Tag: rick hunter

Morning art walk through the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center

postcardsfromsanantonio2 Comments

Seriously. We walked on the river yesterday morning into downtown, along the River Extension, into the Convention Center Lagoon with its stunning 1968 mosaic murals by Juan O’Gorman and Carlos Merida and then turned left into the actual Convention Center itself.

A convention center seems an unlikely destination for locals, but we wanted to explore the City of San Antonio’s exhibition combining some things old and many new works in celebration of our Tricentennial, “Confluence: Art in the Convention Center.”

We wandered around the myriad of halls and multiple levels of the expansive center on a scavenger hunt for art, a hunt enhanced by the fact we had no clues where we would find the pieces. This added an entertaining touch of serendipity to our quest, but the Department of Arts & Culture does have a cheat sheet online locating the artworks for those who prefer to spend less time lost in the amazing maze of meeting spaces.

carpet
“In Real Life,” Kelly O’Connor, 2015, digital print on vinyl
“Humanscape 118 (Texas Fantasy),” Mel Casas, 1962, acrylic
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Juan O’Gorman, 1968, detail of stone mosaic
“The Earth Mother of the Americas,” Veronica Castillo Hernandez, 2017, ceramic sculpture
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Juan O’Gorman, 1968, detail of stone mosaic
“The Best of the Eastside,” Jacinto Guevara, 2001, acrylic on panel
from exhibition commemorating 50th anniversary of HemisFair ’68
“Season of Color,” Naomi Wanjiku, 2014, textured and dyed sheet metal
“Paso de la Muerta,” Rick Hunter, 2010, digital print on aluminum
“Si la Tierra Pudiera Hablar (If the Earth Could Speak),” Jenelle Esparza, 2017, archival print on wallpaper
“Autumn in West Texas,” Porfirio Salinas, 1957, oil
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Carlos Merida, 1968, detail of glass tile mosaic
from exhibition commemorating 50th anniversary of HemisFair ’68
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Juan O’Gorman, 1968, detail of stone mosaic
“Humanscape 117 (Texano),” Mel Casas, 1962, acrylic
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Juan O’Gorman, 1968, detail of stone mosaic
“Liquid Crystal,” Jason Bruges Studio, 2016
“The Story of Civilization,” Gary Sweeney, 2003, mixed media, found signs
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Carlos Merida, 1968, detail of glass tile mosaic
“The Glorious Saga of Spain,” Margaret Putnam, 1968, oil
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Juan O’Gorman, 1968, stone mosaic
“Confluence of Civilizations,” Carlos Merida, 1968, glass tile mosaic
“Mi Vida,” Jesse Trevino, 1972, cut from the wall of his former bedroom
“Forgive Me Pretty Darlin’,” Ricky Armendariz, 2017, oil on carved plywood
“Reunion,” Angel Rodriguez-Diaz, 2008, oil and acrylic
“Desert Landscape,” Angel Rodriguez-Diaz, 2014, digital print

While we went for the art, the architectural design of the center itself, reconfigured in 2017 to eliminate its dated frumpiness, is worth meandering through. MarmonMok has created an award-winning facility that gives San Antonians one more reason to be proud to call this home.

Let me know if you spot Ken Little’s cast-iron pair of shoes, “Victory and Defeat.” We missed them completely. We saw Little last night fronting Rodeo Ho Ho at the Liberty Bar, and he said he was not sure he could find his way back to them either. He did offer a clue; they are parked in front of a window.

Biannual roundup of what you are reading on this blog

postcardsfromsanantonio2 Comments

You have done it again. No wonder I wander around flitting arbitrarily from subject to subject. My readers flit, too.

During the past year, you have remained as Alamobsessive as I, particularly focusing on the guns  Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson let be drawn in front of the Alamo. You joined me in remembering my father-in-law, George Spencer, and photographer Rick Hunter. You have demonstrated your interest in photography by two artists, Richard Nitschke and Sarah Brooke Lyons. You have let me take you traveling to San Miguel de Allende, and shown interest in the reign of Maximilian and Carlota in Mexico.

You refuse to let two old posts, one about David Sedaris’ “Nuit of the Living Dead” and one about Sandy Skoglund’s cheesy “Cocktail Party,” fade off of the top 12 list. It makes me particularly happy that you still show interest in the San Antonio Song and have given life to my true tale providing a ghost to inhabit Brackenridge Park.

The number in parentheses represents the rankings from six months ago:

  1. Please come and take them away from San Antonio, (1) 2013

    “They say Sam Maverick forged the bell for St. Mark’s from a cannon used during the Battle of the Alamo. If only the concept proved contagious….” Postcards from San Antonio – No. 12, “Peace be with you.” http://postcardssanantonio.com/other-themes.html
  2. George Hutchings Spencer, 1923-2013 (3), 2013
  3. The State surrenders the Alamo; Run for Cover, (4) 2013
  4. Richard Nitschke: Seeing Agave in a Different Light, (8) 2013
  5. Please put this song on Tony’s pony, and make it ride away (10), 2010
  6. Sarah’s faces more than a thousand times better, (11) 2013
  7. The Madarasz Murder Mystery: Might Helen Haunt Brackenridge Park?, 2012
  8. “Nuit of the Living Dead” (9), 2010
  9. Postcard from San Miguel de Allende: Sun rises again at La Aurora, 2014
  10. The Tragic Rule of Maximilian and Carlota in Mexico, 2014
  11. Cheez Doodles as Art (12), 2011
  12. Rick Hunter lives here. And many other places., 2013

Thanks for hanging out here some and for giving me permission to keep on rambling on about whatever I’m currently pondering.

Rick Hunter lives here. And many other places.

postcardsfromsanantonio2 Comments

Rick Hunter lives with us.

He is present when our whole family sits down for Thanksgiving dinner.

He greets us “Devine”-ly every time we walk in the door.

We are not special; he lives with many people.

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The store-window-size tribute by photographer Al Rendon conveys how much respect Rick commanded from his fellow artists.

The walk-by cellphone photo of Rick’s photo in Al’s window should be a throw-away. But the layers quickly enveloped us.

Some of Rick’s last Facebook posts were of Day of the Dead, and particularly poignant was one of an aged woman.

The woman you can barely make out in this photo, the one hovering above my head as though reflecting our inevitable future, is seated by a grave. The Mister noted the death date carved in stone. Our birth year.

And then there are the reflections of the buildings across the street.

No one wandered this neighborhood more than Rick. We rarely set foot in Southtown without bumping into him. He loved his hood.

The streets seemed particularly empty this afternoon.