3.31.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Kathleen Sommers Inc.,
Date: Thursday, March 31
Time: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Venue: Kathleen Sommers 2417 North Main, San Antonio, TX 78212
Award-winning artist Rosa Vera’s exhibit will feature mixed media works, acrylics, oils and watercolors. The show will run through April 2.
For more information: (210) 732-2207
Big Bend: Land of the Texas Imagination Exhibition Reception and Panel Discussion
Host Organization: Texas State University, The Wittliff Collections Date: Thursday, March 31
Time: 6:30 p.m. Exhibition Reception; 7 p.m. Panel Discussion Venue: Texas State University, Alkek Library San Marcos, TX
Reporter Billy Lee Brammer visited Marfa to write about the making of the epic movie, Giant. The result of this work, The Gay Place, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Panelist include Joe Nick Patoski, Laurence Parent, Barbara “Barney” Nelson, Marcus Paredes and moderator Jake Silverstein.
For more information and reservations: southwesternwriters@txstate.edu
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.29.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Instituto Cultural de México
Date: Tuesday, March 29
Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: Instituto Cultural de México 600 Hemisfair Park, San Antonio, TX 78205
This exhibit was prepared as an outreach effort undertaken as part of the International Boundary and Water Commission's Border Sanitation and Water Quality Summit. It showcases the depth of the IBWC’s history and the breadth of its activities across the length of the boundary. Maps and technical drawings; treaties and “minutes” (the term for agreements intended to implement the treaties) crafted by diplomats; and the boundary monuments, dams, and levees, built and maintained by headquarters and personnel.
For more information: (210) 227-0123, infoicm@saculturamexico.org or saculturamexico.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calander at tpr.org
3.27.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Children's Chorus of San Antonio
Date: Sunday, March 27
Time: 4 p.m.
Venue: Northern Hills United Methodist Church
The concert will feature choral, ensemble and solo works to showcase the talents of past, present and future artists. Performers include CSA alumnus Max Wier, the Chamber Choir and Youth Chorale, and the newest ensemble, Junior Chorus North.
For more information: (210) 826-3447 or childrenschorussa.org
Cine en el Barrio: South Meets West
Host Organization: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Date: Sunday, March 27
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Guadalupe Theater
1301 Guadalupe Street, San Antonio, TX 78207
A film series featuring classic and contemporary works by Latino filmmakers from across the globe. This special program highlights short film selections from the 2011 San Antonio Neighborhood Film Project Competition’s Westside and Southside neighborhoods.
For more information: (210) 271-3151 or guadalupeculturalarts.org
For a complete listing of commmunity events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at
tpr.org
3.26.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Museum of Art
Date: Saturday, March 26
Time: 6 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Venue: San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, Texas 78215
SAMA's musical tour series continues with a trip through the Contemporary Art collection. Musical Offerings performance features works for percussion, violin, viola and others. The program will also include works by Michael Daugherty, Michael Colgrass, and Steve Reich as well as a rare opportunity to hear Harry Bertoia’s Sound Sculpture, Partition of Sound.
For more information and tickets: (210) 978-8121 or samuseum.org
Where the Horizon Meets the Earth: An Evening with Virginia Grise
Host Organization: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Date: Saturday, March 26
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Venue: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Guadalupe Gallery
723 South Brazos Street, San Antonio, TX 78207
San Antonio playwright Virginia Grise will read from her play blu, winner of the 2010 Yale drama Series Award. Steeped in poetic realism and contemporary politics, blu challenges audiences to try to remember a time before war. The play has been recognized with awards from the Kennedy Center and Alliance Theater. Blu will premier at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in the fall of next year and will be published by Yale University Press in 2011.
For more information: (210) 271-3151 or guadalupeculturalarts.org
The Lion in Winter
Host Organization: Blue Start Arts Complex
Date: Saturday, March 26
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Sterling Houston Theatre at Jump-Start
108 Blue Star in the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1400 S. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX
The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, tells the story of King Henry II of England heir to the throne. His three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, each want to rule. Henry favors the youngest John, while Eleanor favors the eldest, Richard. Middle son Geoffrey hopes to play both ends against each other and come out on top.
For more information and tickets: (800) 838-3006 or classictheatre.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.25.2011
Paintings Draw You In, Disruptingly
Magnetic Fields at the Southwest School of Art brings together work from four contemporary American (actually, mostly Texan) painters: Barbara Kreft (Minneapolis, Minnesota), Richard Martinez (San Antonio), Kim Cadmus Owens (Dallas) and Dan Sutherland (Austin). These artists play with and disrupt various elements of image-making from landscapes, to objects to the canvas itself, resulting in a show that, for its stated interest in incongruity, coheres quite well.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Blue Start Arts Complex
Date: Friday, March 25
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Sterling Houston Theatre at Jump-Start
108 Blue Star in the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1400 S. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX
The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, tells the story of King Henry II of England heir to the throne. His three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, each want to rule. Henry favors the youngest John, while Eleanor favors the eldest, Richard. Middle son Geoffrey hopes to play both ends against each other and come out on top.
For more information and tickets: (800) 838-3006 or classictheatre.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.24.2011
Olives Olé Shines a Spotlight on a Growing Local Industry
The mild winters and plentiful sunshine of Southeast Texas and the Middle Rio Grande Valley favor plentiful harvest. Most olive operations in Texas are south of Johnson City and Marble Falls.
The International Olive Festival isn’t the only attention these fruits are receiving. The growing number of orchards in Texas has caught the eye of film makers. This month, the documentary "Texas Olive Trails" is scheduled for showing on PBS stations around the country.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: McNay Art Museum
Date: Thursday, March 24
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: McNay Art Museum, Chiego Lecture Hall
6000 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, TX
Roberta Smith, senior art critic for the New York Times, analyzes the craft, process, and use of art criticism in this conversation. She has written art criticism for the New York Times since October 1986. She was art critic for the Village Voice, 1981-1985, and in the 1970s, wrote for Artforum, Art in America, and Arts Magazine. Her writing has also appeared in Newsweek, Vogue, and HG.
For more information and reservations: mcnayart.org, education@mcnayart.org or (210) 805-1768.
The Lion in Winter
Host Organization: Blue Start Arts Complex
Date: Thursday, March 24
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Sterling Houston Theatre at Jump-Start
108 Blue Star in the Blue Star Arts Complex, 1400 S. Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX
The Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, tells the story of King Henry II of England heir to the throne. His three sons, Richard, Geoffrey, and John, each want to rule. Henry favors the youngest John, while Eleanor favors the eldest, Richard. Middle son Geoffrey hopes to play both ends against each other and come out on top.
For more information and tickets: (800) 838-3006 or classictheatre.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.23.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: SAFILM
Date: Wednesday, March 23
Time: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Venue: Holiday Inn El Tropicano Riverwalk Hotel
110 Lexington Avenue, San Antonio, TX
The workshop title, "How To Make a Short Film," will focus on the 2011 "Where I'm From" Short Film Competition and what the judges will be looking for.
For more information: safilm.com
Beyond the Diagnosis: San Antonio, TX
Host Organization: Cornetstone Theater Company
Date: Wednesday, March 23
Time: Pre-show refreshments at 6:30 p.m. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Guadalupe Theater (at Cultural Arts Center)
1300 Guadalupe Street, San Antonio, Texas 78207
The program features short plays about HIV/AIDS in Latino communities. They reflect the passions, challenges and triumphs of HIV-positive Latinos, their families, friends and health care providers. There will be refreshments immediately following.
For more information: (210) 271-3151
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.18.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Botanical Garden and Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
Date: Friday, March 18
Time: 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Venue: San Antonio Botanical Garden
555 Funston, San Antonio, TX
Nine outstanding works of art have been chosen to be a part of the annual sculpture exhibit in celebration of Contemporary Art Month. The public is invited to meet the artists at an opening reception.
For more information: (210) 829-5100 or sabot.org
If You Give a Pig a Party
Host Organization: The Magik Theatre
Date: Friday, March 18
Time: 9:45 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Venue: The Magik Theatre
420 South Alamo, San Antonio, TX
Based on a book by Laura Joffe Numeroff; Adapted for the stage by David Morgan; Music by Ricky Hernandez. If you give a Pig a party, she’s going to ask for some balloons, and she’ll want to decorate the house. When she’s finished she’ll put on her favorite dress. Then she’ll call all her friends - Mouse, Moose, and more and before you know it, there’s a wild and crazy party going on. The play will run through March 26.
For more information: magiktheatre.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.17.2011
SXSW: Afghan Girls Drop Into Half-Pipes
TPR Cinema's Nathan Cone Interviews Director Vikram Gandhi on His Documentary 'Kumaré'
SXSW: FUTURESTATES
Last year, the season launched with Ramin Bahrani’s “Plastic Bag,” narrated by Werner Herzog. This season opens with Nisha Ganatra’s “Beholder.” Starring Jessica Paré (of “Mad Men”), “Beholder” takes place in a gated community with a clinic where patients genetically engineer their children.
FUTURESTATES is available for free via streaming video on futurestates.tv. Each week, a new short from the collection is released.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
Date: Thursday, March 17
Time: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Venue: Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Guadalupe Gallery
As part of the closing reception, the Guadalupe invites participants to join the collaborative poetry/drawing game originating from the surrealist movement where participants thread lines of words to create a poem or collaborate on a drawing. Attendees are invited to bring other creative minds and create a team.
Admission Price: Free
For more information: (210) 271-3151 or guadalupeculturalarts.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.16.2011
A Few Mindblowing Highlights of SXSW Interactive Award Winners
Among the award winners announced Tuesday evening, here are a few highlights. If you're fuzzy on the term "interactive," these creative and engaging sites will surely enlighten you.
Interactive Award for Art: The Johnny Cash Project. "From traditional photography to non-traditional performances, this category focuses on web-based collections of life, society and culture." The Johnny Cash Project is global collective art project orchestrated by music video director Chris Milk with the collaboration of the Cash estate, Rick Rubin, Aaron Koblin, and Radical Media. Participants all over the world contribute drawings of Cash. By uploading their portraits to the website, they further develop a living portrait of the Man in Black that is featured in a music video for his song "Ain't No Grave."
Chris Milk is also the creator behind the "The Wilderness Downtown," the winner of the Interactive Award for Music. The music category pertains to "projects related to musicians, bands,and the music industry, as well online radio and other destinations that offer streaming audio content." Built in HTML5 and made with Google to highlight their Chrome browser, "The Wilderness Downtown" is an interactive music video featuring Google Earth and the Arcade Fire song "We Used to Wait."
The Interactive Award for Film/ TV went to "Collapsus: The Energy Risk Conspiracy" by Houston-born director Tommy Pallotta, a frequent collaborator of Richard Linklater. "Collapsus" is a transmedia story -- transmedia refers to muliple-platform storytelling -- that combines interactivity, animation, fiction, and documentary. Following the adventures of four characters, you are lead into a world of conspiracy, treason and failing energy supplies. Pallotta's video walk-through here is the most engaging and thrilling explanation of the project.
Collapsus Walkthrough from SubmarineChannel on Vimeo.
The Interactive Award for Experimental applies to "cutting-edge and trend-setting destinations that are pushing the envelope and challenging our perceptions of the web." London-based Jim Hall describes his winning "Isle of Tune" as a "playful music sequencer toy type thing." For semi-experienced gamers, there is a familiarity to "SimCity." In "The Isle of Tune," users create road layouts that play tunes using houses, trees, cars, and the like. Tunes can then be shared on Facebook and Twitter. The interface is beginner-friendly; you just have to allow yourself some playtime and take a creative leap from how you generally use the web. In this video, a player created an "Isle of Tune" version of Michael Jackson's song "Beat It."
Some Books Considered
3.15.2011
"Natural Selection" cleans up at SXSW
A Texas-based film was the big winner at this year's South By Southwest film festival.
"Natural Selection," shot in Smithville with a Texas crew, won a total of six awards, including the Grand Jury Prize and the audience pick for Best Narrative Feature. The movie is a dark comedy about a woman who goes searching for answers when she finds her husband's been keeping secrets from her. Robbie Pickering, the film's writer and director, said that while the film's not based on real events, he did draw from experience:
"There are a lot of things that I put in there that were my own kind of issues that I think was dealing with subconsciously. And my own ideas about what I saw around be growing up, and what I see around me now, and what I saw around me at the moment when I wrote it, which was when my stepfather was dying, so it's only after years in therapy that I look back on that stuff and see all these things [in the movie]."
"Natural Selection" was also awarded Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Score. Its two stars, Rachael Harris and Matt O'Leary, were singled out by the jury for Breakthrough Performances.
The audience chose "Kumare" as the Best Documentary of the festival. In the film, director Vikram Gandhi pretends to be a guru to a small group of followers as a social experiment.
"I knew that we wanted to go into places that we hadn't seen in a film like this before, and I also knew that we wanted to not do anything mean-spirited and really just keep everything positive. But because of the fact that I would unveil at the end, it meant that I really wanted to be aware of what people were thinking and explain what Vikram believes through Kumaré."
Awards also went to Texans Julie Gould and Daniel Laabs for their short film, "8," and North Texas teen Chad Werner, whose untitled film won Best High School Short. The Louis Black Lone Star Award went to "INCENDIARY: The Willingham Case," about a death row execution carried out on a man that some say was innocent of the crime.
SXSW: Our Future Stars in "The City Dark"
Cheney, best known for his documentary “King Corn,” is based in Brooklyn, but he grew up in rural Maine and spent his boyhood as an amateur astronomer, attending astronomy camps and building his own telescope. His approach to the topic is ambivalent, full of affection for both the stunning starry sky of his youth and the emerging “glittery globe.”
In six chapters, with an eclectic cast of scientists, philosophers (including Ann Druyan, co-writer of "Cosmos" and wife of the late Carl Sagan), historians and lighting designers, the film weaves together cutting-edge science with personal, meditative sequences reflecting on the human relationship to the sky. Astronomers in Hawaii track the threat of killer asteroids, and their work is increasingly more difficult through the thickening fog of light pollution. Biologists along the Florida coast trace the death of thousands of hatching sea turtles due to their disorientation by Miami’s lights. A generation of kids in places like the Bronx grows up with only a dozen stars and a vague notion of the Milky Way and the universe.
“The City Dark” strives for a balance of light and dark, and throughout the film is a refrain best articulated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Queens-born astrophysicist (you might recognize him from “The Colbert Report”): “When you look at the night sky, you realize how small we are within the cosmos. It’s kind of a resetting of your ego. To deny yourself of that state of mind, either willingly or unwittingly…is to not live to the full extent of what it is to be human.”
The documentary premiered at SXSW, and it will screen again Friday, March 18, 4:30 at Alamo Lamar South. This is certainly a film best experienced in the theater — or an observatory.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Art SA Gallery
Date: Tuesday, March 15
Venue: Art SA Gallery
108 E Mistletoe, San Antonio, TX 78212
This group of four accomplished artists has branded themselves as Rock, Paper, Scissors. In the studio, they each create artwork in their own style and in different media. Then, as a group, they promote and exhibit their artwork at different venues all over San Antonio. The exhibition is on view through March 31.
For more information: (210) 452-0386 or salocalart.com
Artistic Impression 2011
Host Organization: The Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center
Date: Tuesday, March 15
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Venue: Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center, Cornels Gallery
228 Earl Garrett Street, Kerrville
The Monday Artists, a group of women, have put together an exhibit for the past several years. In this year's exhibit, all the paintings are oils. There are nine artists participating in this year's show. Artistic Expressions 2011 will be on display through March 27.
Admission Price: Free
For more information and museum hours: (830) 895-2911 or kacckerrville.com
Sketching in SAMA's Galleries
Host Organization: San Antonio Museum of Art
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Venue: San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Ave. San Antonio, TX 78215
It will be an evening of casual instruction based on the works of art found in the SAMA collections. Each sketching session will provide participants the opportunity to improve their drawing skills while exploring new techniques presented by the instructor. Sketching in the Galleries is offered to visitors ages 12 and up and is open to all levels of experience. Participants are encouraged to bring their own sketchpads and pencils.
Admission Price: Free
For more information: (210) 978-8100 or samuseum.org
Kerrville Art Club March Meeting
Host Organization: Kerrville Art Club
Date: Tuesday, March 15
Time: 1 p.m.
Venue: Kerr Arts and Cultural Center, Forum Room
228 Earl Garrett Street, Kerrville, TX
The demonstrator for the meeting will be Anne Brennen Vela, who will demonstrate the art of Batik on Paper. She is a signature member of the Texas Watercolor Society, the International Society of Acrylic Painters, and the International Society of Experimental Artists. The meeting will include an informative demonstration, a short business meeting, and a social time after the meeting with refreshments and an opportunity to mingle with members and share ideas.
For more information: kacckerrville.com
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.14.2011
SXSW: the Trinity
Interactive and film opened this year’s conference last Friday. If you’re unfamiliar or vague about the meaning of "interactive," Ze Frank, a popular interactive performance artist, offers a history of SXSW Interactive in under a minute in this video (recorded in 2007). With over 200 panels and presentations, plus a trade show, the energy focuses on how creativity and new media are shaping the future — from emerging web designs and social media to interactive 3D cinema to music for mobile and video games.
SXSW 2011, Post #1
As the South By Southwest (SXSW) Music-Film-Interactive Festival and Conference enters its 25th year, one thing is clear. This thing is bigger than ever. Roger Ebert, apparently in Austin for the first time, Tweeted on Saturday: “SXSW is huge! I knew it was a big deal, but I had no idea.”
The choices are many. The trade show floor is easily five times what it was when I attended my first SXSW in 2007. There are so many companies here hawking their apps and software, I’m beginning to wonder if we’re not entering another tech bubble.
I’ve spoken to a few peo
ple that are starting to feel the Interactive festival and the film parties that surround the festival are starting to overwhelm the movies themselves. Maybe for the industry and press folk, but the average movie fan still has plenty to discover at SXSW. I spoke to a couple from Austin that try to come to as many movies as they can -- they buy individual tickets to the films. I also ran into TPR members Sherry Heffner and Steve Sozanski. Sherry is spending the entire week in Austin, gorging on the firehose of movies that is SXSW Film.
I held myself to one interview and four features yesterday. Monday, it’s three movies and five interviews. One of the things I enjoy most about the festival is meeting the filmmakers behind the smaller, independent films that are here. For them, showing their film in front of an ap
preciative crowd is a treat in and of itself. If they’re lucky, a distributor may come knocking on their door.
One of the highlights
that is already generating some buzz at the festival is KUMARE, a documentary by Vikram Gandhi. Gandhi started out making a film about the yoga industry, but the more he learned, the more interested he became in the gurus that people follow. He started to wonder just what people believed in, and decided to find out from the inside. Gandhi grew out his hair and beard, dressed in flowing robes, moved to Phoenix, and added an “e” to his middle name to become “Kumare.” After a few weeks in Phoenix, Kumare develops a core group of followers, who being to open up their lives to him. When Kumare finally “unveils” to them, the results are surprisingly emotional. This was a wonderful film, and it has a real shot at winning an award this Tuesday night.
I’ll follow up this post with more on some of the other films I’ve seen, and we’ll be posting interviews online at TPR.ORG later this week.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: YOSA
Date: Monday, March 14
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Majestic Theatre
226 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
For classic rock fans, this concert will be a chance to hear music they know and love in a new context with orchestra.
Admission Price: $25-$45
For more information and tickets: (210) 226-3333 or 1-800-745-3000
Layered Narratives: A Two Person Exhibit
Host Organization: University of the Incarnate Word
Date: Monday, March 14
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Venue: University of the Incarnate Word, Semmes Gallery
4301 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209
The exhibit features work by Brianna Burnett and Wesley Harvey. The exhibit will be on display through April 11.
For more information and museum hours: (210) 829-6000
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.13.2011
CAM 2011: UTSA XXVII Annual Student Exhibition
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Brass
Date: Sunday, March 13
Time: 2 p.m.
Venue: Abiding Presence Lutheran Church
14700 San Pedro Avenue, San Antonio,TX
The program will feature music of two American composers, Eric Ewazen and Anthony DiLarenzo. The remainder of the program will feature other favorites from the time of King Arthur and his knights like the Kings Hunting Jig, Dances from the Renaissance period and Battle music.
For more information: sabrass.org or (210) 861-6840
Boerne Community Theatre: Art
Host Organization: Boerne Community Theatre
Date: Sunday, March 13
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Venue: Boerne Community Theatre
907 E. Blanco Road, Boerne, TX
Boerne Community Theatre's Theatre on the Edge series features Yasmina Reza's Art, a serio-comedy. Art is directed by Christine Crowley. The play follows three friends in Paris who begin to discover just what friendship and "art" is all about. One buys a large all white painting and the reactions of the other two are surprisingly introspective and often very funny. Art has a two weekend run.
For more information and reservation: boernetheatre.org or (830) 249-9166
Romantic Fools
Host Organization: Cameo Theatre
Date: Sunday, March 13
Time: 3 p.m.
Venue: Cameo Theatre
1123 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
The play examines love, lust, dating, and romance with influences of Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, the Marx Brothers, and classic vaudeville comedy. These sketches vary in style but all celebrate the inherent comedy of relationships. Interspersed between live sketches will be brief filmed interpretations with the theme romantic fools.
For more information and tickets: cameocenter.com or (210) 212-5454
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.12.2011
Last-Minute Preview of Media Arts at Luminaria (2)
Tonight’s the night Luminaria lights up downtown. Here are three more media art installations I won’t be missing.
Guillermina Zabala is the media arts director at SAY Sí. Her students are known to take the gold in student film competitions; they often produce work of finer craft than non-student films. At Luminaria, though, it’s Zabala’s art that takes center stage.
Located at the Tower of America’s waterfalls, Zabala’s project is a three channel video installation of “light writing,” dealing with language and identity and inspired by the multi-facet culture of San Antonio.
Her canvas is a water fountain constructed by 15 columns, which frame the multiple video productions. Projected on each screen will be a series of video portraits of San Antonio citizens. People, such as musician Henry Brun and visual artist Vincent Valdez, look straight at the camera; and then with their index finger, they write in the air a word that represents them. The word is lit and becomes "light writing."
The piece is titled "I, Me, Light," based on the George Harrison song, “I, Me, Mine.” Harrison’s song is a critique of the material body as our false self and of material possessions as temporary. Zabala’s piece responds: despite our material coverings, we're full of light.
Ray Santisteban, when he’s not working on his loving portrait of Taco Heaven, is a veteran documentary filmmaker with a penchant for historical subjects. For over a decade, Santisteban has been working on a documentary that charts the history and legacy of the Rainbow Coalition, a groundbreaking multi-ethnic coalition that rocked Chicago in the 1960s and forever altered the political landscape of the United States.
For his Luminaria installation, Santisteban again entwines historical legacy with contemporary activism. Behind the Instituto (#47 in the Pink Zone), Santisteban’s video, previewed below, will loop. "I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," for example, is a quote by Lyndon Johnson regarding the American-Vietnam War.
At Luminaria, no potential for audience is neglected. Even the bike valet is adorned, and Mistah Pete is the media artist featured in the Green Zone, #46. Pete collaborated with visual artist Alfredo Lopez Jr. to create a process-and-product multimedia piece. Pete filmed Lopez painting on plexi-glass; they include shots through the glass, a "canvas-eye-view" of the painting. Pete and Lopez will display the painting with the video projected onto the back of it.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: The Tobin Hill Arts Alliance
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Venue: Josephine Theater Parking Lot
339 West Josephine, San Antonio, TX
In celebration of the 2011 Contemporary Art Month, the THAA presents the opening reception featuring outdoor art exhibits, over 25 local artists displaying and selling art, musical entertainment and refreshments.
For more information: (210) 7850-0743 or tobinarts.com
Luminaria
Host Organization: City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 5:30pm-7:30pm- H.E.B. Children's Area activities
6:30pm-7:00pm-Opening Ceremonies
7:00pm-11:00pm-all stages and exhibits open
11:00pm-12:00am closing ceremonies
Venue: HemisFair Park
San Antonio, TX
Artwork from all artistic disciplines will be on display. There will be food, beverages and fun for the whole family.
For more information: luminariasa.org or (210) 271-2842
Boerne Community Theatre: Art
Host Organization: Boerne Community Theatre
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Boerne Community Theatre
907 E. Blanco Road, Boerne, TX
Boerne Community Theatre's Theatre on the Edge series features Yasmina Reza's Art, a serio-comedy. Art is directed by Christine Crowley. The play follows three friends in Paris who begin to discover just what friendship and "art" is all about. One buys a large all white painting and the reactions of the other two are surprisingly introspective and often very funny. Art has a two weekend run.
For more information and reservation: boernetheatre.org or (830) 249-9166
Miradas: Mexican Art from the bank of America Collection
Host Organization: The Witte Museum
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Venue: The Witte Museum
3801 Broadway, San Antonio, TX 78209
This exhibition examines and celebrates works by artists on both sides of the border to reveal a variety of cultural aspects as they emerged in the years after the Mexican Revolution to present day. The exhibition is on view through August 21.
For more information: wittemuseum.org or (210) 357-1900
The Arts Cart: Kuniko – Japanese Storyteller
Host Organization: The San Antonio Children’s Museum
Date: Saturday, March 12
Time: 11 a.m.
Venue: The San Antonio’s Children Museum
305 E. Houston Street, San Antonio, TX
Kuniko, a storyteller visiting from Japan, will mix mime, mask and music with a touch of magic. Participants learn to tell a story with the art of origami.
For more information: sakids.org or (210) 212-4453
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at
tpr.org
3.11.2011
Paella Challenge Brings the Taste of Spain to Pearl
Photo Credit: bluewaikiki.com (Flickr) |
Linguists believe paella’s name derives from the word, paellera, the name of the flat, round pan in which it is cooked. Paella, which originated in the Valencia region of Spain consists primarily of rice. However, there are as many different versions of paella as there are cooks. Nowadays, dishes incorporate a variety of vegetables with meat such as chicken, pork or rabbit but may even include fish, eel, squid or snail. According to The Paella Company, paella was originally a laborers' meal, cooked over an open fire in the fields and eaten directly from the pan using wooden spoons.
But don’t expect provincial Spain at this event. Food enthusiasts will have a back-of-the-house view as chefs from all over the country and Latin America compete in an Iron Chef-style paella competition. 2010 Paella Challenge winner Chef Benjamin Ford, of Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City, CA, will defend his title against 10 chefs representing culinary establishments such as Lupe Tortilla Mexican Restaurant, The Hudson River Club, Lüke and San Antonio’s Citrus.
Food lovers can also enjoy a dessert and sangria lounge featuring Spain’s famous wines, hams and cheeses, plus cooking demos, musical entertainment, a flamenco dance performance and a sidewalk sale. New this year is the Ceviche Samba. This event features four chefs battling it out for the title of “El Rey del Ceviche”! Chefs will have thirty minutes to create a three course ceviche tasting that must incorporate a secret ingredient.
The Paella Challenge will take place in front of the Stable and on the Pearl Parkway lawn. Tickets to the event can be purchased at frontgatetickets.com or at the door for $10 more. Proceeds benefit the CIA scholarship fund for aspiring local chefs, and the Education Foundation of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Below is a paella recipe from NPR's Kitchen Window.
Mixed Seafood Paella
This recipe is adapted from one in Penelope Casas' book Paella! Spectacular Rice Dishes from Spain. It serves eight hungry people. You can substitute whatever seafood you like.
All the fish, shellfish and vegetables can be cleaned, cut up and refrigerated hours in advance.
- 3 dozen mussels, thoroughly cleaned
- About 6-8 cups clam juice mixed with mussel broth
- 1/2 teaspoon crumbled thread saffron*
- 1 1/2 pounds monkfish and grouper or other firm-fleshed fish, cut in bite-sized pieces**
- 2 dozen small clams, thoroughly cleaned
- 18 large shrimp in their shells
- Kosher or sea salt
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika, preferably Spanish smoked
- 8 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped***
- 6 small scallions, green portion trimmed, finely chopped
- Lemon wedges
- 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped****
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- 3 cups imported Spanish or other short-grain rice
**I used cod since it was all they had at the fish market. It was fine.
***There is a debate among paella makers about whether to use onion. I thought it added to the dish.
****Luis says in Spain, red peppers are not used in paella. Rather, jarred pimentos are sprinkled on top of the finished dish for color.
Place 1 1/2 dozen mussels in a skillet with 3/4 cup water. Cover and bring to a boil on the stove. Remove the mussels as they open. Reserve the meat and discard the shells. When all the mussels have opened, pour the liquid from the skillet into a large pot and add enough clam juice to make 6 cups. (I found I needed a lot more liquid, so have extra clam juice on hand.) Stir in the saffron. (You can prepare this in advance, cooling and refrigerating the mussel meat and the broth for a few hours. If you make the dish straight through, keep the broth hot over a low heat on the stove.)
Dry the fish and shrimp well between paper towels. Sprinkle all over with salt and let sit 10 minutes at room temperature. With a mortar and pestle (something I've never mastered) or a miniprocessor (I used my big processor), mash the parsley, garlic, thyme and 1/8 teaspoon salt into a paste. Stir in the paprika; add a little water if necessary to make the right consistency. (This can be done up to a day in advance. Refrigerate and bring to room temperature before using.)
Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet and quickly saute the fish and shrimp (in their shells) 1-2 minutes. They should not be fully cooked. Remove the seafood to a warm platter. This can be done over the fire. I just found it easier to do this step on the stove. (This can be done an hour or so in advance.)
When you're ready to prepare the paella, reheat the broth and start the fire.
Arrange the shrimp and the uncooked mussels over the rice, placing the edge of the mussel shells that will open facing up. Cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes until the rice is almost al dente. (If the mussels and clams aren't opening, they may be removed and steamed in a separate pan, then added to the paella.) Remove the pan from the fire and cover with foil. Let sit 5-10 minutes until the rice is cooked to taste. Garnish with lemon wedges.
I served a simple gazpacho for a first course. I planned to serve a salad but we were all too full.
Note: Paella grills are double ringed and fired with gas or butane. They are available by mail order from places such as The Spanish Table (http://www.spanishtable.com), which calls them butanos.
An Early Flash of Media Arts at Luminaria (1)
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: The Tobin Hill Arts Alliance
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Venue: Josephine Theater Parking Lot
339 West Josephine, San Antonio, TX
In celebration of the 2011 Contemporary Art Month, the THAA presents the opening reception featuring the "unveiling" of Urban Art Island-a project with City of San Antonio "adopt a park”, an outdoor animation show, “live" art demonstrations, an art auction, “live" music and a neighborhood art tour.
For more information: (210) 7850-0743 or tobinarts.com
Boerne Community Theatre: Art
Host Organization: Boerne Community Theatre
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Boerne Community Theatre
907 E. Blanco Road, Boerne, TX
Boerne Community Theatre's Theatre on the Edge series features Yasmina Reza's Art, a serio-comedy. Art is directed by Christine Crowley. The play follows three friends in Paris who begin to discover just what friendship and "art" is all about. One buys a large all white painting and the reactions of the other two are surprisingly introspective and often very funny. Art has a two weekend run.
For more information and reservation: boernetheatre.org or (830) 249-9166
Romantic Fools
Host Organization: Cameo Theatre
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Cameo Theatre
1123 East Commerce Street, San Antonio, TX
The play examines love, lust, dating, and romance with influences of Monty Python, Saturday Night Live, the Marx Brothers, and classic vaudeville comedy. These sketches vary in style but all celebrate the inherent comedy of relationships. Interspersed between live sketches will be brief filmed interpretations with the theme romantic fools.
For more information and tickets: cameocenter.com or (210) 212-5454
Signs of Change
Host Organization: UTSA Department of Art and History
Date: Friday, March 11
Time: noon - 6 p.m.
Venue: UTSA Satellite Space
115 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX 78204
The exhibition features work by Bodo Korsig and Catherine Lee, curated by Dennis Olsen.
For more information: (210) 458-4391
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.10.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Brass
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
11 St. Luke’s, San Antonio, TX
The program will feature music of two American composers, Eric Ewazen and Anthony DiLarenzo. The remainder of the program will feature other favorites from the time of King Arthur and his knights like the Kings Hunting Jig, Dances from the Renaissance period and Battle music.
For more information: sabrass.org or (210) 861-6840
Cherish the Ladies Benefit Concert
Host Organization: NIA/Neighbors In Arms
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 7:45 p.m.
Venue: Brauntex Theatre
New Braunfels, TX
The program features traditional Irish Music & Dance for St. Patrick's Week. The concert benefits Neighbors in Arms, a non-profit organization dedicated to families in crisis.
For more information: (830) 627-0808 or brauntex.org
Creative Writing Workshop
Host Organization: The School at Majestic Ranch
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Venue: Majestic Ranch
543 Highway 46W, Boerne, TX
This six class course will focus on helping build confidence in all forms of creative writing and provide participants with the knowledge on how to get work published and secure a literary agent in any genre. Author & Publisher Gary Parrish will lead the workshop. The workshop will meet Thursday through April 14. Participants do not need to be in attendance for all six sessions.
For more information: (830) 537-4654 or mraf.org
Backstage at the McNay: Russians in Paris: Music that connects Gontcharova and Koussevitzky
Host Organization: The McNay Art Museum
Date: Thursday, March 10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Venue: The McNay Art Museum, Tobin Theatre Arts Gallery
6000 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, TX 78209
The event showcases Koussevitzky and 1920’s Paris, under the direction of Troy Peters and Natalia Gontcharova and Images of Russian Folk Tales, Jody Blake, Curator.
For more information: mcnayart.org or (210) 824-5368
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.07.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Brass
Date: Monday, March 7
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: St. Mark Presbyterian Church
208 W. Bandera Road, Boerne, TX
The program will feature music of two American composers, Eric Ewazen and Anthony DiLarenzo. The remainder of the program will feature other favorites from the time of King Arthur and his knights like the Kings Hunting Jig, Dances from the Renaissance period and Battle music.
For more information: sabrass.org or (210) 861-6840
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.06.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: San Antonio Choral Society
Date: Sunday, March 6
Time: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Venue: St. George Maronite Church
6070 Babcock Road, San Antonio, TX
This year’s Pops concert, the Broadway Beat, features many favorites from Broadway shows over the years. The program features the chorus and showcases individuals. This is a cabaret-style event with wine, punch, and snacks. Reservations recommended. The San Antonio Choral Society is an 80-member mixed voice choir of volunteer singers.
For more information: (210) 228 -4147 or sachoralsociety.org
Classical Guitar Quartet Recital
Host Organization: San Antonio College Department of Music
Date: Sunday, March 6
Time: 3 p.m.
Venue: McAllister Auditorium, San Antonio College
The program features guitarist from San Antonio College, St. Mary’s University and Texas State University.
For more information: (210) 486-0255 or alamo.edu
First Sundays for Families: Celebrate Contemporary Women Artists
Host Organization: San Antonio Museum of Art
Date: Sunday, March 6
Time: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Venue: San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue, San Antonio, TX
In honor of Women's History and Contemporary Art Month, participants will make flip books, collages, sketch and create stories inspired by works made by, for, and about women found in SAMA's art collections. Families are welcome to explore the collections and participate in related interactive activities on the First Sunday of every month.
For more information: (210) 978-8100 or samuseum.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.05.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Playhouse's Cellar Theater at San Pedro Playhouse
Date: Saturday, March 5
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Playhouse's Cellar Theater at San Pedro Playhouse
800 W. Ashby Place, San Antonio, TX
This bittersweet comedy, written by Jack Heifner while still a student at Southern Methodist University, delivers an astute, snapshot sharp picture of three Texas girls at three different times in their lives.
For more information and tickets: (210) 733-7258 or sanpedroplayhouse.com
Land of Virtuosity Presents Peter Pan
Host Organization: Land Of Virtuosity Performing Arts Academy
Date: Saturday, March 5
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Land Of Virtuosity
6712 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, Texas
The Winter Semester Theatre Students from the Land Of Virtuosity Performing Arts Academy will star in the Theatrical Production of Peter Pan. Students are ages 4 through 16. Popcorn and sodas will be available for a small donation.
For more information: (210) 844-4298 or landofvirtuosity.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.04.2011
BP Disaster Spills Onto San Antonio's Art Scene
Photo Courtesy of Jump-Star Performance Co. |
The piece is performed, not on a stage, but in the front windows of the Jump-Start Theater, framing the surreal performance for passersby attending First Friday. Two performances will take place tonight, at 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. amidst other First Friday activities at the Blue Star Arts Complex.
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Playhouse's Cellar Theater at San Pedro Playhouse
Date: Friday, March 4
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Playhouse's Cellar Theater at San Pedro Playhouse
800 W. Ashby Place, San Antonio, TX
This bittersweet comedy, written by Jack Heifner while still a student at Southern Methodist University, delivers an astute, snapshot sharp picture of three Texas girls at three different times in their lives.
For more information and tickets: (210) 733-7258 or sanpedroplayhouse.com
Land of Virtuosity Presents "Peter Pan"
Host Organization: Land Of Virtuosity Performing Arts Academy
Date: Friday, March 4
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Land Of Virtuosity
6712 North New Braunfels, San Antonio, Texas
The Winter Semester Theatre Students from the Land Of Virtuosity Performing Arts Academy will star in the Theatrical Production of Peter Pan. Students are ages 4 through 16. Popcorn and sodas will be available for a small donation.
For more information: (210) 844-4298 or landofvirtuosity.org
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org
3.03.2011
Today in Arts & Culture
Host Organization: Symphony of the Hills with Schreiner University
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Symphony of the Hills
The Kathleen C. Cailloux Theater, 910 Main Street, Kerrville, TX
Among the music the symphony will perform will be Saint-Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals,” with John Clare of Texas Public Radio narrating an Ogden Nash poem to the music, “Festive Overture” by Shostakovitch, Bizet’s “Symphony No. 1 and “Music from Star Wars” by John Williams.”
For more information and tickets: (830)896-9393 or symphonyofthehills.org
The CAM Kick-Off Opening Event
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Venue: Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
San Antonio celebrates its 26th annual Contemporary Art Month (“CAM”). This year, two exhibitions reflect Blue Star Contemporary Art Center’s pivotal role in the presentation and growth of contemporary art in San Antonio. Director Bill FitzGibbons’ curates exhibitions featuring the sculpture of Greg Elliott, Brian Jobe and Cathy Cunningham, demonstrating the versatility of the San Antonio artistic community, and independent curator Dr. Angelika Jansen-Brown highlights the artist Dirk Lang (Dresden, German) who is participating in Blue Star’s International Initiatives Program.
For more information: contemporaryartmonth.com
Signs of Change Opening Reception
Host Organization: UTSA Department of Art and History
Date: Thursday, March 3
Time: 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Venue: UTSA Satellite Space
115 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX
The exhibition features work by Bodo Korsig and Catherine Lee, curated by Dennis Olsen.
For more information: (210) 458-4391
For a complete listing of community events, visit the TPR Community Events Calendar at tpr.org