Tag: san antonio river walk

Morning art walk through the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center

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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.

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

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 an ad-free blog

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This blogger has blogged so prolifically she has used up all the free space WordPress has to offer. This is good news for you because ads will no longer pop up at the bottom of posts, but it was bad news for me because I actually have to pay a small amount to engage in this form of therapy. I’m not complaining though, because I have never understood how WordPress can afford to offer this service at no charge. I’m grateful for enjoying a free ride for several years.

This list represents the most-read posts during the past 12 months, and interest in the Alamo and its plaza rose to the top once again. But thanks for continuing to give me the freedom to wander around the globe and send postcards back to San Antonio as well.

The numbers in parentheses represent the rankings from six months ago:

  1. Don’t Let Battle Zealots Overrun the Crockett Block, 2016
  2. The Madarasz Murder Mystery: Might Helen Haunt Brackenridge Park?, 2012 (1)
  3. Take pleasure in little unauthorized treasures along the River Walk before they vanish, 2015 (7)
  4. How would you feel about the Alamo with a crewcut?, 2011 (3)
  5. Please put this song on Tony’s pony and make it ride away, 2010 (5)
  6. Postcards from San Antonio a Century Ago, 2016
  7. Playspace of Yanaguana Garden bursts into bloom October 2, 2015 (8)
  8. Postcard from Madrid, Spain: Flavorful food memories, 2015
  9. Postcard from Puebla, Mexico: An unlikely trio of favorite restaurants, 2015
  10. Reviving Dia de los Muertos, 2015
  11. Postcard from Sintra, Portugal: Masonic mysteries surface at Quinta da Regaleira, 2014
  12. Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Settling into La Biznaga, 2016

Thanks for dropping by every once in a while. Love hearing your feedback.

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Postcard from Ferrara, Italy: Museums serving history in manageable bites

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The landmarks housing Ferrara’s museums are worth visiting for their historical and architectural merits alone. Their content provides glimpses of Italy’s past in small, easy-to-digest bites.

These photographs are from Casa Romei, built in 1445 by Giovanni Romei who married Polissena of the ruling Este family, and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, a 16th-century palace primarily showcasing artifacts from the Greco-Etruscan seaport of Spina.

My take-away lesson? The true definition of symposium gleaned from text in the archeological museum.

During all those years of working with nonprofits, why did no one ever fill me in on the proper recipe for conducting a symposium? Comfortable couches for reclining; snacks within easy reach; and, most importantly, free-flowing wine generating free-flowing conversation and exchange of ideas. I would have attended more and staged more if I had only known.

Although, maybe those years of gatherings in the over-sized corner booth of the Kangaroo Court on the River Walk were just that.

Let Paseo del Rio lore be altered henceforth. The almost mandatory, after-work, boozy gatherings of River Rats were not mere happy hours; they were lofty downtown symposia.

Dionysus certainly would hoist a glass in approval. And, as I learned this in Italy, Bacchus would as well.