Thomas Csorba at the Rustic

By SUZI CASTELLAW, Contributing Writer What do you do if you can’t be the trailblazer because of all the legends who have blazed before you?  How do you travel their same path without becoming them?  There’s a new singer-songwriter in town and he just may have the answer. Texas boy Thomas Csorba will take the stage this Thursday at The …

“Antigone” in the Garden

BY JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor — Greek tragedies are powerful and eloquent but they deal with issues of loss, revenge, abuse of power, violent death, and other heavy-duty topics. So, our first question for director Kelly Roush who is directing the new Classic Theatre of San Antonio’s production of Sophocles’ “Antigone” was: Why not replace “Antigone” with lighter fare at this …

National Poetry Month Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, Part 2

The poems included in this installment were inspired by artwork chosen by the SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART. 2021 EKPHRASTIC POETRY WINNERS – SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART Artwork: Mama Ocllo, First Coya (Artist unknown) Adult Winning Poems (in no particular order) On Her Deathbed, Mama Ocllo Speaks to the Acllasby Pablo Miguel Martinez light & water  /  mother & father  /  never said  /  I am …

News Roundup, April 1, 2021

April is National Poetry Month which means lots of poetry everywhere, from formal readings to poems posted on store windows at the Pearl. To get things started, today is “Slam the Town” day, when all poetry lovers are expected to send a poem via mail, text or email – or in any other way – to friends and colleagues. It …

National Poetry Month SA Ekphrastic Poetry Contest Winning Poems – Part 1

As promised, ARTS ALIVE SAN ANTINIO, will publish the winning entries in the NPM San Antonio Ekphrastic Poetry Contest, in installments. Here’s the first one. Of the four artworks selected by San Antonio Museums as inspiration for the poets, most contestants chose to respond to the piece the McNay Art Museum picked, “Sarah # 9” by Heidi McFall. Below are …

News Roundup, March 25, 2021

It’s hard to believe that a year has gone by, but it’s time again for the Briscoe Museum’s Night of the Artists exhibition and auction. Like so many other events, it’s a hybrid of in-person and online components, making it more accessible to Western art lovers all over the U.S. and beyond. The main celebration takes place March 27, with …

Virtual Book Festival to Feature Almost 200 Authors

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor Like so many other events, the San Antonio Book Festival is going online this year but it promises to showcase a terrific author lineup, which includes local and national literary luminaries. “We are having more writers in this festival than ever before,” said the fest’s literary director Clay Smith who has been associated with the event …

McNay’s “Limitless” an Engaging, Fun Exhibit

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor The full title of the current exhibit at the McNay Art Museum is Limitless: Five Women Reshape Contemporary Art, which promises a lot, delivers quite a bit, and is also fun. The show features the work – installations – by five contemporary female artists: Martine Gutierrez, Leticia Huckaby, Yayoi Kusama, Sandy Skoglund and Jenni Steinkamp. It …

News Roundup, March 19, 2021

You have heard it said many times: “Laughter is the Best Medicine,” so here is info about funny events to enjoy this weekend and get your mind off the inaccessible vaccine lists and the like. Comic storyteller Jim Breuer will bring his Freedom of Laughter Tour to the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts Friday, March 19. You probably remember …