired Native Americans, classic cowboys, and dazzling vaqueros, to stunning wildlife and detailed portraiture, “Night of Artists” has something for everyone enthralled with the Wild West.

Courtesy The Carver Cultural Community Center

6 San Antonio exhibits to warm your heart and soul this February

State of the Arts

All you need is art this month in Alamo City with fresh and fearless exhibits: Some will tickle your fancy; others, your psyche. Explore JooYoung Choi’s imaginary world at The Contemporary, or immerse yourself in the history of the Mexican-American War of 1848 with representations from various artists at the Centro Cultural Aztlan. Guy Blair brings San Antonio’s unhoused population into careful focus with painted portraits at the Semmes Gallery, while the San Antonio Museum of Art transports viewers into “Roman Landscapes” providing birds-eye perspectives and fantastical views. There's something for everyone this February.

Centro Cultural Aztlan

“Segundo de Febrero: Chicana/Chicano Reunion” — Now through February 24
February 2 marks the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The landmark treaty ended the Mexican-American War, redistributed the border, and created a new bicultural population. In this exhibition, a group of celebrated artists will explore the impact of broken treaties, new borders, and their effects on Latino, Chicano, and indigenous history and culture.

The Contemporary at Blue Star

“JooYoung Choi: Songs of Resilience from the Tapestry of Faith” — February 3 through May 7
Through painting, video, sculpture, animation, music ,and installation art, multidisciplinary world-builder JooYoung Choi documents the interconnecting narratives of a highly structured, expansive, fictional land she calls the "Cosmic Womb." Her work explores issues of identity, belonging, trauma, and resilience through the sci-fi/fantasy genre. This exhibition introduces the Cosmic Womb multiverse and highlights some of its key characters and narratives. In creating a world that explores loss, healing, and growth based upon a connective web of belief and faith in oneself, Choi expresses human resiliency and the strength that can be found through the power of storytelling.

Centro de Artes

“Soy de Tejas: A Statewide Survey of Latinx Art” — February 9 through July 2
Soy de Tejas presents the works of 40 native Texan and Texas-based contemporary artists who reflect the diverse and beautiful complexity of Latinx identities. The more than 100 artworks forge new connections and explore intersections from a nexus of artists who ambitiously blaze a trail of contemporary artmaking, presenting fresh Latinx perspectives and experiences while amplifying the voices of a segment of Texas' most inspiring established and emerging artists. “The exhibit explores themes ranging from race, class, and gender to migration, mythmaking, displacement, and indigeneity," says curator Rigoberto Luna on the gallery's website. "In contrast, many works center on celebrating joyful customs, culture, and traditions that unite and sustain our communities in the face of a multitude of challenges."

Semmes Gallery - University of the Incarnate Word

“Homeless in San Antonio” — February 17 through March 17
Guy Blair is largely self-taught as an artist in the medium of pastels and watercolor. He always wanted “to do” art but was devoted to his ministry as a priest. For the past 40 years as a Catholic priest, he has ministered to both the deaf and homeless communities. In the past eight years, he has seriously paid attention to his desire to paint. This exhibit is a blending of his service to the homeless as well as his interest in art. “As we walk by homeless people on the streets of San Antonio, most people tend to look through them or judge them as perhaps deserving of the situation they are in,” Blair said in an artist statement. “This attitude allows people to build an emotional barrier, giving them permission not to connect with the homeless as destitute people whose suffering and tears are as real as our own.”

The Carver Cultural Community Center

“Alain Gakwaya"— February 23 through April 14
Alain Gakwaya hails from Rwanda and is a self-described, “activist, artist, and adventurer.” His love for art began in the 3rd grade, when his teacher requested that he draw for his entire class. Specializing in portraiture, Gakwaya paints to tell his story and the stories of his homeland. Though he's now based in San Antonio, he draws inspiration from everyday life in Africa and specifically his home country of Rwanda.

San Antonio Museum of Art

Courtesy of the Carver Cultural Community Center

Alain-Gakwaya's work is coming to the Carver Cultural Community Center this month.

“Roman Landscapes: Visions of Nature and Myth from Rome and Pompeii” — February 24 through May 21
The exhibition features 65 wall paintings, sculptures, mosaics, and cameo glass and silver vessels created in Roman Italy between 100 BC and AD 250. “Roman Landscapes” introduces visitors to the cultural and archaeological contexts of Roman landscapes, beginning with mural paintings and relief sculptures that depict coastal villas and rustic shrines. These works display the imaginary aspects of Roman images of the natural world, connecting the genre’s appearance to the political and social upheaval of the late Republic and early Empire. Fantastical views of Egypt and Greece reflect ancient fascination with these celebrated lands incorporated into the Roman Empire. Mythological paintings then reveal landscape scenes as settings for hazardous encounters between humans and the gods.

Courtesy of Semmes Gallery - University of the Incarnate Word

6 San Antonio exhibits to enthrall and delight the senses this month

State of the Arts

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.

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Sweet Los Angeles salad chain plants first San Antonio store

LETTUCE CELEBRATE

One of America's buzziest fast-casual brands has found its way to San Antonio. Sweetgreen, a Los Angeles-based chain known for locally sourced bowls and a contemporary brand identity, debuts at Quarry Village on June 6.

Founded in Washington, D.C., in 2006, the chain has become one of the U.S.'s fastest-growing concepts by reimagining fast food. Its menu focuses on gourmet grain bowls and salads augmented with healthier drinks and desserts.

Highlights include a spring asparagus salad overflowing with green vegetables and za'atar breadcrumbs, the warm Shroomami bowl with roasted sesame tofu and portobello, and a protein-packed green goddess salad with black lentils and chickpeas.

With a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2027, Sweetgreen commits itself to sustainable construction, a plant-heavy menu, and local sourcing when possible. The San Antonio newcomer works with local farms when possible, like Rio Fresh Farm, Fredericksburg Peach Co., Kitchen Pride, Village Farms, Bowers Shrimp Farm, and Banyan Foods.

That community commitment extends to working with locally serving nonprofits. For every meal sold on opening day, the restaurant will donate a meal to Brighter Bites, a national organization delivering fresh produce to underserved elementary school families.

Sweetgreen will also be bringing some opening day fun. The first 50 guests will receive a mystery box from Austin-based brand Kendra Scott, and the first 100 guests will receive a free print from local artist Maya Sokovic. Diners will also enjoy gelato and coffee from Paciugo and a live set from San Antonio deejay Alyson Alonzo.

San Antonio is a city with so much history, with a vibrant food and dining scene to match, and we couldn't be more excited to be joining the community," said Sweetgreen cofounder and CEO Jonathan Neman via a release. "We look forward to continuing our commitment of connecting residents in Texas to real, healthy, convenient food."

Once opened at 340 East Basse Rd. #101, Sweetgreen will have daily hours of 10:30 am- 9 pm.

Photo courtesy of Sweetgreen.

Sweetgreen greets visitos with a fresh, clean aesthetic.

Controversial comedian Dave Chappelle plots out 4 Texas arena shows, including San Antonio

Chappelle's Show(s)

Comedian/actor Dave Chappelle will soon bring his "Dave Chappelle Live" stand-up comedy show to arenas in four cities in Texas, including the AT&T Center in San Antonio on July 12

Other dates include the American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 29, the Toyota Center in Houston on July 1, and the Moody Center in Austin on July 14.

Chappelle is a complicated figure who's been celebrated for his trailblazing comedy and vilified for his controversial stances. Chappelle's Show, which ran from 2003 to 2006 on Comedy Central, was widely praised, and Chappelle remained extremely popular despite the abrupt end of the show and him choosing to recede from the spotlight in the following decade.

His re-emergence in the late 2010s brought success in the form of three straight Grammy wins for Best Comedy Album, but also continued jokes aimed at transgender people. He has been the subject of multiple protests over that material, and has even had a show canceled by a venue in Minneapolis after receiving criticism for hosting him.

As if to underscore the contentious nature of his comedy, no cellphones, cameras, or recording devices will be allowed at any of the four shows. All phones and smart watches will be secured in special pouches that can be unlocked at the end of the show. Anyone caught with a cellphone in the venue will be immediately ejected.

Tickets for the four shows will go on sale at 5 pm on June 5 at ticketmaster.com.

Endless creativity of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse keeps superhero story in overdrive

Movie Review

The blast of pure fun that was 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse accomplished several goals, but none more important than reclaiming the character from being part of just the Marvel Cinematic Universe. By not participating in the never-ending connecting stories of the MCU, the filmmakers could do whatever they wanted, first and foremost using Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) instead of Peter Parker as its main character.

It was also at the forefront of multiversal storytelling that has become the rage in the MCU and elsewhere. Given the multitude of Spider characters that have existed in the comics over the years, it was uniquely suited to telling a story with people from multiple universes. That concept is taken to the nth degree with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, a film that has seemingly limitless levels of creativity.

Miles, having separated from Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), and other Spider-people at the end of the first film, is doing well as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, casually protecting people from threats big and small. But when a highly unusual villain named The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) proves especially tricky, a series of events has Miles follow Gwen into a portal where he encounters every other Spider character in existence.

Lest you think that’s hyperbole, among the people he meets are Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg), and Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Revelations made while meeting all of them lead Miles to a whole new understanding of himself and the multiverse in general, with far-reaching consequences.

The filmmakers, once again led by writers/producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, fill the screen with so many visual elements that at times it can be overwhelming, but in the best possible way. Unlike most animated films, there are multiple different styles employed throughout, and never knowing what to expect gives the film a kineticism that borders on manic, although it always stops short of being incomprehensible.

The storytelling is much more complex this time around, no surprise since it involves so many more characters. But the personal stories of each of the Spider characters, especially Miles and Gwen, maintain a grounded nature that keeps the plot anchored even while delving into increasingly fantastical territory.

Although this film deals with some darker themes, there is still plenty of humor to be had. The intersection of so many Spider characters highlights their differences, and the way they interact can’t help but be entertaining. Miles is still a 15-year-old kid, and the way he navigates the world(s) has a lightness to it that is a sharp contrast to the various adults in his life.

Moore, who’s not as well-known as some of his co-stars, has proven to be the perfect voice for Miles, making him relatable and powerful at the same time. Everyone else gives similarly great performances, although the fact that many of them are famous for their non-voicework doesn’t really play a factor in how well they come across here.

A third film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, is teased with a cliffhanger, and unlike other franchises where multiple films are unnecessary, there are no such reservations here. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse equals the success of the first film, and there is no doubt that the filmmakers will bring the same level of attention to detail to the end of the trilogy.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now running in theaters.

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

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