Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

Twelve years have passed since the first Luminaria lit up Alamo Plaza as the first night-time contemporary arts festival in the city and the U.S., and to this day the event is still the only one of its kind in the country, said executive director Kathy Armstrong.

“There are a lot of art festivals around but most are focused on a single art form, like a music festival, and not only a music festival but, more specifically, it may be an accordion festival. And dance festivals, film festivals, etc. I believe, there’s nothing in the U.S. that brings all of these arts into one footprint together,” she said.

Luminaria certainly does.  This year, some 50 artist groups from San Antonio and beyond will present a wide range of visual and performance works that cover everything from light installations to punk-rock musicals and all sorts of innovative collaborations and spectacles. You can sample them all this Saturday night, from 7 p.m. to midnight, in Hemisfair Park, 434 S. Alamo. Last year, 20,000 people attended.

“I feel that Luminaria has two constituencies,” noted Armstrong. “We answer to the artists because we want to showcase and produce their work to the highest quality and we want to give them a big audience and get them publicity. But for our audience, we also want to make sure that we have a vibrant program, and we want to make sure that our venue is accessible, open and welcoming. Hemisfair is a great venue and access is free.”

Though the festival was originally expected to move to different areas of the city every year, it is very difficult to do so, she explained. Finding new neighborhood partners to work with every year would add another level of administration and expense but the organization has not given up on the idea. It’s a matter of finding financial support.

In the spirit of embracing other urban areas, Luminaria is once again producing a separately funded “closing performance” at Mission San Jose on Sunday, Nov. 10., from 4 to 6 p.m.

Saturday’s main extravanganza kicks off with an address by Mayor Ron Nirenberg, followed by a series of performances on the main stage, starting with Lunar Fire, the opening act, which promises to be an audience pleaser. Fire spinners, acrobats, dancers, actors, interactive video, plus urban and folk dance, will all be part of the show. Talk about spectacle! Several music performances will follow though often mixed with poetry and/or video.

 Meanwhile, a lot of dance/movement artists will take over the stage at the Mexican Cultural Institute, some focusing on political themes and messages such as Cuerpos Confinados, Mapas Fabricados, a contemporary dance work about womanhood “in relation to borders and migration.”  A group from Mexico – Anais Bouts, Tania Solomonoff and Rodrigo Valero-Purtas – appears to have a political message of some sort, as well. Its piece is called Resistencia en Silencio.  One of the more interesting and rigorous presentations is likely to be presented by the Pioneer Winter Collective, named by Dance magazine as one of the 25 companies to watch in 2019.

Performances are also scheduled to take place at the National University of Mexico building and at the Convention Center- River level. Armstrong was particularly enthusiastic about one of those, Cenicienta: A Quinceanera with a Taste of Cinderella, a mariachi musical that blends cultures in reimagining the classic fairy tale. The Guadalupe Cultural Art Center’s mariachi group, Mariachi Azteca de America, will perform live.

Dance and film are exceptionally well represented this time around, noted the director.

Of course, the visual installations and light shows will be all around the festival grounds, which occupy only a portion of the park. Artists include Katie Pell; Sarah Fox with Kristian Bonlokke; Albert Gonzales; Tom Turner and Carol Cunningham Turner; a Nigerian-born artist known as Akirash; a Texas artist who calls himself Rawmirez, and others. More visual art will be at the River Walk level, as well as some performances.

The 2019 art works were selected by a curatorial committee consisting of dancer/choreographer Amber Ortega, theater director Christopher Rodriguez, artist Gary Sweeney, music promoter Libby Day and arts supporter Katherine Sotelo.

However, the festival will also feature non-curated appearances and exhibits by some 25 performers and 22 visual artists, through its Open Stage and Open Gallery program, which was open to anyone who wanted to participate.

Activities continue on Sunday with Community Arts Day, a quieter time that will allow attendees to shop for unique items at the Artist Market, and/or attend several workshops and demonstrations for families, 11a.m. to 3 p.m. Ticketed brunches with artists are also scheduled. To reserve your spot, go to https://luminariasa.org

The 2019 Luminaria ends with the already-mentioned closing event at Mission San Jose, a performance featuring Mike Ryan y Los Patricios, which Armstrong described as a multidimensional and multimedia work that delves into the history of the Irish people in the area and their interaction with the Anglos and the Mexicans. History, plus Irish and Mexican music – it should be a blast! And it’s free.

So, what is she looking forward to the most, we asked the executive director?

“I look forward to 7 p.m. Saturday night when I’ll be standing on the stage welcoming the city of San Antonio to enjoy art.”                                                     

Maps will be available to help you navigate around the fest.