Arts Alive San Antonio

San Antonio has numerous outdoor art installations and now there’s one more; actually two, strictly speaking, but the two are connected. El Papaloto and El Trompo were just installed the other day at the intersection of Frio and Commerce streets downtown. The Department of Arts and Culture described them as “monumental emblems of childhood play.”

The kite (Papalote) features a folded La Prensa Texas newspaper, the first and oldest bilingual publication in Texas, established in 1913. The top (El Trompo) is a colorful, large version of the iconic toy.

“Our public art program connects the community to artists, and with this project, the community asked for the artwork to be bold and colorful, and to reflect the Westside’s diverse history, culture and heritage,” said Krystal Jones, the director of the Department of Arts & Culture. “The artist truly captured a moment of nostalgia and joy as both sculptures look full of energy as if they are actively being played with.” (Maybe by giants!) Standing on opposite sides of the street, they create a gateway to the city’s Westside.

At the San Antonio Art League and Museum, you can see “Summering at SAALM” that includes works by women artists who are members of the Gentileschi Aegis Gallery Association, usually referred to as GAGA. From a pool of 180 submissions by GAGA members, the curatorial team chose one or more works per artist, editing the final choices to 62.  “Summering” marks GAGA’s third return to SAALM.
The exhibition opened June 15 and will be on view through Aug. 2, 2024. (SAALM, 130 King William St.,
78204; 210-223-1140; www.facebook.com/saartleague/ To contacts GAGA, go to www.gagaart.org)

Numerous summer events and activities are planned at the Briscoe Museum, including the current exhibit “Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four.”  The latter are four artists who were among the first to represent animals in their own environment in a realistic way.
Open through Sep. 8. The Briscoe also has a number of special activities and programs in connection with the main exhibit. (www.briscoemuseum.org;210-299-4499)

At the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) there are no block-buster new exhibits, but there’s still a lot to see. On view now is “Lovers & Fighters: Prints by Latino Artists in the SAMA Collection” in the Golden Gallery. The exhibit will be displayed in four rounds, the first one lasting through July 14, 2024, with the second one starting on Aug. 3 (SAMA, 200 W. Jones Ave., 78215; 210-978-8100; www.samamuseum.org)

Ruby City has invited Phillip A. Townsend, a curator of art and art galleries at Black Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, to delve into “After the Dance,” a vibrant and evocative screenprint by British artist, Chris Ofili. Through exploration of themes such as water, joy, celebration and cultural memory, viewers will be invited on a journey of discovery (June 29 at 2 p.m.; Ruby City, 150 Camp St., 78204; free but respond at www.Rubycity.org or call 210-781-7180)

And let’s remind you of the exhibits on view at Centro Cultural Aztlan: “Midsummer Solstice:
A celebration of Life, Balance and Renewal” and “The Project: MASA Cosmic Couture Portrait Collection.”
(Centro Aztlan, 1800 Fredericksburg Rd., suite 103; open through July 18, 2024; for info call 210-432-1896)

Let’s explore the music front!

“On December 1, 1973, at the University of Delaware’s Lane Hall, George Thorogood and the Destroyers played their first show ever. According to reports, they had the place “rocking.” Five decades and 15 million albums, and more than 8000 performances later, they are still rocking in a big way. You can check them out Friday, at their concert at the Tobin Center. Also performing will be the Robert Cray Band. (June 28 at 7:30 p.m.; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle; tickets are $59.50 – $309.50, at www.boxofficeticketsales.com)

Since they formed the band in 2004 in Austin, the Black Angels remain true to their psych-rock forebears. Check them out at Stable Hall where they will be June 28 at 8 p.m., (Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, 78215; Tickets $29+; info@stablehall.com; www.stablehall.com)

And there’s more at Stable Hall: Dexter and the Moonrocks. The Abilene-based band delivers a unique Southern Alternative fusion, dubbed “Western Space Grunge.” The band released its first single “Couch” in 2021, “taking the Internet by storm.” (June 29 at 8 p.m.; tickets are $25+; address of Stable Hall above.)

And more: Victor Wooten & the Wooten Brothers (Stable Hall is definitely “alive with music.”). The brothers have performed together since they were very young, redefining the limits of jazz, funk, soul, R&B, rock and bluegrass. This will be the brothers’ first tour together since the untimely death of their saxophone-playing brother Rudy a few years ago. Victor Wooten is a five-time Grammy Award-winning artist, who has graced the cover of Bass Player Magazine five times. He is considered one of the greatest living bassists today. (July 2, at 8p.m. Stable Hall address above; tickets $39+)

Summer Night City at Texas Public Radio Headquarters continues through July. Bands: Powdered Wig Machine + Haunt Me. Happy Hour is from 5-7:15 p.m. with DJ Rambo Salinas. Food trucks will be around. (June 27, 5-9:30 p.m.; 321 W. Commerce; for info call 210-614-8977; https://tpr.org)

You are invited to join in percussion fun with Grammy-winning drummer Nina Rodriguez and multi-instrumentalist Stephanie Pedraza, on a musical journey through Mexican mariachi. (June 27 at 3 p.m.; IGO Library, 13330, Kyle Seale Pkwy, 78249; for info call 210-464-1534; the event is supported by Musical Bridges Around the World.

Fiesta Noche del Rio is still entertaining tourists and locals at the Arneson River Theater downtown.
(Every week through Aug. 3; at 8:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday. Supported by the Alamo Kiwanis Club; 210-226-465; $8-$20 at the door.)

The remarkable Cactus Pear Music Festival is just around the corner, starting July 12. To see what’s coming and buy tickets, visit www.cpmf.us. You can also call for info 210-838-2218. What makes things simpler this year is that all concerts will take place at the same location: the Diane Benack Hall at the
University of the Incarnate Word. More about it later.

Theater Openings: The Majestic Theater is presenting “Clue” this weekend, a hilarious murder-and-blackmail comedy praised as very entertaining. (Shows: June 28 to June 30; two performances on the 30^th; Go to the Majestic Empire website for days and times. Tickets are $45-$140 at www.majesticempire.com)

The Overtime Theater is getting ready to stage “The Nevermind People, described as
“a new thrilling mystery” by Michael D. Burger-Song. Brief description: After a bus crash sweeps through Dr. Phillips’ emergency department, strange events start happening around a coma patient named Laynerd, who mysteriously wakes up. He isn’t sure what happened in the past but the other characters can clearly see that something is not right. Audience members can try to find out Laynerd’s secret.
(July 12 – Aug. 3^rd; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. Sunday matinee, July 28 at 2p.m. (5409 Bandera Rd., 78238; 210-557-7562; www.overtimetheater.org)

The San Pedro Playhouse will soon open a new production of “Wizard of Oz” on July 12. More about it later.

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