Museums and Art Centers

January 2009 | BY Dan R. Goddard | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Each of San Antonio’s neighborhoods has a distinct personality, and many offer dozens of galleries and artist studios all within walking distance. Here is an extended sampling of some of the museums, galleries and art institutions in the area.

Museums and Art Centers

Artpace
445 N. Main Ave.
210-212-4900
www.artpace.org

Blue Star Contemporary Art Center
116 Blue Star
210-227-6960
www.bluestarart.org

Centro Cultural Aztlán
1800 Fredericksburg Road, Ste. 103
210-432-1986
www.centroculturalaztlan.50megs.com

Coppini Academy of Fine Arts
115 Melrose Place
210-824-8502
www.coppiniacademy.com

Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
1300 Guadalupe St.
210-271-3151
www.guadalupeculturalarts.org

McNay Art Museum
6000 N. New Braunfels Ave.
210-824-5368
www.mcnayart.org

Museo Alameda
101 S. Santa Rosa St.
210-299-4300
www.thealameda.org

San Antonio Museum of Art
200 W. Jones Ave.
210-978-8100
www.samuseum.org

Southwest School of Art & Craft
300 Augusta St.
210-224-1848
www.swschool.org

Galleries

ALAMO HEIGHTS/OLMOS PARK

AnArte Gallery
5800 Broadway St., Ste. 202
210-826-5674
www.anartegallery.com

Galeria Ortiz Contemporary
4026 McCullough Ave.
210-826-8623
www.galleriaortiz.com

Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art
6496 N. New Braunfels Ave.
210-828-6491
www.greenhousegallery.com

Hunt Gallery
4225 McCullough Ave.
210-822-6527
www.huntgallery.net

Parchman Stremmel Gallery
110 W. Olmos Dr.
210-824-8990
www.psgart.com

Nanette Richardson Fine Art
555 E. Basse Road, Ste. 105
210-930-1343
www.nanetterichardsonfineart.com

DOWNTOWN

Gallery Vetro
513 E. Houston St.
210-354-0001
www.galleryvetro.com

Garcia Art Glass
123 Losoya St., Ste. 5
210-223-1400
www.garciaartglass.com

Lawrence Markey
311 Sixth St.
210-228-9966
www.lawrencemarkey.com

Monte Wade Fine Arts Gallery
418 Villita St., Bldg. 1500
210-222-8838
www.montewadefinearts.com

Peter Zubiate Studio Furniture
112 Broadway St.
210-310-6237
www.zubiateprojects.com

FAR NORTH SIDE

Dragonfire Hot Glass Studio
1211 W. Blanco Road
210-764-8465
www.dragonfirehotglass.com

GREATER SAN ANTONIO

Gallery Nord
2009 N.W. Military Hwy.
210-348-0088
www.gallerynord.com

SOUTH FLORES

FL!GHT
1906 S. Flores St.
210-872-2586
www.turnitoff.tv

Gallista Gallery & Art Studio
1913 S. Flores St.
210-212-8606
www.gallista.com

One9Zero6
1906 S. Flores St.
210-227-5718
www.1906gallery.com

Salon Mijangos
1906 S. Flores St.
210-271-9592
www.salonmijangos.com

SOUTHTOWN
Cactus Bra Space
1400 S. Alamo St., No. 106C
210-226-6688
www.cactusbraspace.com

Fiber Artspace
1414 S. Alamo St., No. 103
210-271-1015
www.fiberartspace.com

Garcia Art Glass
715 S. Alamo St.
210-354-4681
www.garciaartglass.com

Joan Grona Gallery
112 Blue Star
210-225-6334
www.joangronagallery.com

REM Gallery
120 Blue Star, Ste. 1
210-224-1227
www.remgallery.com

Rendon Photography & Fine Art
733 S. Alamo St.
210-288-4900
www.alrendon.com

Robert Hughes Gallery
1102 S. Alamo St.
210-222-9994
www.roberthughesgallery.com

San Angel Folk Art
110 Blue Star
210-226-6688
www.sanangelfolkart.com

StoneMetal Press
1420 S. Alamo St., Ste. 101
210-227-0312
www.stonemetal-press.com

Unit B
500 Stieren St.
312-375-1871
www.unitbgallery.com

Arts Tour: San Antonio

January 2009 | BY Dan R. Goddard | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

The River Walk, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Texas, offers plenty of options for dining, shopping and entertainment along the San Antonio River.

A river runs through San Antonio, linking the past with the future of this sprawling city of 1.3 million. Settlers from the Canary Islands first arrived in 1731 to claim the region for the Spanish crown. A string of five missions grew along the river— including one famous for the battle of the Alamo in 1836.

In the 1930s, visionary architect Robert H.H. Hugman created the River Walk, featuring winding walkways, lush landscaping and picturesque arched bridges along the cypress-lined San Antonio River downtown. It languished until the city hosted one of the last great world fairs, HemisFair ’68, which established San Antonio as a major tourist and convention destination.

Today, the Alamo and the River Walk rank as two of Texas’s most popular tourist attractions. While San Antonio has a reputation as a romantic getaway with mariachis and river barge rides, there’s also a thriving art scene with expanding museums, dozens of galleries and a large, supportive artists’ community.

Galleries and Museums

For more of “Arts Tour: San Antonio,” pick up the April 2009 issue of AmericanStyle today!

Style Spotlight: Lino Takes Center Stage

January 2009 | BY admin | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

If you’ve admired Italian glass master Lino Tagliapietra’s work but have yet to catch him in action, look for “Glass Masters at Work: Lino Tagliapietra,” a DVD of demonstrations aptly paired with classical music.

Tagliapietra held a special set of workshops at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York in 2008 while award-winning documentary filmmaker Robin Lehman caught everything on video. The DVD presents 10 vignettes, including an introduction by the artist and the filmmaker. Works include “Medusa,” “Saturn,” “Dinosaur” and “Borneo.”

The editing is seamless, allowing you to dive into the sensual, visual experience. Look for a copy, at $19.95, from the museum at www.cmog.org.

Style Spotlight: The Capital of Craft

January 2009 | BY Christine Kloostra | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

What was once a weekend event has blossomed into a five-day celebration, thanks to the combined forces of two Washington, D.C., craft powerhouses.

The James Renwick Alliance (JRA) has partnered with the Smithsonian Women’s Committee, producers of the Smithsonian Craft Show, to host Craft Week DC 2009.

The alliance, a support group of the Renwick Gallery at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, has traditionally sponsored a weekend event for craft collectors each spring. This year, the weekend will run concurrently with the Smithsonian Craft Show, held April 23-26 at the National Building Museum. Highlights include:

• A curator-led tour of “The Art and Craft of Greene & Greene,” an exhibition at the Renwick that examines the work of the Arts & Crafts designers Charles and Henry Greene;
• A tour of select Georgetown galleries;
• Open studios and artist demonstrations at the Gateway Arts Community in Mt. Rainer, Md.;
• A discussion of artists’ lives by “Masters of the Medium” awardees at the JRA Spring Craft Weekend Symposium;
• Silent and live auctions at the JRA Spring Craft Weekend Gala;
• A preview of work by artists who have taught at the Penland School of Crafts at Habatat Galleries in Tysons Corner, Va.
• Craft Week DC runs April 22-26; for details, visit www.jra.org or www.smithsoniancraftshow.org.

Style Spotlight: Night at the Museum

January 2009 | BY Christine Kloostra | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Live music, cocktails and mingling are often the ingredients of a sophisticated night out on the town—not exactly what you’d expect at a museum.

Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, like dozens of others around the country, throws open its doors in the evening for events designed to attract young professionals who may not otherwise visit.

“After Hours” at the Gardner kicked off its second year last fall, with 10 themed evenings of entertainment and education.

The monthly events feature live music, lectures, gallery tours and other performances. The museum has even developed a specialty cocktail, “The Madame Gautreau,” named for a John Singer Sargent painting in the museum’s collection.

“After Hours” evenings are scheduled March 19, April 16, May 21 and June 18. For more information, visit www.gardnermuseum.org.

Style Spotlight: Arts Medals Presented

January 2009 | BY Christine Kloostra | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Former President George W. Bush presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to NEA chairman Dana Gioia.

In a surprise addition to last year’s National Medal of Arts ceremony, President George W. Bush announced five recipients of Presidential Citizens Medals to civil servants, including Dana Gioia, who stepped down as the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts in January.

The November ceremony honored nine individuals and organizations for their contributions to the arts in the United States.

Recipients of the 2008 National Medal of Arts are:

• Olivia de Havilland, actress
• Fisk Jubilee Singers
• Ford’s Theatre Society
• Hank Jones, jazz musician
• Stan Lee, comic book writer
• José Limón Dance Foundation
• Jesús Moroles, sculptor
• The Presser Foundation, music patron
• The Sherman Brothers, songwriting team

Sandra McCaw

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | 1 COMMENT

Sandra McCaw, “Falling Leaves”

From commercial photographer to chocolatier and finally to polymer clay artist, Sandra McCaw “can’t remember a time” when she wasn’t working with her hands. The Westborough, Mass., artist proved to be a natural with polymer, developing the “McCaw Cane,” a distinctive caning technique, a year after beginning to work with the medium.

In addition to her polymer work, McCaw also works with fiber and travels extensively, both influences that are evident in her jewelry, which has been compared to Turkish tiles. “My inspiration derives from a fascination with the interplay of color, line and form. In working with polymer clay, I am able to create complex patterns,” McCaw says, “where colors bloom and merge.”

McCaw’s work has been recognized nationally, with accolades including a 2009 NICHE Award finalist ranking, and is carried at galleries including Artisans Gallery in Santa Cruz, Calif., and The Firehouse Gallery in Damariscotta, Maine. See more examples of her work at www.sandramccaw.com.

Merrie Buchsbaum

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Merrie Buchsbaum necklace

Working in her studio, located along the banks of the Connecticut River in Cromwell, Conn., Merrie Buchsbaum draws inspiration from the natural beauty of the landscape around her. Buchsbaum, who also works as a professional nutritionist, has been working with polymer since 1992, and counts outdoor activities and travel as vital to her creativity.

“My jewelry captures my life’s experiences,” she says, noting that she has always kept a visual diary of her travels. “The colorful intricate motifs which I create are a mini moment from my life.” Her most recent line of jewelry combines translucent polymer with ground herbs such as cinnamon and paprika. “Each batch of organic colors is a limited edition,” Buchsbaum says, adding to the “uniqueness and natural quality of each piece.”

Buchsbaum has been recognized nationally for her work, including two finalist rankings in the NICHE Awards and inclusion in several books. Visit her website at merrilymade.com to see more examples of her work.

Judy Dunn

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Judy Dunn, “Gold Green Shibori Fringe Necklace”

One could be forgiven for thinking that Judy Dunn, with a background in chemistry and business, stumbled into the world of polymer. But, the Acton, Mass., artist says, “From the time I could hold a crayon, or grasp a pair of scissors, I was creating.” A self-taught artist, Dunn began working with polymer in 2003 and found that the medium satisfied her “fascination with color and pattern, and adds the element of form.”

Her work is distinguished through the surface design, which features mica particles embedded in the clay to create a pattern, and her technique of stitching components together to allow for some movement when strung onto a cord. Since 2008, Dunn has also folded 1,000 origami cranes in polymer clay. The project started as a memorial to lives lost in the Iraq war, but has expanded to include custom-made cranes to mark special moments. “It is a gift to be able to create something that has so many rich emotional connections for people,” she says.

Dunn received a Best in Show ranking at the American Craft Exposition in 2007 and is a finalist for a 2009 NICHE Award. Her work is available at Gallery Morada in Islamorada, Fla., and Silver Heron Gallery in Depoe Bay, Ore. Visit www.moms-studio.com to see more.

Betsy Baker

January 2009 | BY Kris Stewart | April 2009, Issue 66 | NO COMMENTS

Betsy Baker, “Maya Green Three Bead Neckwire”

Although she’s crafted throughout her life, Betsy Baker never thought of herself as an artist until she visited a mineral store in the Yucatan and fell in love with the colors, shapes and textures of natural stones. That attraction led her to jewelry design, and, a few years later, to polymer clay.

Her most recent work combines polymer with precious metals. “I love the contrast,” Baker says. “Metal is bullied and cajoled into doing whatever you want by hammering, sawing, using a torch and all sorts of intimidating tools,” she explains, while polymer is “the most cooperative, versatile and forgiving of mediums.” It’s the coming together of opposites that she loves, the way the two “work beautifully together.”

Baker, who lives in Charlestown, Mass., describes her work as “chic and elegant,” perfect for jewelry lovers and polymer collectors alike. She sells her jewelry primarily through retail shows, although it is also available at the Cambridge Artists Cooperative in Cambridge, Mass. Visit www.stonehouse-studio.com to see more.