Arts Alive San Antonio

Blue Star Contemporary is opening four new exhibits Friday, that, it hopes, will invite “reflection and dialogue,” according to the press release. The largest, Please Form a Straight Line, is installed in the main gallery and features the work of eight artists: Jamal Cyrus, Maggie Evans, Benjamin S. Jones, Yuge Zhou, Frances Lightbound, Mark Menjivar, Jingiing Lin and Jorge Villareal. The themes are varied but seem to have a common thread in looking at how modern societies are organized. Hence the title, which remind us of school lines, and multiple other lines, including, of course, the current “6-feet apart” lines in grocery stores and just about everywhere else. Uniformity is often the result of large-scale organization in the contemporary world, and the artists in this show take a hard – and critical look – at it.

Another Blue Star exhibit, Objects of Aggression, showcases the photographs of Theresa Newsome who is focusing on the recent instances of brutal police behavior, specifically toward black men. For instance, a crumpled $20 bill shown in one piece, will certainly remind the viewer of the death of George Floyd who expired after a Minneapolis officer pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for an extended period of time. According to the press release, the artist also wanted to confront the fear that black women have of losing the boys and men in their lives, including Newsome herself, who worries about her brother.

The other two shows are: A relationship with Flight, featuring the work of Ryan Takaba, and Sanctuary City Project, by artists Sergio De La Torre and Chris Treggiari. Takaba “creates an intersection between physics and metaphysics, calling on the viewers to be aware to the physical space they occupy…., and perhaps our spiritual existence with references to human mortality and unseen forces.” The Sanctuary City exhibit, as its name implies deals, with migration and immigration issues via printed posters and video documentation.

All exhibits will remain on view through May 9 of next year. (Blue Star Contemporary is open Friday – Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. 116 Blue Star, 210-227-6960; bsc@bluestarcontemporary.org)

We also want to remind you of the remarkable exhibit at the McNay Art Museum, Robert Indiana: A Legacy of Love. Indiana was one of the first artists to integrate text and image in his work and he did it in a unique way. He influenced many contemporary artists. (To learn more, see 11/4/20 feature story on this site.)

The Indian community in San Antonio celebrates its traditions every year by organizing the Diwali SA Festival of Lights, which this year has been turned into a virtual fest to take place Saturday, Nov. 7. You won’t be able to sample the food, but you can enjoy the enchanting music and dance, which are very different from European-based traditions. Still, if you crave the food, you can order it, as well as clothing and jewelry, from vendors who will take online orders. In addition, there will be trunk shows, saree/turban wrapping demonstrations, live speed painting, Zumba Bollywood Style, yoga, Indian cooking demonstrations and more. It all starts at 9 a.m., with the last dance party at 8 p.m. To view for free, go to www.DiwaliSA.com

Did you know that the City of San Antonio owns some 600 public art artworks distributed all over the urban space, though with a concentration in downtown and nearby area? That’s an impressive number. And a new sculptural work has just been added to that treasure trove. Named Gates of Equality, the tall blue columns are the work of Mexican sculptor Sebastian the creator of the red Torch of Friendship downtown. The Door of Equality is installed in the center of the San Pedro roundabout, a block north of the Central Library, itself a building that attracts attention by its “post-modern” design and tomato-red color. The new sculpture will be lit from inside, giving off a perpetual glow that “speaks to the fire and energy surrounding the city’s tenacious history.” According to the official word, one column stands for “peace, tranquility and wisdom” while the other represents “loyalty, strength and trust.” How they decided on all of that, they don’t say, but the sculpture is attractive and those are all great attributes.

Speaking of public art, a new mural will be unveiled Saturday, Nov. 7, at Mission San Jose, to commemorate 300 years of the beautiful Spanish mission, known as the Queen of the Missions. You are invited to join the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park and Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival for the virtual unveiling ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m., The work of local artist Sandra Gonzalez, the mural, Heritage, will be located on the exterior of the Visitor Center. The mural was made possible through the Luminaria 2020 Placemaking program. To view the unveiling: https://www.facebook.com/SanAntonioMissionsNPS/

The less known San Antonio orchestra, Symphony Viva, will join a number of performing arts organizations that have moved their performances to the San Antonio Botanical Garden in the past couple of months. This weekend, the ensemble will present Elements, Sunday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m., a program of shorter pieces, highlighting the various sections of the orchestra. On the program are compositions by Handel, Richard Strauss, Dukas, Gabrieli, Elgar, Johann Strauss and Stravinsky. Associated with Alamo City Performing Arts, Symphony Viva will later join forces with the Alamo City Dance Company in their annual Nutcracker production. (for video ticketing go to www.alamocityperformingartsassociation.com and click on Symphony Viva.)

The much better known, Olmos Ensemble and Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman will take the stage at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in The Soldier’s Tale,a theatrical piece created by Igor Stravinsky and a Swiss writer during WWI. It is scored for seven musicians and a narrator, though some productions feature actors and dancers as well. The Olmos version will feature opera singer Timothy Jones as the narrator of the tale which focuses on a soldier’s relationship with the Devil. The other piece on the program is Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin.In addition to the much-praised Gluzman on violin (a Stradivari from 1690); the ensemble consists of the following musicians: Mark Teplitsky, flute; Paul Lueders, oboe; Ilya Shterenberg, clarinet; Sharon Kuster, bassoon; Jeff Garza, horn; John Carroll, trumpet; Steve Peterson, trombone; Riely Francis, percussion and Tim Dilenschneider, bass. (Tickets $24.50 – $49.50; livestream tickets $17; www.tobincenter.org/box-office/

Have you heard of the Old Spanish Trail? It’s an old road that passed through San Antonio before continuing farther west toward California. Believe or not, you can still see some remnants of it in today’s San Antonio. Should you want to learn more about that aspect of our past, St. Mary’s University is launching its Old Spanish Trail: Archives & Exhibit Saturday at 11 a.m. It will be a virtual event, via Zoom. (Zoom ID: https://stmarytx.zoom.us/j/94823312276.) On Nov. 18, St Mary’s University Students plan to present Stories of the Old Spanish Trail at 6:30 p.m. (Zoom link: https://stmarytx.zoom.us/j/94823312278)

URBAN-15’s November episode of the Hidden Histories series “delves into local legacies of enfranchisement and disenfranchisement.” (Every Monday night this month at 7 p.m. (210-736-1500; findus@hiddenhistories.tv)