There’s no saying what the eight presenters will say on stage at Trinity University’s Laurie Auditorium during 2017’s final installation of PechaKucha San Antonio – but there’s one way to find out.
The quarterly event has become a staple in many San Antonians’ social calendars, and organizers wanted PechaKucha Vol. 28 on Tuesday, Dec. 5 to be their biggest event yet. The Laurie Auditorium seats up to 2,700, providing ample space for attendees to enjoy an evening of informative presentations, storytelling, and social interaction.
Speakers have six minutes and 40 seconds to bring to life topics that makes their hearts beat faster. The only stipulation: they must use 20 PowerPoint slides at 20 seconds each to do so.
Happy Hour begins at 6:30 p.m. News 4 San Antonio anchor Randy Beamer and Trinity Alumni Director Hugh Daschbach will emcee presentations beginning at 7:30 p.m. The suggested minimum donation is $5, and pre-sale tickets are available here.
Free parking is available on all campus lots and garages and at Alamo Stadium.
The PechaKucha format was conceived by Japanese architects in 2003 and has since spread to more than 900 cities worldwide. The local branch has been going strong since 2011, visiting more than 15 venues across the city. This will be the first time the event takes place at Laurie Auditorium.
Here are PechaKucha San Antonio Vol. 28’s presenters (biographies provided by PechaKucha):
Mary Lance: Journalist/Ceramic Artist
Lance is the author of Lynn Ford: Texas Artist and Craftsman, published by Trinity University Press. The book is the definitive account of the craftsman behind many of Trinity’s most treasured decorative objects, found in the Chapman Center and Margarite B. Parker Chapel. In addition to her writing, Lance has pursued a lifelong love of clay, practicing ceramics since the young age of 11. Deeply influenced by her
contemporaries Martha Mood, Tom Stell, Lynn Ford, and others, Lance embodies being the artist within.
Leighton W.: Couturier
Born in 1980 in San Angelo, Texas, Ryan Leighton Whittington-Tafolla is a former professional ballet dancer and model. He now works as a couturier and fashion editor. Having explored nearly all art forms, he has used each one to relay his messages of strength, equality, sexuality, empowerment of women, and overall humanity. These maintain as the nucleus as he continues his efforts to evolve the fashionscape and human core of San Antonio.
Margarita Cabrera: Community Artist
Cabrera is an assistant professor at the Arizona State University Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and a force to be reckoned with in the artistic community. Her most recent exhibitions include a show entitled Space in Between at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona, and Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. Her work has been included in Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston, the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, and many more.
Trish DeBerry: Public Relations Expert
DeBerry has a hands-on work ethic, getting down in the trenches for clients to create aggressive campaigns that influence public perception and get results regardless of the client’s industry and market. After a decade as a reporter, anchor, and producer at KENS-TV, DeBerry launched a career in public relations as a founding partner of Guerra DeBerry Coody, and in 2012 started her own agency, The DeBerry Group, specializing in public relations, public affairs, marketing, and social media.
April Ancira: Vice President, Ancira Auto Group
As the vice president of Ancira Auto Group, Ancira oversees the operations of 11 locations. With San Antonio roots, she has worked in the car business since 1997 in every facet from being an operator and cashier to selling vehicles on the front line. She is also the host of KLRN Public Television’s ARTs Program every Thursday at 8 p.m. Ancira holds a pilot’s license, has done stand-up comedy, and loves to participate in competitive races.
Danny Anderson: President, Trinity University
Danny J. Anderson, a native Texan, serves as Trinity University’s 19th president. The university’s academic and co-curricular environment is consistently ranked among the best colleges in the nation and its faculty is recognized for its strong commitment to undergraduate teaching and scholarship. Anderson’s vision for Trinity includes ensuring that the university is recognized as the model of 21st century liberal arts and sciences
education. An engaged community and higher education leader, Anderson dedicates his time serving on various boards including the board of directors of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Texas, the World Affairs Council of San Antonio, and the United Way of San Antonio. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations Higher Education Working Group, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Richard Rosen: Theater Founder
Rosen has spent most of his career in San Antonio creating plays for people of all ages. He was trained as a playwright, but discovered early in his career that producing theater was his passion. He took a sabbatical from Trinity University 1968 to work in the Cultural Department at Hemisfair ’68. He earned his B.A. from Trinity in 1969 and opened his first theater located in a vacant building in Hemisfair Park.
Charles Gonzalez: Former U.S. Representative
One of eight children born to Henry and Bertha Gonzalez, Gonzalez received a B.A. in government from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law. He has practiced law and was elected to County and District Court judgeships and to the U. S. House of Representatives. He considers his most important votes cast in Congress to be the vote against invading Iraq and the vote for
Obamacare.
