Arts Alive San Antonio

For contemporary arts lovers, Blue Star’s Red Dot Show & Sale is a beloved annual tradition, which this year is somewhat different in a definitely good way. Forced by the pandemic to rethink the format of what used to be a one-night event for collectors, the organization has expanded Red Dot’s reach both in terms of featuring new artists in the sale and opening it up to the public and potentially a broader range of buyers. Though you can still view the artworks in-person by visiting the Blue Star galleries, the show is also accessible online for 12 days, through Oct.4. Lots of well-known San Antonio artists are in it. In addition, it has been enhanced through augmented reality which you can take advantage of by downloading the app to your phone or tablet. (See our Sept. 23 feature story on this site.)

And don’t forget the new exhibit at the Briscoe Western Art Museum – Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art – featuring Chickasaw contemporary art painters, sculptors, fiber artists and more. (See our feature story, Sept. 17 on this site.)

 The McNay Art Museum has a lot going on as well, in fact, probably more than any other museum in town, both inside the museum and on the grounds. In addition, the McNay has just received a $1.50 million grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation to support its overall operation for the next 18 months. It is the only Texas museum to receive a grant from the foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Initiative.

The Carver Community Cultural Center has been quiet for months but seems to have regained its stride recently. Cancelled shows have been rescheduled, and the center’s leaders want to announce the news in style, starting with the KRTU South Texas Jazz Project Series, to be presented from the Little Carver Civic Center. The series will feature live performances accompanied by interviews with local and regional jazz musicians. But for the public it will be a virtual live experience.

The first concert in the series, tonight at 7 p.m., will feature the well-known Regency Jazz Band with the father-and-son duo, George and Aaron Prado, and other players. The next two concerts are scheduled for Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, featuring, respectively, the Joe Caploe Group and Jazzmeia Horn, whose concert will be pre-recorded in New York.

At tonight’s event, the Carver’s director, Cassandra Parker Nowicki, is expected to make an official announcement about the arts presenter’s revised season. The producer of the series is CZ Digital Media. To watch: https://facebook.com/TheCarverCenterSA/ or https://www.youtube.com/user/kru917

A wonderful spiritual organization called The Celebration Circle, which you may never heard of but should know about, is trying to raise money with an art show & auction named The Sacred Art of Altars. As the name indicates, the virtual auction offers a large selection of artist-made altars at very reasonable opening bids. We loved almost all of them. Among the 50 featured artists are Lyn Belisle, Sandy Dunn, Martha K. Grant, Zet Baer, Rudi Harst, Jon Hinojosa, Deborah Keller-Rihn, Patsy Sasek, Chuck Squier, Charles (Pompa) Harrison, and many others.To view the selection and bid, go to https://bit.ly/Altars2020  or the organization’s website www.celebrationcircle.org.

For fans of musicals, the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts has a special treat: a Musical Movie Marathon, to be screened Friday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. throughout October – eight films total. The series starts with Chicago on Oct. 2. Other scheduled movies are: Rent, Evita, Sweeney Todd-The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Moana, Sing, Frozen and the Lion King. Tickets are only $5 and can be purchased online at www.tobincenter.org or by calling the box office at 210-223-8624. Social distancing and other safety protocols will be in place.

At the Woodlawn Theater, they are always up to something. One of their “cast reunion” events is scheduled for Friday night, this time bringing together cast members from the company’s 2014 production of Into the Woods. Hosted by artistic director Chris Rodriguez, the reunion will bring together Megan DeYoung (Witch) Amanda Golden (Baker’s Wife) and Trevor Chauvin (Jack). (7 p.m.; $5) To register:https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6Q_JkSRDTgKkI-r9lAD6dw

On Saturday, the Woodlawn will screen the film Hairspray at 2 p.m., in the actual theater, with appropriate social distancing as mandated by authorities. Seating will be every other row with two empty seats between parties. Tickets are $10 and must be purchased online in advance.

One of the best singers in these parts, Azul Barientos, has another live-streamed concert this month, Noche Azul Sabor Baja California Sur, that will take place Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. (English version) and Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. (Spanish version). You can view it on YouTube. Just type in azulmusicachannel

And here’s an interesting item sent to us by our friend, composer & musician, Tom Masinter regarding a famous soprano from San Antonio. Her name was Josephine Lucchese nicknamed “The American Nightingale” by European opera fans. She was the daughter of bootmaker Sam Lucchese. Following a successful career in the U.S. and Europe, she returned to Texas and taught voice at the University of Texas from 1956 to 1968. To hear her sing click on the link. It’s an old recording but her voice is beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J0iJl0-FV8