San Antonio's deep, rich connections to Latin America, the American frontier west, and African American culture figure prominently in the local art scene.
DOWNTOWN
Market Square
Historic Market Square, a three-block outdoor plaza near San Antonio's city center, includes Museo Alameda, a Smithsonian affiliate and the nation's largest Latino museum. The shops, restaurants, roving musicians and frequent events at Market Square are a rich cultural experience too.
HemisFair Park
In the shadow of the Tower of the Americas, the Instituto de Mexico presents both historical and contemporary exhibits by Mexico’s leading artists. The Institute of Texan Cultures, affiliated with the University of Texas at San Antonio, showcases the state's diverse ethnic and cultural history, including its legacy as a pioneering frontier in the formation of the American west.
The San Antonio Museum of Art
The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Latin American Art is at the San Antonio Museum of Art, on the River Walk Museum Reach. The collection spans 3,000 years of art from Mexico, Central America and South America. Pieces range from the pre-Columbian era to 16th-century Spanish colonial art to well-known Latin American modern and contemporary artists. Also included is one of the most extensive Latin American folk art collections in the United States.
WEST
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center ranks among the nation’s leading Latino arts organizations. Besides contemporary exhibits, the Guadalupe presents live theater, dance, film and other performing arts events such as the Tejano Conjunto Festival. Around the neighborhood, you’ll find large-scale murals celebrating Latino history painted by students and artists.
Deco District
The Deco District is home to Centro Cultural Aztlan, which prides itself as a grassroots arts organization that encourages emerging Latino artists as well as producing a variety of community-minded exhibits and events. Equally community-oriented is the not-far-away Bihl Haus Arts, organizer of the annual On & Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour.
EAST
Carver Community Cultural Center
This landmark is the city’s principal African-American arts organization. Many of the nation’s best-known African-American entertainers have performed in the Jo Long Theatre, an intimate space for dance, theater, jazz, R&B and other performing arts. A gallery in the lobby features local, regional and national African-American visual artists.
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