Southwest School of Art to Become First Independent Art College in Texas

Photo Courtesy of Southwest School of Art

Big changes are underway at the Southwest School of Art. The school will enroll a small number of degree-seeking students in fall 2013 for its nascent BFA program, becoming the only independent art college in Texas. The staff at SSA is busy readying the school for its first class of four-year students.

“The program will offer total immersion in the visual arts,” says Cathy Brillson, Director of Public Relations and Marketing at SSA, “and we think this is a great way to achieve our goal of preparing students to be working artists.” 

This immersion in the arts will set the program apart from other local schools that offer BFAs alongside liberal arts and science degrees. The SSA hopes to provide an atmosphere in which a young artist is surrounded with art and artists every day.

Creating such an atmosphere is nothing new to SSA. When one considers the school’s long history of arts education in San Antonio, the move to provide a BFA seems like a natural development. SSA has offered on-campus studio classes for over 45 years in painting, sculpture, book arts and other fields, and free Saturday art-making for children. Additionally, the school exhibits work by dozens of artists each year, including internationally-acclaimed artists such as Fernando Botero, Dale Chihuly, Abelardo Morell and Kurt Weiser, among others. SSA will continue to offer these classes and host exhibitions after the launch of its BFA program in fall 2013.

There is as yet no official tuition quote for the new program, but SSA will keep tuition costs in line with those of other colleges in the area, and is raising funds to be used for scholarships. 

Contributed by: Michael Swellander, public relations intern for Texas Public Radio

YOSA Performs With Young Musicians From Mexico This Weekend

Photo Courtesy of YOSA

The San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs presents "Mexico - San Antonio: Celebrating Musical Youth" a cross-cultural concert celebrating the centennial of the Mexico Revolution. The Youth Orchestras of San Antonio will be joined by Mexico's Juventud Sinfonica de Monterrey from a program featuring works from Mexican composers, including Arturo Márquez's "Danzon No. 2."

The concert is one of the highlights of the 2010 Mexico-San Antonio celebration of how Mexico's history has shaped our own identity, and has made of San Antonio and South Texas the unique, special places they are today.

The performance takes place at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday, November 20 at 7 p.m. Tickets are free, but if you are interested in attending, you must call YOSA at (210) 737-0097 to reserve a seat.

Texas Public Radio Remembers Chuck Ramirez

Chuck Ramirez

Photo from San Antonio Express News

You may have heard our story about the sudden death of Chuck Ramirez on "Morning Edition" this morning.
We're sharing the information from our remembrance again here on the blog in case you missed the story. We know many in the city are shaken by the sad loss of their friend and colleague.

We thank Bill FitzGibbons for sharing his thoughts with us on Sunday during such a difficult time.

Over the weekend local artist Chuck Ramirez died after a bicycle accident. Born in 1962, he lived and worked in San Antonio as an artist and as a leader of the arts community.

Bill FitzGibbons was a close friend of Ramirez and is the executive director of the Blue Star Contemporary Art Center. He said Ramirez was a giving person who frequently helped Blue Star by designing banners and brochures.

“He was involved with Blue Star from the very beginning. He’s been on and off the board for about 25 years. He, in fact, was acting director at one point, and it was largely through his efforts at that time that Blue Star continued on and didn’t go out of business,” said FitzGibbons.

Chuck Ramirez's work has been shown extensively throughout Texas and the United States. Solo and group exhibitions include Bronx Museum of Contemporary Art,; Arlington Museum of Contemporary Art, Austin Museum of Art, North Texas State University Gallery and more.

Bill FitzGibbons said Chuck Ramirez was an artist who was inventive, playful and was ready to hit the big time. “It’s a real loss and he had such a knack as an artist. He was one of the most creative artists I’ve ever known. He had an extraordinary ability to take the ordinary and through his photography make it into an extraordinary work of art,” he said “I feel that he was just really in the midst of his career and he had a lot of opportunities ahead to become a nationally known artist."

San Antonio’s artist community is deeply shaken by the loss of Chuck Ramirez. Blue Star will be honoring him at the upcoming fund raiser, Blue Star Arts and Eats on Nov 17th. They will dedicate the event to their friend and colleague and will create an altar as a memorial to him.

Chuck Ramirez was a great friend to Texas Public Radio. In 2007 he designed a pledge drive T-shirt for KSTX. It’s the one with a coffee cup and the phrase “Texas Public Radio keeps you knowing all day long.”

He was also a partner with Texas Public Radio at last year’s Luminaria where his art was displayed.

Gemini Ink: Dramatic Readers Theater -- Entre Nosotros/Among Ourselves: South Texas and the Mexican Revolution of 1910

Dramatic Readers Theater:

Entre Nosotros/Among Ourselves: South Texas and the Mexican Revolution of 1910

Sunday, November 21, 4 pm

Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, San Antonio TX 78209
Free and open to the public

Rarely accessible primary and secondary sources, along with seminal texts such as San Antonio historian Anita Brenner’s The Wind That Swept Mexico, will dramatically enlarge our understanding of how we — South Texans and Mexicans engaging our porous and violent border — helped make the revolutionary history that shaped modern Mexico. Music of the period will support the actors.
This production complements the Witte Museum’s exhibition: 1910: A Revolution Across Borders on view Sept. 16, 2010 – Jan. 16, 2011

Gemini Ink--Writers Respond to Art

WRITERS RESPOND TO ART

6:30-8pm, Tuesday, Nov. 9
San Antonio Museum of Art (auditorium) * 200 W. Jones Ave., San Antonio, TX, 78215

Gemini Ink and the San Antonio Museum of Art present Writers Respond to Art, an event which presents three San Antonio writers, Norma Cantú, Barbara Renaud Gonzalez, and Derek Delgado, in a reading of their original responses to the museum’s incredible Latin American Art collections. Come early, view the artworks, and create your own sense of the collection before hearing the writers’ unique perspective.

The event is free and open to the public.

NALIP San Antonio Hosts 2010 Adelante Film Forum

NALIP San Antonio Announces Adelante 360°

National Association of Latino Independent Producers – San Antonio(NALIP SA)
2010 Adelante Film Forum: Adelante 360°
Friday, November 12 - Sunday, November 14, 2010

Adelante 360° is this year’s theme for the Adelante Film Forum, sponsored by the San Antonio chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP). This year’s forum will focus on how multi-platform media and technology impact the art, craft and business of film.

Adelante 360° will begin on Friday, November 12th with a reception at Say Si Youth Media (1518 S, Alamo St, San Antonio, TX 78204). On Saturday and Sunday, November 13-14, panels and workshops will take place at El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel (110 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio, TX 78205) and The Radius (106 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, TX 78205).

The events will include:
· A working lunch with noted industry professionals, including producer Marilyn Atlas (Real Women Have Curves), production coordinator Holly Jeter (20th Century Fox), and producer Navid McIlhargey (New Regency Productions)

· A workshop where actors of all ages and levels of experience can learn about the business of acting, from casting to cold reads
· A panel for parents of child actors
· A “Hot Seat” session, where filmmakers can pitch their ideas to producers and learn how to fine-tune their marketing skills
· A workshop for filmmakers on scheduling and budgeting for short films, features, and TV pilots
· A panel on digital media
· And much more


 To register for all events:
· Early Registration for all events (before November 5): Only $50
· Late Registration for all events (after November 5): Only $75

To register for just the panel for parents of child actors:
· Only $20

REGISTRATION / MORE INFO:

For a complete schedule of events, and to register, please visit http://www.adelantefilmforum.com/.

LOCAL PRODUCTION COMPANY TO SHOWCASE EVENT: PYSCHEDELIC CANDY CIRCUS

Knyph-Knaut Productions is set to host Psychedelic Candy Circus, a fundraiser benefiting the documentary: Art & the Hood. This eccentric and fun-filled event will take place on Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m., at the Backstage Live (1305 East Houston st. San Antonio, Tx 78205). The production will showcase artwork, entertainment, filming for the upcoming documentary and a special silent auction.


The event will include performances by Hyper Bubble, local comedian Jason Esteban Estrada, Fire Dancing Group Brothers of the Flame, belly dancer Shimarella and other circus related entertainers, among other circus performers.

Featured artists include Agosto Cuellar, Robert Tatum, Eric Fonseca, Mari Hernandez (of Mas Rudas) and Jade Esteban Estrada.

Sponsors for the event include the San Antonio Film Commission, Learning Express, and Alamo Beer. Silent auction items will be available from well-known artists across a variety of disciplines, such as fashion designer Agosto Cuellar, fine artist Robert Tatum, photographer Ansen Seale and stop-animation filmmaker Eric Fonseca. Tickets are available for purchase at knyphknautproductions.com.

About Art & The Hood


Art & The Hood is a documentary film about the San Antonio Southtown art community and its delectable denizens. This film will delve into the lives of each featured creative artist and explore their inspirations, the events in their lives that have influenced them and how the city itself has influenced and played a part in their work. This documentary will represent an unexpected side of San Antonio and will highlights the human spirit and its drive to create amidst loves and losses each artist experiences. For more information, visit knyphknautproductions.com.

Local Artist, Chuck Ramirez, has died



Chuck Ramirez

(Photo from San Antonio Express News)

Chuck Ramirez, a contemporary artist whose avant-garde work has been featured at Luminaria and public places throughout San Antonio, has died.
Here, the sad news from today's San Antonio Express News in an article by Elda Silva:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_artist_chuck_ramirez_injured_in_bike_accident_106820748.html?abc=JEIbLSTI

Event Sponsored by Gemini Ink and Instituto Cultural de México

BOOK PRESENTATION by Susannah Joel Glusker

Avant-Garde Art & Artists in Mexico: Anita Brenner’s Journals of the Roaring Twenties  (UT Press 2010) Edited by Susannah Joel Glusker, Foreword by Carlos Monsivais.

Journalist, historian, anthropologist, art critic, and creative writer, Anita Brenner (1905-1974) was one of Mexico's most discerning interpreters. She is known for her landmark books Idols Behind Altars, Your Mexican Holiday, and The Wind That Swept Mexico.

The daughter of Anita Brenner and author of the book Anita Brenner: A Mind of Her Own, Susannah Joel Glusker teaches Mexican Women of Note and Mexican Art of the Early Twentieth Century at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and translates, and writes for various publications.

Event will be on Thursday, November 18 @ 6 pm
Free Admission
RSVP at (210) 227 0123
Auditorium of the Instituto Cultural de México (Auditorio)
600 Hemisfair Park, San Antonio, TX 78205
Tel. (210) 227-0123
http://www.saculturamexico.org/
For more information call (210) 227-0123

Express News and SAPLF Sponsor Book/Author Celebration: "Born to Read"

7th Annual Express-News Children’s Book & Author Celebration

Benefiting the SAPLF’s “Born to Read” Initiative

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Time: 10:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Pearl Stable

Parents and children ages 4 to 11 years of age, have the opportunity to meet the authors and illustrators, hear their presentations, have books autographed and participate in book-related craft activities provided by children’s librarians. A raffle with literary themed prizes will be offered as well. Cost Per: $25/Adults and $10/Children (includes box lunch/Central Market). Registration: Non-ticketed/check-in list at door. Register by calling 210.225.4728, ext. 11, or by emailing tracey.bennett@saplf.org.

Authors & Illustrators
1. Chris Barton
2. Diane Gonzales Bertrand
3. Joy Fisher Hein
4. Jan Peck
5. Barbara Beery

DIWALI San Antonio: Festival of Lights

Maria: Daughter of Immigrants--November 6 at the Esperanza

November 6, 2010; 6:30pm Reception; 7pm Reading & Plática

Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (922 San Pedro Ave, 78212)


María Antonietta Berriozábal will mark with pride the 100th Anniversary of the November 6, 1910 crossing of the US/Mexico border by her paternal grandparents and father by introducing her forthcoming book, María: Daughter of Immigrants at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center on Saturday, November 6, 2010. There will be a reception at 6:30pm, and the reading will begin at 7pm, followed by a plática with María.

This unique celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution focuses on the personal stories of one immigrant family who, like immigrants everywhere, have helped to build Texas and this nation. María’s father’s family and paternal grandparents crossed in 1910 and her mother and maternal grandparents crossed in 1914. María will present an evening of song, photos, and video, honoring her proud heritage as Mejicana, Mexican American, Chicana, Tejana. While the book will not yet be available, María will read excerpts, including stories of the struggles of her father’s family during their early years in Texas and of growing up on San Antonio's Westside. María will also join with local artist Enedina Cásarez-Vásquez in unveiling the cover art for the book.

María Antonietta Berriozábal is the first Mexican-American woman elected to the City Council of a major U.S. city, representing San Antonio District 1 from 1981-1991, then running for mayor in a closely contested race in 1991. She was appointed U.S. Representative to the InterAmerican Commission on Women for the Organization of American States during the Clinton Administration and served as a U.S. Delegate to the United Nations' Fourth World Conference on Women at Mar del Plata, Beijing, and New York. A community leader and activist, María continues to serve as a tireless advocate for justice and peace.

"Holiday in Brass"--The San Antonio Brass in December

The San Antonio Brass will present "Holiday in Brass" on Tuesday, December 7 at 7:30 pm at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church (14700 San Pedro Ave.); Thursday, December 9 at 7:00 pm, St. Luke's Episcopal Church "Ring in the Season" (11 St Luke's Lane) and Sunday, December 12 at 2:00 pm at Beacon Hill Presbyterian Church (1101 W. Woodlawn). The program will feature music of of the Holiday season both traditional and popular. Admission is by donation.


"Holiday in Brass" will also be presented on Monday, November 29 at 7:30 pm in Kerrville (1st Presbyterian Church, 800 Jefferson St.) and Monday, December 6 in Boerne (St. Mark Presbyterian Church, 208 W. Bandera Rd.). The program will feature music of of the Holiday season both traditional and popular. Admission is by donation.

Comprised of the finest brass players in South Texas, including the principal brass of the San Antonio Symphony, the San Antonio Brass has been South Texas's premiere brass ensemble for over 25 years. For more information about the San Antonio Brass please visit: www.sabrass.org or call 210-861-6840.

Musical Offerings at the McNay

You are invited to Blurring the Lines: Impressionist Music presented by Musical Offerings and the McNay Art Museum on Sunday, November 14 in the Leeper Auditorium at 2:00 PM in conjunction with Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism.

Join us as Musical Offerings presents a landscape of Impressionist sounds featuring harp, flute, violin and viola. The concert fee includes general museum and Landscapes special exhibition admission to view the collection.

 This concert presents a unique opportunity to spend an illuminating afternoon exploring the relationship of Impressionist art and music.

Program

• Trio for flute, viola and harp by Claude Debussy
• Piece en forme de habanera for violin and harp by Maurice Ravel
• Fantasie op. 124 for violin and harp by Camille Saint-Saens
• Entr'acte for flute and harp by Jacques Ibert
• Deux Interludes for violin, flute and harp by Jacques Ibert
• Sicilienne for viola and harp by Gabriel Faure
• Berceuse for flute and harp by Gabriel Faure
• Pavanne for a Dead Princess by Maurice Ravel

Artists: Rachel Farris, harp: Martha Fabrique, flute; Joan Christenson, violin; Lauren Magnus, viola=

 Where: McNay Art Museum-Leeper Auditorium

When: Sunday, November 14, 2010
Time: 2:00 pm

Admission: Tickets: McNay members $8, nonmembers $15. To purchase advance tickets, call 210.805.1768 or email education@mcnayart.org through noon, November 12.