Visitors to the Monte Vista neighborhood will make note of a new corner store overlooking North Main and Woodlawn avenues.
The windowed space is the new headquarters of Trinity University Press, which will host public events including readings and art exhibitions related to its publications.
The space is set for its open house on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.
The free gala event will feature pan dulce-themed photographs by Joel Salcido in what has been dubbed the Libros/Arte gallery, from a forthcoming book by scholar Ellen Riojas Clark. Refreshments including paletas and aguas frescas will be available, with T-shirt and tote bag giveaways and the Trinity University Press books will be for sale.
Publisher Tom Payton said the press, formerly located on the Trinity University campus, had been working remotely since the coronavirus pandemic.
The new space affords opportunities for public-facing programming Payton and his team have long envisioned, with publication-related art exhibits such as Salcido’s offering glimpses of the work behind the press’s lavishly illustrated texts.
Payton said a show of artwork by artist Kathy Sosa, also related to a forthcoming book titled Mestizaje: The Feminist Art of Kathy Sosa, which will go on display in January.
The space comfortably holds about 45 people, Payton said, ideal for salon-style events such as author readings, with “multiple events per week going on year round.”
Payton said that beyond publishing 22 books per year, having the Monte Vista space will fulfill the community-facing side of the press’s mission.
“We’ve had so many shows we’ve wanted to do over the years, we just couldn’t find a space,” he said. But when they found the high-ceilinged 1923 Art Deco building space available, “we realized it was perfect.”
The Joel Salcido photography show will be on view through Dec. 13. Forthcoming events will be announce on the Trinity University Press website and social media channels.
