From minimalist glass cubes and cinematic dreamscapes to immersive installations and deep dives into Latinx folklore, San Antonio’s fall arts calendar is as numerous and engaging because the scene that makes it tick.
On this roundup, we spotlight key exhibitions Alamo Metropolis artwork followers must expertise this fall.
‘Larry Bell: Improvisations’ at SAMA (Aug. 29-Jan. 4)
When the San Antonio Museum of Artwork opened in 1981 within the former Lone Star Brewery, one of many first works on view was Larry Bell’s The Dilemma of Griffin’s Cat — a precarious-looking glass sales space whose title nods to the vanishing feline within the H.G. Wells novel The Invisible Man. Commissioned by SAMA and now a part of its everlasting assortment, that large-scale sculpture exemplifies the Chicago-born, Los Angeles-based artist’s meditative work, which begs viewers to ponder the sunshine and house round them. 4 many years later, SAMA comes full circle with “Improvisations,” a solo present organized by the Phoenix Artwork Museum. Along with Bell’s minimalist glass cubes, the exhibition consists of collages and monumental installations the 85-year-old artist created between 1969 and 2024. $12-$22 (free for Bexar County residents 4-7 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m.-noon Sunday), 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tue, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; San Antonio Museum of Artwork, 200 W. Jones St., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org.
‘Sandy Skoglund: Enchanting Nature’ on the McNay (Sept. 11-Feb. 1)
An emblematic determine who helped outline the Nineteen Eighties-era New York artwork scene, Sandy Skoglund rose to prominence by creating fantastical tableaux that bent the “realities” of the photographic medium lengthy earlier than the arrival of digital modifying instruments. Though maybe greatest identified for two-dimensional pictures reminiscent of 1980’s Radioactive Cats and 1981’s Revenge of the Goldfish — the latter of which graced the quilt of Inspiral Carpets’ 1992 album of the identical title — Skoglund mixes sculpture, portray and set design into dreamlike installations earlier than she pictures them. A profitable instance, Skoglund’s Cheez Doodle-covered 1992 set up The Cocktail Occasion has lengthy been within the everlasting assortment of the McNay, which is now presenting “Enchanting Nature,” an exhibition comprising three installations alongside large-scale pictures that zoom in on a few of her most acknowledged works. Writing about her 2001 exhibition “Raining Popcorn,” curator Marvin Heiferman encapsulated the amusing sensation Skoglund brings to the artwork world: “It’s exhausting to be blasé when confronted with Skoglund’s signature, over-the-top psychodramas. And exhausting to not shake your head in disbelief or crack a smile when you end up, actually or figuratively, in a nook of the world the place every little thing is roofed in raw chopped meat, raisins, or jelly beans.” $10-$23 (free 4-9 p.m. Thursdays and noon-5 p.m. first Sundays), 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, McNay Artwork Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org.
Worldwide Artists-in-Residence Exhibitions at Artpace (Sept. 11-Jan. 19)
Hand-picked by Madrid-based visitor curator Regine Basha to take part in Artpace’s famend Worldwide Artists-in-Residence program, Goldie Poblador, Elana Herzog and Ian Gerson arrived in July to dwell and work in San Antonio. Primarily based in Manila and impressed by Filipino mythology, Poblador makes a speciality of glass flameworking however curiously incorporates scent into her installations. In her Artpace exhibition “The Rise of Medusa,” Poblador conjures a subaquatic seascape inhabited by dangling glass jellyfish-like creatures and two tellingly titled scents: Oil Slick and Useless Coral. Born in Toronto and based mostly in New York Metropolis, Herzog explores migration and expertise by way of the lens of textiles. For “World Floral,” Herzog constructed a dramatic, diagonal wall within the gallery house and coated it with a patchwork of wallpaper and handmade textiles — providing up an eclectic backdrop that’s certain to encourage quite a lot of selfies this fall. Houston-based Gerson is a trans interdisciplinary artist who works between sculpture and set up to deal with subjects spanning from local weather injustice to queer longing. With “Glimpses of Transtopia,” Gerson evokes a becoming room with a construction constructed from discovered supplies and clothes crafted from emergency blankets, salvaged ropes and repurposed clothes. Free, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Artpace San Antonio, 445 N. Primary Ave., (210) 212-4900, artpace.org.
‘Madre_Land: South Texas Reminiscence & the Artwork of Making Dwelling’ and ‘Cuentos y Arte: Mexican American Folks Tales of the Southwest’ at Centro de Artes (Oct. 2 – Feb. 22)
Carrying the torch for its predecessor — the bygone, Smithsonian offshoot Museo Alameda — the city-run Centro de Artes does a commendable job showcasing San Antonio’s strong Latinx artwork scene. Working example: the sprawling artwork house’s fall programming unites greater than 30 wide-ranging creators for 2 exhibitions rooted in Latinx tradition and id. Curated by multitasking artist Bonnie Cisneros — whom many know as artsy party-starter DJ Despeinada — the first-floor exhibition “Madre_Land: South Texas Reminiscence & the Artwork of Making Dwelling” attracts inspiration from the work of Chicana artists and students Amalia Mesa-Bains and Tomás Ybarra-Fausto, the latter of whom coined the time period rasquachismo and is represented within the exhibition. Organized in a format that evokes home areas and remembers the welcoming chorus “mi casa es su casa,” the group present brings altar installations, folks artwork, images, collage and portraits right into a homey context full with kitchen, eating room and entrance porch areas together with considerate tributes to San Antonio’s storied Sunshine Bakery and La Guadalupanita Café. With a tighter focus upstairs, the Rebecca Gomez-curated “Cuentos y Arte: Mexican American Folks Tales of the Southwest” explores pervasive cultural legends — from El Cucuy to La Lechuza — by way of the eyes of 5 girls artists: Lisette Chavez, Audrya Flores, April A. Garcia, Angelica Raquel and Hailey Marmolejo. Free, opening reception 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, on view 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Centro de Artes, 101 S. Santa Rosa Ave., sa.gov.
thirty fifth Annual Pink Dot Artwork Sale & Exhibition (Nov. 12-Jan. 4)
With a reputation that references these hotly anticipated purple stickers that get positioned subsequent to bought artistic endeavors, Pink Dot is a essential fundraiser that gives Up to date at Blue Star an enormous chunk of its annual working price range. Routinely attended by lots of of native artwork followers, the opening night time occasion comes with a $125 ticket value however doubles as a meet-and-greet with the established and rising creators reinforcing San Antonio’s standing as a vacation spot for up to date artwork. After opening night time, Pink Dot continues to perform as an exhibition and fundraiser that’s free to attend, providing a various survey of affordably priced art work being made in San Antonio. For its thirty fifth iteration, Pink Dot is highlighting the work of Meredith Dean — a beloved printmaker and painter who fostered the skills of numerous rising native artists for 23 years as an teacher on the College of Texas at San Antonio. Opening night time: $125, 7-10 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12; exhibition: free, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, noon-8 pm. Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 pm. Saturday-Sunday, Up to date at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org.
This text seems in Sep 18-Oct 1.
