Arts Alive San Antonio

What do you think of when you hear the words World Heritage Festival?

What comes to mind is a festival showcasing diverse cultures from around the world, right? But in San Antonio, the phrase is used to indicate a celebration of our own cultural heritage, specifically the five Spanish missions which have been recognized by UNESCO as one of 1,121 World Heritage Sites in the world. It’s wonderful thing for our city, to be sure, but our city leaders are using the phrase in a misleading way. The Taj Mahal is a World Heritage Site, too, but everyone still refers to it as Taj Mahal and we should refer to our missions as the Spanish Missions – or San Antonio missions – whether in the context of a festival or in any other context.

Anyway, the festival that has little to do with the “world” is scheduled for Sept. 8-13 this year, and, as can be expected at this time, multiple events will take place online. Among the planned events are the following:

Sept. 8 –Exhibit Opening – Bridging Cultures: Photography Exhibition of the Classical Gardens in Suzhou, China (the latter is also A World Heritage Site) The exhibit is located at Mission San Jose and will remain on view through the rest of fall. Park grounds are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; free; Visitors are expected to observe health and safety recommendations.

Sept. 9 –Heritage Conservation: It’s Not Just for Buildings! Presented by UTSA, the event will feature professors William Dupont and Angela Lombardi who will explain how their projects go beyond protecting physical structures. It’s an opportunity to learn about the work being done to preserve 300 years of our cultural heritage. (2 p.m. on YouTube, https://youtu.be/143t32BFlaVc)

Sept. 10 –Virtual San Antonio Missions Trivia Night This sounds like fun for all of you, history buffs! Registration is required.

Sept. 11 –Virtual Classical Concert: Celebrating Mission San Jose. The concert will be performed by the engaging and talented Agarita Chamber Players at 7 p.m. inside the San Jose church. Watch live on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/worldheritagefestival/

Sept. 13 –El Camino de San Antonio: Caring for Creation Outdoor Mass. Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller will celebrate mass outdoor at Mission San Jose to mark the mission’s 300 anniversary. (8 a.m., free and open to the public)

For more info visit www.worldheritagefestival.org

And there’s another festival in town, this one aptly named Fotoseptiembre USA. As the name implies, it showcases photographic arts, which this time will be displayed primarily online though a few venues are installing 3-D exhibits in actual physical spaces. (To find out more about this exciting fest, see the News & Commentary story on this site 2020 Photo Fest Smaller, Mostly Virtual but Exhibits Stronger, Sept. 3)

URBAN-15 is continuing its Hidden Histories series this month with a new episode, Arts Jobs and Women Workers: A Labor Day Special, which will be repeated every Monday night in September. The episode will examine the impact of federal job creation programs for artists, from the WPA projects in the 1940s to the CETA program of the 1970 & 80s, both of which produced a lasting legacy in our city. Also included in this episode is a discussion about the legacy of women’s skilled labor and organizing power, focusing on Feurza Unida, founded in 1990 when female workers rose up to protest the closure of three factories on the Southside. (7 p.m. on Mondays, www.urban15.org.  (To learn more about Hidden Histories, read the feature story on this site, Aug. 26)

San Antonio’s children’s museum, known as The Doseum is planning to offer a range of children’s programs this fall in both in-person and online formats.  “Following the success of our in-person camps this summer, we are excited to expand our program offerings for the families of San Antonio this fall,” said CEO Daniel Menelly, in the press announcement. “These programs are intentionally designed to continue promoting distancing and our many other safety measures, while also providing new resources for the city’s children, caregivers and teachers as we begin the fall school year.”

The programs include Wee Doers, designed for very young kids to help them explore STEM concepts, tinkering and creative problem solving; Little Doers Preschool, play-based learning of various concepts and disciplines, from science to art; and Family Workshops on Sundays “that will create lifelong memories.”

There are also programs for educators as well as one-day camps, both virtual and in-person. www.TheDoSEum.org

We usually do not include movies in our NEWS ROUNDUP since we like to focus on San Antonio arts but we are going to make an exception this time. Slab Cinema and Good Kind Southtown restaurant have teamed up to show a series of French New Wave films from the 1960s that revolutionized filmmaking and influenced filmmakers for decades, in fact to this day. The screenings take place outdoors with appropriate social distancing. This Friday, Sept. 4, they will screen the famous Hiroshima, Mon Amour directed by Alain Resnais at 8 p.m. Next weekend: Le Bonheur by Agnes Varda and Last Year at Marianbad, also directed by Resnais. And later in the month, you can see Francois Truffaut’s famous 400 Blows and his Jules and Jim. Tickets at https://bit.ly/2ECJuUc

if you want to stay in shape and love dancing, here’s a really effective way to accomplish your goals: tap dancing. Did you know that The Third Coast Rhythm Project has classes for adults of all levels of experience? Classes are offered online via Zoom and recorded. Classes start Sept. 8. To see the schedule and register click on the link: https://thirdcoastrhythm.com/classes-and-schedule/