Many left with dampened spirits after heavy rainfall cancelled much of Luminaria‘s festivities last year, but the celebrations return in February with four events from Luminaria Take Two, a series of art shows that feature those works intended for the rained-out 2015 Luminaria festivities.
The San Antonio Museum of Art, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, VFW Post 76 and Trilogy Dance Center will feature local and national artists, performers, and filmmakers showcasing their work in both free and ticketed events.
Friday, Feb. 19 – San Antonio Museum of Art (Free)
The San Antonio Museum of Art will host an event from 8 p.m. to midnight featuring several artists who will transform the Museum courtyards, Sculpture Garden, Great Hall, and several iconic building facades into interactive art environments. The event is technically free but space is limited and a $10 donation is suggested.
The event will include live music, multimedia and visual art, thought-provoking theatre, and poetry performances, as well as film screenings for the San Antonio Film Festival.
The musical lineup includes electro-pop band Hyperbubble, the San Antonio Jazz Ensemble, and Rattletree, an interactive group that combines ancient Zimbabwean trance music with modern electronic dance music. Also on the lineup is local singer-songwriter Alyson Alonzo who has performed at venues around the city including the Tobin Center.
Writer Gregg Barrios and multimedia artist Debora Kuetzpal Vazquez will also be showcasing their work at the Museum of Art. The night will conclude with an improv show by The Overtime Theater.
Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Tobin Center (Free)
The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts will merge the worlds of dance, video, and film with an event featuring artistic demonstrations at both the Carlos Alvarez Theater and the River Walk Plaza from 7-10 p.m.
The event is free but requires proof of registration here.
The Carlos Alvarez Theater will feature work by local film pioneers for the San Antonio Film Festival, as well as performances that will be divided into two acts.
The first act will include dance performances by Seme Jatib and New York-based dance troupe OUI DANSE, and art installations by visual artist Stuart Allen and interdisciplinary artist Liz Rodda.
Filmmaker Ronnie Cramer will kick off the second act with his debut animated film “SA,” a visual tour of San Antonio made up of approximately four-thousand individual watercolor pantings. Afterwards, A’lante Flamenco will be performing “Quintaescencia,” a new work that was created specifically for Luminaria 2015.
Outside in the River Walk Plaza there will be collaborations between media artists, DIY-electronica performers, and legendary indie filmmakers. On-site artists at the Plaza will include performer Andro-Ray and artist couple Momo & Pompa.
There will also be an interactive installation by Marmon Mok, an architectural design firm. The installation,”Kaleidoscope,” transports an image of the viewer through a glass prism and into an alternate space, converting it into an ever-transforming pattern.
The Plaza’s outdoor video screen will simultaneously cast films from the San Antonio Film Festival, as well as films by Cramer and Richard Edson, who has been in more than 72 movies and T.V. shows including Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” and Oliver Stone’s “Platoon.”
Edson’s own films will be featured at both the Museum of Art and the Tobin, but they will be shown in different formats.
He will attend the Museum of Art event, where he will have an outdoor installation and be able to answer any questions, said Kathy Armstrong, executive director of Luminaria. “At the Tobin, Edson will have his work shown on the large screen in the River Plaza pavilion.”
Edson is a multifaceted artist who has experience in filmmaking, writing, and photography. He said he hopes his films spark good conversations during Luminaria Take Two.
“It’s all about a process that anybody can participate in,” he said. “The process of making things, of doing art and what it means are important questions for people to ask. That relationship is something that has to be discussed as it’s fundamental to why people do artistic things.”
Sunday, Feb. 21 – VFW Post 76 (Ticketed)
Artist Brunch: “Not Your Normal Place: Artists Taking Their Work to Non-Traditional Sites”
Art lovers will have the opportunity to meet with artists Deborah Kuetzpal Vasquez, Kevin McClelland, and the Pagonas to learn more about their creative work and processes over brunch at the historic VFW Post 76, 10 10th St. The event is at 11 a.m. Tickets are $39 and are limited to 16 people. To purchase a ticket, click here.
Tuesday, Feb. 23 – Trilogy Dance Center (Ticketed)
Dance Workshop with OUI DANSE
From 8-9:30 a.m., Oui Danse will host a contemporary dance master class taught by artistic director Brice Mousset at Trilogy Dance Center, 2602 NW Loop 1604. Mousset has taught classes at French Academy of Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, as well as various national and international workshops. The class will encourage creative movements with a sense of athleticism. The workshop price is $29 and tickets can be purchased here.
For more information and a full schedule of the Luminaria Take Two events, click here.
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*Top image: A woman spins an illuminated ring during Luminaria 2014. Photo by Scott Ball.
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