Contemporary Art Month San Antonio's thriving contemporary arts scene is highlighted each March during Contemporary Art Month. Showcases range from small gallery exhibitsto shows at the city’s major cultural institutions. Get details

Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio The signature event of Contemporary Art Month is Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio. Hundreds of artists come together from all artistic disciplines including dance, theater, creative writing, music, visual arts and new media. Luminaria has received national and international acclaim. Get details

Blue Star Contemporary Arts Center

The Blue Star Contemporary Art Center is the city’s premier independent organization dedicated to exhibiting the work of contemporary artists. Blue Star continues to be an incubator for contemporary art in San Antonio, a city that has become known as a site for numerous cutting edge venues for contemporary art, many of which have spun off the work and example of Blue Star. Learn more at www.bluestarart.org.

Southwest School of Art & Craft

The Southwest School of Art & Craft is a nationally-recognized leader in arts education. It also organizes contemporary art exhibitions, lectures and concerts. Located on two adjacent campuses, the school’s Ursuline Campus is the former home of the Ursuline Academy & Convent, originally founded in 1851 as the first school for girls in San Antonio. On this campus are the school’s extensive ceramics and weaving studios, its Young Artist Program area, the tranquil gardens, arching pecan trees and historic buildings that make the school San Antonio’s “downtown oasis.” The Navarro Campus is the site of the school’s contemporary exhibition galleries and its high-tech classrooms and studios for photography, metals, printmaking, digital imaging, paper and book arts, as well as drawing and painting. Find out more at www.swschool.org.

San Antonio Museum of Art

Elsewhere around town, the San Antonio Museum of Art, housed in a converted historic brewery and with new River Walk access, is the most visible of the city’s arts institutions. Though the position of contemporary arts curator is a relatively new one, SAMA has been amassing a collection that “reflects the richness and diversity of the art of the recent past” for decades as a complement to its trove of works from Asia, Latin America, ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and beyond. Highlights from the contemporary collection, among which are works by Stella, Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn and more, are always on view at www.samuseum.org.

Museo Alameda

The nation’s largest Latino museum and first formal affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the Museo Alamda compellingly and uniquely tells the story of the Latino experience in the America.

River Walk Public Art

The most mesmerizing feature of the River Walk’s new Museum Reach is the public art installation visitors will pass as they explore this 1.3 mile expansion. From larger-than-life fish to reflective elements to a faux bois grotto, internationally acclaimed artists have created a floating corridor of contemporary art.

Artpace

Expressly dedicated to cutting-edge international art is a much newer entity, Artpace. Founded in 1995 by the late artist, collector and businesswoman Linda Pace (1945-2007), Artpace quickly became known for its residency and exhibitions programs dedicated to comparing and contrasting the work of local, national and international artists. In shifts of three, nine artists per year both live and create together at the facility during a two-month stay followed by a two-month group show.

McNay Art Museum

The completion of the stunning new Stieren Center for Exhibitions has also allowed the McNay Art Museum [link to mchayart.org] to more thoroughly explore contemporary art. Opened as the first museum of modern art in Texas, the McNay Art Museum is set in a Mediterranean-style mansion and has wide-ranging collections.

 FotoseptiembreUSA

FotoseptiembreUSA, an international photo festival, is held yearly from September 1-10 in museums, schools, galleries, libraries and universities throughout San Antonio and the surrounding Texas Hill Country. It features the best in current global photographic work in both print and online gallery form. To learn more, visit www.fotoseptiembreusa.com.

Even More to Explore

Numerous commercial and institutional galleries featuring contemporary art also thrive in San Antonio’s creative environment, many of them either at or near the Blue Star Arts Complex (www.bluestarartscomplex.com):

Wildly popular “First Friday” gatherings are a good way to see everything at Blue Star at once, including highlights such as Joan Grona Gallery (www.joangronagallery.com), Cactus Bra Space (www.cactusbraspace.com) and the Satellite Gallery of the University of Texas at San Antonio (http://art.utsa.edu), featuring both MFA program graduates and national artists.

Nearby art opportunities also exist at Unit B Gallery (www.unitbgallery.com), One9Zero6 Gallery (www.1906gallery.com), FLIGHT Gallery (www.turnitoff.tv) and many others.

On San Antonio’s North Central and Northside areas of town, don’t miss Galeria Ortiz (www.galeriaortiz.com), Parchman Stremmel Galleries (www.psgart.com), and Bismarck Studios (www.bismarckstudios.com).

FAST FACTS: Contemporary Art in San Antonio

• Most museums have entrance fees – but some do have free days or evenings, with discounts for children, seniors and military personnel.
• Admission to artist and commercial galleries is generally free, but hours may be limited or by appointment.
• Many institutions, such as Blue Star, also offer year-round gallery talks, lectures and workshops, some of which are targeted at children.