theFund's Blog

Continuing Tradition: Luminaria 2012

2012-01-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

TheFund CEO Rod Rubbo and committee
planning food and beverage booth locations

Plans are turning into action at Hemisfair Park for Luminaria 2012, set for March 10^th from 6 p.m. to midnight. TheFund and representatives from the other organizations behind planning the festival met to discuss their plans recently. Luminaria’s 5^th anniversary shows promise to be the best yet.

TheFund has had a huge role in Luminaria’s success since its introduction in 2008. From its humble beginnings of a small handful of volunteers made up of theFund Board members, it has since grown to include over 200 volunteers, 48 food vendors, 4 beer, 4 soda/water, and 2 t-shirt booths all serving to benefit the Arts in San Antonio. It has grown to become one of the few festival celebrations to incorporate all forms of art, performance, and multi-media into a breathtaking display of innovation and creativity - all for free.

TheFund has been consistently dedicated throughout the years to provide support for this unique experience that benefits those who really make it possible - the artists and upcoming artists of San Antonio. TheFund coordinates volunteers, generates interest, and makes sure the proceeds from Luminaria go exactly where they should to better serve the San Antonio Arts - to Luminaria and theFund. For more information on theFund and its affiliates, go to thefundsa.org

Rock ‘n Roll Broadway

2012-01-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

San Antonio Symphony POPS features Rock ‘n Roll Broadway

When: Friday, February 3 and Saturday, February 4, 2012 @ 8 p.m.

Where: Trinity University’s Laurie Auditorium

Tickets: Individual concert tickets range from $8 to $65 and are available to purchase at the Symphony Box Office or by calling (210) 554.1010 or visiting www.sasymphony.org. Patrons can also visit the Laurie Auditorium Box Office, any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000 for concert tickets.

The San Antonio Symphony’s new Assistant Conductor, Akiko Fujimoto will make her debut with the Symphony in a Pops program called “Broadway Rocks.” Three Broadway stars will join the orchestra onstage with music from Mamma Mia!, Tommy, Rent, The Lion King and The Phantom of the Opera.

Akiko Fujimoto begins her appointment as Assistant Conductor of the San Antonio Symphony in January 2012. Hailed as “a very talented conductor who knows her score and her musicians” (Virginia Gazette), Akiko Fujimoto has most recently served as the Conducting Associate for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the William & Mary Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestras. A native of Japan, Fujimoto attended high school in California and graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts in music and psychology. She holds Master of Music degrees in conducting from the Eastman School of Music and Boston University.

The Broadway singers for “Broadway Rocks” are Capathia Jenkins, Rob Evans and Anne Runolfsson. Jenkins Jenkins made her Broadway debut in The Civil War, and her television credits include 30 Rock, the Practice, Law & Order SVU, the Sopranos. She can be heard on the following film soundtracks: Nine, Chicago, Legally Blonde 2. Rob Evan starred in the original Broadway cast of Jekyll & Hyde, playing the title roles for three years on Broadway and over 1,000 performances worldwide. He has also appeared on Broadway as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. Anne Runolfsson completed a two-year run on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera and she starred in the national tour of Victor/Victoria.

The POPS series includes six different programs—three at Laurie Auditorium and three at the Majestic Theatre. Future programs on this series include the Bugs Bunny at the Symphony, Fiesta Pops and Star Wars and other Space Odysseys.

San Antonio Symphony is one of the 27 Fund Affiliates

8 Reasons for Businesses to Partner with the Arts

2012-01-12T13:30:00.000-08:00

Last Minute Gift Ideas:

2011-12-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

Blue Star Memberships are 25% off through the month of December! Make it extra special by adding $10 to your purchase and making it a Holiday Gift Pack with reusable bag and catalog. http://www.bluestarart.org/support

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Make the season bright with a Membership-in-a-Box from SAMA

For an additional $10, purchase a membership gift box that includes a SAMA mug and receive 3 additional months FREE on your own membership!*

To purchase this, and a variety of other unique gifts, visit the SAMA gift shop.
To find out about other happenings at SAMA, visit our website at www.samuseum.org.
*Offer valid until 12/31/11
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Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

This holiday, give the gift of piano, guitar, painting, dance, jewelry design, conversational Spanish, Tech Caldo and many more. Some of our star instructors include: Artist Vincent Valdez, Social Entrepreneur Jeanette Honermann, Rockstar Matt Stiagliano, founder of Spare Parts, Mary Cantu, Fashion Designer Agosto Cuellar and many, many more!
Registration continues through January 31 and classes run from January 17 through May 26. Visit the links below to view the class schedule for each discipline.
Music Theater Arts Literature Dance Visual Arts Media Arts

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For the Young at Heart: Tickets to Magik Theatre

http://www.magiktheatre.org/tickets/index.html

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What better gift than

quality entertainment?

Stuff your stockings with San Pedro Playhouse GIFT CERTIFICATES!
Available at the Box Office!
Call 210-733-7258
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Tickets to Symphonys Family Series http://www.sasymphony.org/category/concerts-tickets/family-concerts-concert-tickets/

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Season Passes to the Witte:

http://www.wittemuseum.org/

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A FUNd Card

Give the benefit of discounts to all of our affiliates and the Majestic Theatre Discount offers.

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These are just a few ideas for more ideas visit: The Affiliates

The Nutcracker Ballet

2011-11-29T14:54:00.000-08:00

Ballet San Antonio and San Antonio Symphony collaborate to present The Nutcracker

When: November 25, 26 & 27 and December 2, 3 & 4, 2011: Friday & Saturday at 7 p.m., Saturday & Sunday at 2 p.m. with an additional matinee performance on Nov. 25 at 2 p.m.

Where: Majestic Theatre

Tickets: Tickets from $16.75 to $61.75 for adults. Children under 12 are half-price. Visit the Symphony Box Office or call (210) 554.1010 or online www.sasymphony.org or www.balletsantonio.org. Patrons can also visit any Ticketmaster location, www.ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000 for tickets.
Special savings for FUNd card members.

Ballet San Antonio and the San Antonio Symphony collaborate again for 9 performances of Tchaikovsky’s beloved holiday ballet, The Nutcracker. Two additional performances will be performed as part of Ballet San Antonio’s educational concerts held during the school day. All the concerts take place in the beautiful and historic Majestic Theatre. Ken-David Masur will conduct and principal dancers Sarah Aujon and Carlos Hopuy will perform the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier. They will be joined by new principal dancer, Ian Morris and soloist Saki Yabumoto. The choreography is by Mayra Worthen. The production will feature more than 80 children performers. Every year there are new surprises, but the production always stays true to the tradition of this holiday classic.

The Nutcracker story begins at a Christmas Eve party given by Dr. Stahlbaum and his wife for their children, Clara and Fritz, their playmates and their parents. There is lively dancing around a brilliantly decorated Christmas tree with an exchange of gifts for all. Amid the excitement, Herr Drosselmeyer, an artist-inventor of mechanical toys and godfather to Clara, gives her a nutcracker. Fritz, her brother, a mischief-maker, is jealous, and a quarrel follows. Fritz snatches the nutcracker from Clara and hurls it to the floor. Clara picks up her toy and Herr Drosselmeyer mends the toy with his handkerchief, as the guests dance one more dance before departing. Clara, Fritz, and their parents then trundle off to bed.

Clara, however, cannot sleep for thinking about her nutcracker; so before midnight she tiptoes downstairs to see about her toy. She falls asleep and begins to dream that the familiar room becomes a battlefield and the Christmas tree grows to giant proportions as the toys come to life under the command of Herr Drosselmeyer. They wage a war against an invading horde of mice led by the Mouse King, distract him, and allow the nutcracker to subdue him. At that moment the nutcracker becomes a young prince and invites Clara to join him on an enchanting journey.

The Nutcracker Prince takes Clara through the Land of Snowflakes to the Kingdom of Sweets, where they tell the tale to the Sugar Plum Fairy. The Fairy orders a celebration to begin. All the delicacies of the Kingdom are brought forward. The room is filled with dancing confections from every land; hot chocolate (Spanish), tea (Chinese), coffee (Arabian), candy canes (Trepak), and marzipan (Merlitons). The entertainment draws to a close and the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier come forward to dance. Farewells are said as Clara and her Prince thank everyone for the wonderful time, as they wave goodbye to the Kingdom of the Sweets. After all, it was just a dream…or was it?

Both the Ballet San Antonio and San Antonio Symphony are affiliates of theFund.

How to Save Over $100 with a FUNd Card

2011-11-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

This is how to save $100: Make a $60 donation to theFund and get two FUNd Cards. With the $165 in savings from FUNd Card discounts you will have in effect made back the $60 donation with $105 in additional saving.

Share the savings with a friend or family member and give one FUNd Card as a gift.

For $120 donation, you can double your investment in the arts and receive four FUNd Cards, two for yourself and two more for gifts.

The best part is that It feels good to know that you have also given a gift to your community. Your donation helps support theFund’s twenty-seven affiliate organizations and through their programs your gift will touch the lives of thousands of people in San Antonio area.

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SAVE $15 on 2 tickets on two tickets to A Very Latin Christmas with Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz

Save $10 on two full price tickets to a Christmas Carol @San Pedro Playhouse

Save $9 on two tickets to San Antonio Symphony & Ballet SA’s Nutcracker

Save $4 on 4 tickets to Fiesta Arts Fair at Soutwest School of Art

Save $9 on 2 tickets to KLRN’s annual Fine Wine and Cuisine Tasting tickets purchased at KLRN

Save $41.50 on 2 tickets to CATS @ Majestic Theatre

Save $48.20 on 2 tickets to Fiddler on the Roof @ Majestic Theatre

Save $4 on 4 tickets for admission to San Antonio Children’s Museum

Save $2 on admission for two to the San Antonio Art Museum

Save $4 on 4 tickets to the Witte Museum

Save $11 on one free ticket and popcorn to a show of your choice @ Magik Theatre

Save $11.55 on 2 tickets to 3 Mo Tenors @ Carver Community Cultural Center Enjoy the ARTS!

ENJOY the ARTS!

The Achievements and Rewarding Experiences that come with participation in Music!

2011-11-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Project: Sing! neighborhood choir celebrates their success with fall concert

The Children’s Chorus of San Antonio (CCSA)

                    CCSA’s neighborhood program Project: Sing! in Harlandale
                       Mission Branch Library, 3134 Roosevelt Ave, Harlandale
                          Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30 pm | Free admission

Project: Sing! is CCSA’s neighborhood-based satellite program that gives area children the opportunity to sing, learn, share and excel – right in their own back yard. Project Sing:Harlandale is now in its fourth season and provides a tuition-free program to over 30 students from Harlandale ISD. Singers represent eleven schools spanning grades 3-6 and receive the same level of curriculum and instruction as CCSA’s core programs. The Project: Sing! closing concert is an opportunity for families and the public to see first-hand the achievements and rewarding experiences that come with participation in music!

Harlandale ISD partners with CCSA presents this program by providing facilities and resource support through their Curriculum Department. CCSA is grateful to the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs, the George W. Brackenridge Foundation and the San Antonio Area Foundation, among others, for their support of PS:Harlandale.

CCSA Season Information

The CCSA is now in its 29^th season and continues to provide exceptional experiences in choral music education and performance to over 400 children and youth annually. Season highlights include an appearance with San Antonio Symphony for Liszt: Dante Symphony on March 24 and 25, a residency program in April, 2012 for all area teachers and gospel enthusiasts and a new weekly program for families and children at Haven for Hope.

Exciting things are happening at CCSA! From all walks and corners of greater San Antonio our singers represent the rich tapestry of our City and radiate the joy that comes from singing. Join us as we shape our future – one voice at a time.

About The Children’s Chorus of San Antonio

The CCSA was founded in 1983 with the mission to bring choral music education and performance opportunities to San Antonio’s young artists. Programs include six performing ensembles for children and youth ages 7 – 18; Music Together^® with CCSA, an early-childhood music and movement program for infants and toddlers ages birth – 5 in four locations including Haven for Hope; Big Kids^® for youngsters ages 5 – 7; and Project: Sing!, neighborhood-based satellite ensembles for elementary-aged children in Harlandale, San Antonio and Edgewood school districts. CCSA Singers represent San Antonio and surrounding communities, performing in a variety of concerts throughout the city. Advanced choirs have traveled nationwide with feature performances, toured Europe and Canada and have been featured on NBC-TV's Today Show. CCSA ensembles regularly perform with the San Antonio Symphony and the San Antonio Mastersingers among others.

For additional information on CCSA, its auditions or programs, please call 210.826.3447 or visit www.childrenschorussa.org.

Children's Chorus of San Antonio is one of the 27 qualified affiliates of theFund.

2011-11-10T11:10:00.000-08:00

What's better than a free San Antonio Symphony concert? Well, how about one that honors our veterans and is a collaboration between the United States Air Force Band of the West and your San Antonio Symphony?

That's right! You are invited to attend this special event free of charge on Sunday, November 13th at 7:00 PM in the Majestic Theatre. Please come join us as we honor veterans and listen to a great American musical program as a part of San Antonio's Celebrate America's Military Week. For more information, click here.

Although admission is free, tickets are required for those patrons desiring to be seated before 6:45 PM. After 6:45, all patrons will be seated with or without a ticket. Free tickets can be picked up at the following locations:

Symphony Box Office

Majestic Box Office
Fiesta Commission Store
Fort Sam Houston MWR Office
Lackland and Randolph ITT Offices

What a great way to help celebrate our US military and Military City, USA! Please come be a part of the 7th annual Salute to Service. The San Antonio Symphony is proud to participate and encourages you to attend this rousing patriotic event.

Sincerely,
Jack Fishman
President
San Antonio Symphony
IBC Bank Building
130 East Travis, Suite 550
San Antonio Texas 78205

Administrative Offices: (210) 554-1000
Administrative Fax: (210) 554-1008

San Antonio Symphony is one of theFund's 27 qualified affiliates.

2011-09-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Food, Fun, & Music

3rd Annual Weston Wright “Lighting the Way” Fall Festival & 5/10K

Benefiting the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind – October 1, 2011

On Saturday, October 1 the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind will a funtastic event that will be fun for ANY AGE GROUP at Brackenridge Park – Koehler Pavilion.

This incredible event benefits their Rehabilitation Programs – One such program is the High School to Work Transition Program for youth ages 16 -21 - Although visually impaired youth and their sighted peers have similar hopes and dreams for a successful future, the prospects by many young people with vision loss are different than those of students that have no disabilities.

This Program is unique from other transition programs in that the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind actually employs blind and visually impaired individuals in its manufacturing plant, rehabilitation services division and Base Service Center military stores. This allows them to offer practical work experience as well as the prospect of future employment for these students.

Through this program, they provide blind and visually impaired students with the tools necessary to lead independent, productive and quality lives……..turning dis-ABILITY into ABILITY.

To insure a perfect experience - RunOn in Stone Oak will be managing this chip-timed race. Offered is a 10K for the serious runner (a perfect practice before the Rock and Roll Marathon)……. and a 5K for the leisure runner……….and a “walk through beautiful Brackenridge Park” for the strollers.

Not only will the runners have great food from the likes of My Fit Foods, the Bagel Factory, etc. but Shiner has donated beer to all of the runners – with legal ID of course (limit two). There will even be a drawing after the race for fantastic prizes.

There will be 13 categories for medals in the runs – both female and male and the age categories will be in 5 year increments. T-shirts will be available for the first 400. Pre-registration is $25.

The festival begins at 10:30 A.M. until 4:00 P.M. – And there is no entrance fee. There will be live music – 4 bands plus two blind San Antonio Lighthouse employees that sing and play guitar and harmonica like you’ve never heard….Also a special singing treat by 14 year old Sierra, who born without two limbs and has not let that stop her with a voice like an angel….there will also be entertainment throughout the day. Food and craft booths, bouncy castles, face painting and so much more will be in abudance..

Title sponsor HEB

We look forward to seeing you there!

10 Reasons to Support the Arts*

2011-08-18T14:11:00.001-07:00

#1) Investment in our future: From large urban cities to small rural towns, research shows that the nonprofit arts are an economically sound investment. Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week: Create better citizens, “A U.S. Department of Justice study reported participation in arts programming led to decreased deliquency and drug use, increased self-esteem, and more postitive interactions with peers and adults.”^ Students who have education rich in the arts also have better attitudes about community service. Low-income students that are engaged in the arts are more likely to have attended and done well in college, obtained employment with a future, volunteered in their community and participated in the political process by voting than their non-arts-engaged peers.

#2) Improved academic performance- Students with an education rich in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, lower drop-out rates and these benefits are achieved by students regardless of socio-economic status. Children motivated by the arts develop attention skills and strategies for memory retrieval that also apply to other academic subject areas such as math and science.

“ I credit my time in theatre with giving me the discipline to become a merit scholar”-

Dennis Perez, sophomore, University of the Incarnate Word

#3) Enrich our community: “The arts enrich our experience of life - they bring color, passion, beauty and intensity to our lives. They are a source of pleasure, entertainment and relaxation and a means of escape from the day to day.” "Arts Debate" “University of Pennsylvania researchers have demonstrated that a high concentration of the arts in a city leads to higher civic engagement, more social cohesion, higher child welfare, and lower poverty rates.”

#4) Preparing Students for the Workplace: Schools and employers rank a degree in the arts as the most significant indicator of a job candidate’s creativity and skills of innovation. Creativity is among the top applied skills sought by employers. “The arts—music, creative writing, drawing, dance—provide skills sought by employers of the 3rd millennium.”

#5) Good for our Health: Nearly one-half of the nation’s healthcare institutions provide arts programming for patients, families, and even staff, 78 percent deliver these programs because of their healing benefits to patients—shorter hospital stays, better pain management, and less medication.

#6) Arts Strengthen the Economy: Arts organizations are responsible businesses, employers, and consumers. They spend money locally, generate government revenue, and are a cornerstone of tourism and economic development. Nonprofit arts organizations generate $166 billion in economic activity annually, supporting 5.7 million jobs and generating nearly $30 billion in government revenue. Investment in the arts supports jobs, generates tax revenues, and advances our creativity-based economy. Locally, as well as nationally, the arts mean business.

#7) The arts are a growth industry: In five years, the economic activity of nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences grew nearly 24 percent from $134 billion in 2000 to $166.2 billion.

The creative industries range from non-profit museums, symphonies, and theaters to for-profit film, architecture, and advertising companies. 756,007 businesses in the U.S. are involved in the creation or distribution of the arts and employ 2.99 million people—representing 4.14 percent of all businesses and 2.17 percent of all employees, respectively. +Source: Arts & Economic Prosperity III, Americans for the Arts. 2007.

#8) Arts are good for local merchants and the local economy: The typical arts attendee spends $27.79 per person, per event, not including the cost of admission on items such as meals, parking, shopping, and babysitters. Non-local arts audiences (who live outside the county) spend nearly twice as much as local arts attendees ($40.19 compared to $19.53)—valuable revenue for local businesses and the community.

#9) Arts are the cornerstone of tourism: Cultural travelers—both domestic and international—are ideal tourists. They spend more and stay longer. The U.S. Department of Commerce reports that the percentage of international travelers including arts and culture events during their stay has increased annually the last six years. Cultural tourism is the most frequently used marketing strategy.

#10) Intrinsic Prosperity: Fundamental to our humanity, the arts ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring us together regardless of ethnicity, religion, or age. When times are tough, the arts bring us together and help get us through.
Sources:

^National Report from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities-

"Reinvesting in Arts Education"

*http://www.americansforthearts.org/get_involved/advocacy/advocacy_004.asp

2011-07-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

Discovering Centro Cultural Aztlan

For me, when I first started working for theFund, Centro Cultural Aztlan was one of our more enigmatic affiliates. Knowing that the best way to get to know about anything is through personal experience, I visited them, to both learn more about who they are and look for a piece of art that we needed for a workplace campaign award . My visit was successful; I came away with both.

While at first glance it may appear to be another art gallery, Centro Cultural Aztlan, is really a cultural center. Its mission remains the same as when they were founded in 1977, by local community organizers to support, strengthen, and share their Chicano/Latino heritage with the greater community of San Antonio. In the 2500 sq. ft gallery, regardless of medium, they provide a venue for a full spectrum of local artists. Their programs provide a means of expression for not only accomplished visual artists, but also students, poets, writers, performers and musicians.

In addition, to the 10 art exhibits they showcase in their gallery, Galeria Expresion, each year, they also sponsor a variety of annual community festivals and celebrations, from Lowrider Car Exhibitions to their annual Day of the Dead exhibits, Dia de Los Muertos.

What distinguishes Centro Cultural Aztlan is its ability to resurrect lost and forgotten cultural traditions, and to reclaim and preserve them for future generations. In 1978, Centro Cultural Aztlan reintroduced the tradition of Dia de Los Muertos, the celebration of life and death, into the San Antonio community and it has now become a well-known citywide ritual celebrated by many individuals and arts organizations with altares y ofrendas (altars of offerings) and colorful processions all over the city.

Centro Cultural Aztlan next Galeria presentation are new works of art by local artist Charles Harrison Pompa in a solo exhibition entitled POMPA 2011.

“Painting is a universal language just like mathematics, and my art work is all inspired by mistakes, ideas, and risk taking. Art is meant to explore the unknown, and the what if” - Charles Harrison Pompa.

The exhibit will open with a reception for the artist in the Galeria Expresion on Thursday, August 4, 2011 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. The exhibition will run through the end of August and is free and open to the public.

Centro Cultural Aztlan

1800 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 103

San Antonio, TX 78201

(210) 432-1896

Centro Cultural Aztlan is one of 27 arts and cultural organizations supported by theFund workplace campaigns.
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Make Summer Fun with KLRN

2011-07-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

Does the heat have you already climbing the walls during the day with your little ones? Whether you are family or a childcare provider, KLRN has an answer. Everyone can turn on the television to KLRN to find Sesame Street, but we invite you to discover some of the other resources KLRN and PBS provide to help the development of young children?

“KLRN-kids” is the answer! This is a multi-page website, on the KLRN website, that provides the information and resources every parent and child needs to get through these long hot summer days. Introduce your kids to KLRN kids Club, for $60 you can sign your family up to enjoy safe, fun, educational interactive activities online and offline events made just for them. There are other benefits too, so be sure to check it out.

And, if that is not enough there is PBS Kid’s Play, with more educational, but fun, games, videos, reading adventures, and printable art activites galore. PBS has a Parents page, with oodles of tips and tools and ideas, to not only keep you and your children busy all summer, but all throughout the year! This is truly a gold mine of information for parents and childcare givers.

“Early ON” is a site offering a free fun place for kids to explore, games, and an online library with books that help the little ones develop a love of reading and a good mind. With a page for parents, they also have resources like Helpful Phone Numbers, a School Readiness Checklist, and episodes of “A Place of Our Own”. Their calendar of events is comprehensive; parent workshops, caregiver workshops, play and Learn groups – designated play dates for kids and their parents. Check out the cooking section in the Library for kid friendly recipes and edible activities! It’s all about using the resources that are available to you to give the next generation a good start. “Early On” is definitely a good starting point.

http://www.klrn.org/Earlyon/EarlyOnParents/index.html http://www.pbs.org/parents/

http://www.pbs.org/parents/read/ http://www.klrn.org/Kids/

KLRN is one of 27 arts and cultural organizations supported by theFund workplace campaigns.

VSA arts - Artist Call for Entries

2011-06-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

Mental Illness Awareness Week 2011 Exhibition

VSA Texas invites all artists in San Antonio and surrounding areas with mental illness to submit artwork to the exhibition. There is no entry fee and 2D and 3D works in all media are eligible. Artwork may be no larger than 3’x3’. Negative images or images which are not suitable to be shown in the general public will not be chosen for display.

Entries

Please submit up to three entries in the form of photographs, digital images on CD, or by E-Mail. The post mark deadline for entry is August 8, 2011. In order to have images returned, send a self addressed, stamped envelope with the entry form. Those selected will be notified on September 1, 2011.

Exhibition

The seventh annual exhibit will open on Friday, October 7, 2011 and close Friday, November 4, 2011 at a gallery in San Antonio, Texas.

Terms
An entry to this exhibit constitutes full agreement on the part of the artist to all conditions outlined in this call for entries.

· Work must be strongly framed and wired ready for hanging.

· No fragile or precious materials that cannot withstand normal handling and storage will be accepted.

· The Exhibit Committee will have final authority to define what constitutes an acceptable entry.

Sales

A Commission of 30% will be charged of all sales directly from the exhibition.

Calendar

August 8, 2011 Entry post mark deadline

September 1,2011 Artist notified of acceptance

October 1, 2011 Accepted works due

October 7, 2011 Grand Reception and Show Opens

November 4, 2011 Show closes

November 5, 2011 Artwork to be picked up or returned

Print application form: http://www.thefundsa.org/attachments/files/1114/MIAW Call for Art2011.doc

For further information contact Susan Beattie at miawartshow@yahoo.com or

(210) 341-4979 and or April Sullivan at our toll free number 866-489-8412 or
april@vsatx.org.

Bring Your Kids to the Witte Museum for Adventure Club!

2011-06-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

By Allison Kantner

From the dawn of time to the innovations of science, the Witte has something for every child. The majority of exhibits in the Witte revolve around a proud Texan theme, but there is much more to this museum than that: these exhibits are the paths that people have chosen to express their time in history. There is art, there is science, there is history, and there are adventures of enlightenment awaiting every visitor. So bring the history buffs, the lively, the creative, the little cowboys and cowgirls and the mad scientists of your classroom or household and witness the molding of individuals through the experience.

Need an event to get this journey started? Check out Adventure Club for this summer. Each weeklong summer camp has a theme of Amazon Adventure or Expedition of San Antonio River, with hands-on activities for the kids in grades 1-5. You’ll be sneaking in a little education while the kids think they’re just having the adventure of the summer!

Visit the Witte’s website for more information on the Adventure Club and other activities and events the Witte has to offer young minds.

Photo from Witte's Facebook Page, added by Lynn Realander Allan

"I went to the Witte Museum today with my mother, little sister, and older brother. I'm fourteen years old and have been on countless field trips to this museum. But it never ceases to teach me new things. This is one of the most amazing museums. And while it's no Smithsonian (I've been there too) I do love this museum and all it has to offer." -Witte Website Commenter

The Witte Museum is one of theFund's 27 affiliates.

Welcome Our New Intern, Kaitlin

2011-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new Office Intern,

Kaitlin Graves

I have always felt that a rich, vibrant, artistic culture is important not only to children or “artsy types,” but to all of society. Artistic endeavors are a reflection of our humanity: they feed our soul, stir our minds, and touch our hearts. I have been privileged enough to be able to participate in these endeavors—particularly theatrical—and have seen the benefits firsthand. Because of this, I feel it is monumentally important that all responsible citizens are contributors, patrons and participants of the arts in their city.

Although I came to this city in 2008 to study Theatre at Trinity University, I have become rooted to San Antonio. Not only is my address, phone number and voter’s registration part of SATX—so is my heart. And because of that, I am committed to contributing to my community. One of the ways is by making sure the wonderful arts organizations—theatre, dance, music, performance art and exhibition art—are all not only surviving, but thriving.

Plays, dances, symphonies, ballets, operas, art exhibits, writing, singing, Luminaria, art schools, radio, children’s programs, classes… San Antonio has already fostered an amazing atmosphere for art of all kinds. I’ve been living here for only three years and I have by no means exhausted my options to experience it! It is up to us if we want our culture of art to continue.

Joining the efforts of theFund as an intern is an honor and joy for me. I feel as though I am (in a small way) carrying out a part of my duties as a citizen by supporting the arts. theFund’s motto is: Arts. Culture. Community. And that, I believe, is the formula for an interesting, intelligent, and influential San Antonio.

The Carver's Summer Youth Programs

2011-05-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Two upcoming summer youth camps happening at Carver Community Cultural Center. Located just east of downtown San Antonio, (within walking distance of theFund office), the Carver Community Cultural Center, (the Carver), is an historical center of the community’s African-American culture. Named in honor of internationally esteemed agricultural chemist George Washington Carver, the Carver embodies his philosophy and spirit “Start where you are, with what you have. Make something of it.Never be satisfied.”

The first summer youth program coming up is the Carver Summer Youth Theatre Camp co-led by The Renaissance Guild and it runs between June 13 and July 1, 2011. A 3-week summer theatre training program designed to engage middle and high school students in learning/strengthening critical theatre skills: acting, set design, and theatre tech. The camp’s finale will offer a performance on July 1, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Jo Long Theatre.

Monday – Friday 8 am – 4 pm. Open to children ages 12 – 18(6^th – 12^th graders), free snacks provided daily, space limited to 25 slots.

Early Bird Registration is $100 (through May 31, 2011)

Regular Registration $125 (June 1- 3, 2011) Register online www.therenaissanceguild.org, or call the Carver: (210) 207-2719

The second is the Carver/Dallas Black Dance Theatre Summer Dance Intensive co-led by Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT), and will operate between July 18 and July 29, 2011. Leading Master Instructors from the Dallas Black Dance Theatre will hone students’ dance skills to new levels by strengthening their techniques and artistic potential in ballet, modern, jazz and other genres. The program will culminate with a performance for families, friends, and the general public. Open to ages 8 through 18 with a $75 enrollment fee. All dance levels are welcome, but some experience is preferred. Registration is limited to 40 spaces. Call A.B. To Register call A. B. Dennis at (210) 207-2719 or email abdennis@sanantonio.gov, by July 15.

DBDT was founded by Ann Williams in 1976, the mission of which is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at its highest level of artistic excellence through performance and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities.www.dbdt.com

The mission of the Carver Community Cultural Center is to celebrate the diverse cultures of our world, nation and community, with emphasis on its African and African-American heritage, by providing challenging artistic presentations, community outreach activities and educational programs.
The Carver Development Board is a 501 (c) (3) organization whose mission is to undertake fund-raising activities and to provide financial, programming and advisory support to the Carver Community Cultural Center. The Carver Development Board is a proud affiliate of theFund.

YOSA - Youth Orchestra of San Antonio

2011-05-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Youth Orchestras of San Antonio

At the recent Southwest School of Art’s Fiesta Arts Fair, a visitor who noticed YOSA’s sign at our Fund booth approached and commented about how impressed he was with the performance that the YOSA students had recently put on at his workplace. (During workplace campaigns, theFund often invites representatives from our affiliates to come out and share what they do with employees in their workplace.)

If you have not yet seen a YOSA performance, you are in for a treat indeed. We recommend their upcoming City Series Spring Concert, May 22, 2011, at St. Philip's College, at 5 p.m. This is a free performance featuring both YOSA Symphony and YOSA Sinfonietta Strings.

Central to YOSA's mission, is education. Professional music educators and advanced students provide string instruction in schools and community centers. For those that need it and qualify, YOSA makes financial aid and loaned instruments available so that all students that have the desire, also have the opportunity. On the west side at Good Samaritan Community Services Center, their new Music Learning Center provides free music instruction in violin and cello. Summer String Camp. provides intensive instruction in orchestral studies, string technique, music theory, composition and chamber music.

"The mission of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, is to enhance education, enrich the community and transform lives by pursuing excellence in classical music in a stimulating, nurturing and fun environment that is equally accessible to all youth.”

450 students ranging in ages from 6 to 21 that come from 104 schools in 20 school districts represent the cultural diversity of south Texas. YOSA is very proud of their students and lets it show by supporting them in all their present, as well as future endeavors; one of the recent headlines on their website was about a YOSA students who had recently won a science fair competition. Thank you YOSA, for providing positive reinforcement and public acknowledement of work well done to young people who have earned much deserved recognition.

In addition to musical training, YOSA also provides a variety of learning experiences for its proteges, such as an international tour every three years, and playing alongside San Antonio Symphony and over 20 public performances throughout the city. Not to mention it’s soon to begin again, annual two-week Summer String Camp.

YOSA is one of 27 qualified affiliates of theFund.

2011-05-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Shaping our Future One Voice at a Time

Ok, here’s a quick trivia question. What local non-profit organization was the first to offer day shows for San Antonio schools in 1989 and works hard every year to promote the importance of the arts in children’s lives? If you answered the Children’s Fine Art Series, pat yourself on the back, you're right.

If you haven’t heard about The Children’s Fine Art Series, here is some information that will grab your interest. The Children’s Fine Arts Series puts together one hour shows, especially made for the attention span of a child, with the use of “color, sound, and movement to delight the senses” of the children. Not an easy accomplishment, but they are driven by the idea that children need to be exposed to the arts at a young age in order to develop an appreciation for it, and they do so in a way that also exposes the children to current issues that exist in society. Performers are brought from around the world by this dedicated organization in order to give the children a great first experience.

This year the organization is celebrating its 28th year delivering excellent Children’s performances, and in-case you’re wondering where you can pick up a brochure you won’t find any out in the public, because the company is also doing their part in keeping San Antonio green. You can however, visit their website at http://childrensfineartseries.org/ and download a brochure with more details, you can also view show times and rate each show after attending them. Not only does this give children the opportunity to view performances but it also gives them a chance to express their opinions as well.

Children’s Fine Arts Series is one of 28 original qualified affiliates of theFund. Every Fund affiliate is a non-profit organization that has been selected based on specific criteria and is reviewed each year by to receive allocations of public donations, raised through theFund’s fundraising campaigns. theFund was established to provide a much needed new source of operating revenue to non-profit arts and cultural organizations in San Antonio.

2011-03-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

Luminaria - Illuminated Wonderland

     Luminaria is not your typical “art festival” meandering through art on canvas, or folk art tables and acoustic music. It is innovative, contemporary, multi-media, “light inspired art meets music.” Being outdoors, it takes advantage of the ambience of the night’s darkness, light and shadows. This is the fourth year for Luminaria and it has always been the first weekend of spring break in March, taking advantage of the spectacular weather at this time of year. The "footprint" has changed each year out of necessity.

     This is my fourth year working as a volunteer behind the scenes. I think this year was a huge improvement over last year, but the 1st year was my favorite, not necessarily, because the art was better, but because like the magic of a first love, the first year was an all-new experience. While well attended, it was not crowded, because few knew about it, so, there was a more intimate feel of a smaller arts festival.

     This year, the art was just as spectacular. I read in a review of this year’s event, that it was “King William on steroids,” but to me, it was more like the 1st year of Luminaria on steroids. Many new surprises, engaged visitors, like the 3D video, musical projection on the side of Magik Theatre and the glowing lantern lift off finale. It fulfilled the artistic vision of “a child of Hemisfair ‘68, a glimpse of light, as it intersects and interacts with art in San Antonio.” For some it brought back that moment in time, by “reimagining HemisFair as a canvas for enlightened, innovative, and interactive contemporary artwork from all artistic disciplines.”luminariasa.org/artistic_vision

     The food was awesome, (the 1st year, did not have any food). Two of our Fund Board members, Paul Greer and Kathy Swanson, went out and recruited some of the new Mobile food vendors from the mobile vending park: “The Boardwalk on Bulverde”, along with a few upscale restauranteers, a few specialty shops, and a few caterers, for a unique eclectic blend of food for a festival in San Antonio.

Kathy LeMaster
thefund.office@sbcglobal.net

_________________________________________________

As a Fund Volunteer, I got to hemisphere park around one o’clock in the afternoon to help setup for the night, while the heat tired me out that afternoon, the night surely made up for it especially with the help from some strawberry gelato from Blue Star Brewery a Food4Luminaria vendor. Can you say uuhh—maayy—zziinng!?
My experience at Luminaria this year was very fulfilling. I really enjoyed seeing the faces of many different types of people coming together to celebrate the arts. I even saw one couple who just got married and were walking through Luminaria together straight out of the chapel. The dancers were beautiful, the music was great, the art was captivating, and the people were unforgettable. It was a great night.
-Viviana

________________________________________________

     As soon as I walked in I knew I was going to have fun. The Hemisfair Park sign all lit up with those fantastic ornaments hanging down was quite the spectacle. It was a blast just to walk around amongst the other art lovers in this illuminated wonderland. Everywhere you looked, there was an illuminated piece of artwork. I’ve been to plenty of art festivals before and never have I been so enthralled by the atmosphere of an event like I was at Luminaria.

     The only time the atmosphere of Luminaria took the backseat of my attention was when I would walk by a stage with performance art. These artists should all be held in great regard for their skillful productions. The performers won first place in my heart, this year. If anyone saw Ballet SA’s performance at the Valero Stage, I am sure you would agree.

     Did I mention the food?!? Granted, I have been looking at the vendors’ menus for the past month in theFund office, salivating over the things I would taste and my delectable dreams became reality. I consider food to be an art form, so was very happy to see Food4Luminaria’s first year to be such a success.

     I had the pleasure of experiencing Luminaria this year in two different ways. I was the normal art lover attendee for the first few hours, and then for the latter half, a volunteer. I can honestly say that I had an equal amount of fun in both roles. This being my first Luminaria, it was a fulfilling feeling getting to enjoy the whole experience. I had a greater sense of appreciation for the work I was doing, because I knew there were thousands of people enjoying what I had a few hours before, partly because of the work I and the other volunteers were contributing.
-Allison Kantner

2011-03-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

I was hanging out with some friends Friday night at a place on St. Mary’s. We were all sitting on the patio talking about interesting ways to save some cash when suddenly above the bushes we see three huge Luminaria balloons making their way down the street. I thought to myself “those balloons look like they could carry someone away”, they were beautiful and lit up from the inside so that everyone could notice.

I was able to hear the commotion from the people sitting next to us about how they were all going to Luminaria and they were so excited to see how it is going to look this year, then we starting having a conversation with them on how we would be there as well. It is such an amazing thing to witness the coming together of all different kinds of people to celebrate the arts. While our economy still may not be in the best condition it is great to see that people have the passion to enjoy the things in life that truly count. While we all may not have the cash to afford all the fancy things in life, we remain rich with the natural things that surround us and define our culture. Hope to see you guys out at Luminaria on Saturday!

ps. Check our calendar for events occuring all through the week of spring break!

www.thefundsa.org

Luminaria Lantern Making Workshops and Lantern Parade

2011-03-01T12:25:00.000-08:00

Luminaria will be hosting several Lantern Making workshops prior to the night of the event on March 12th. Those who participate in any one of the workshops are invited to participate in the Illuminated Lantern Processional during Luminaria.

Here is a list of the days and times that the workshops will take place:

Master Lantern Making Workshop

two day workshop open to ages 16 and up.

March 10th and 11th: 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. at the Southwest School of Art (Russell Hill Rogers Lecture Hall)

Family Lantern Workshops

family workshop available for ages 10 and up

March 9th: 4 p.m.- 6 p.m. at Hemisphere Park

March 12th: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

For more inormation and to register for any one of the workshops please call 210-224-1848, extension 455.

2011-03-01T08:47:00.000-08:00

Now that this weather has lightened up and flowers are beginning to bloom again it’s time for us to get out and enjoy the arts that surround us. You can begin your spring fun with theFund’s online Scavenger Hunt which is beginning today March 1st. By taking this survey you have some great opportunities to win some free prizes including free family passes, a bottle of wine, and t-shirts. These are just a few of the amazing prizes that were donated by the affiliate companies of theFund. Not only will you learn more about some of the arts organizations that reside in the city of San Antonio but you will also be able to familiarize yourself with upcoming events that you may be interested in as well.

Be sure that you click to take the survey anonymously to be eligible for prizes!

Online Scavenger Hunt

2011-02-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

theFund will be sponsoring an Online Scavenger Hunt beginning the first of March and ending on March 31^st, to coincide with San Antonio’s Contemprorary Art Month.

What’s an Online Scavenger Hunt?

On theFund website there will be a page dedicated to the Scavenger Hunt where you will find a list of questions. The questions are directly related to our affiliates, with boxes for you to enter your answer. The logos below each question direct you to the website, where you can find the answer. Once you have found all the answers, you can submit them and you will be entered into a drawing to win valuable prizes donated by our affiliates. Let’s get to the part that everyone really wants to know about: PRIZES!

The first 100 participants will receive a Fund shirt – the early bird gets the worm!

All participants will be entered into the raffle to win the following prizes:

- Two 2-day Passes to Fiesta Arts Fair

- Two Tickets to the Off Center Performance

- Two Tickets to YOSA'S Russian Fairy Tales concert

- Family Four Pack of Tickets to Any Show at the Magik Theater

- A Free One- Year Family Membership to the Children's Museum (Did every parent's eyes just bug out?!?)

- A Bottle of Borgo SanLeo Sangiovese Toscana 2007 – Dry Red Wine

- Family Four Pack of Tickets to The Witte Museum

All of those sound great, don’t they? Be sure to take part in this unique opportunity to find out more about what San Antonio has to offer culturally and artistically and win a really fantastic prize!

Click on the link below to begin your Scavenger Hunt journey:

http://www.thefundsa.org/scavenger-hunt-2011/

Education With a Spark of Magik

2011-02-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

Magik Theatre, for over 17 years, has been successful in enchanting the youth of San Antonio with their imaginative performances, while at the same time educating through creative actions. The Magik Theatre can make a teacher’s dream come true; literature brought to life with theatrics that captures the attention of students. They offer six different intellectually inspiring programs created to benefit children of all ages.

The Magik Theatre makes it easy for teachers to incorporate the theater’s productions into the classroom, before and after the students attend a performance, with Magik’s comprehensive study guides include fun and developmental activities for the children. The Magik Theatre also assists schools in need of transportation to the theater with their “Magik Theatre on the Road” program. “Camp Showbiz” is a worthwhile way for kids to spend a portion of their summers. This program is a two week day camp teaching the campers everything they need to know to put on a show of their own. What a great way to trigger a child’s creativity!

Everyone knows that when kids reach middle school and high school Shakespeare is a force to be reckoned with in the classroom. Magik’s “Shakespeare Speaks” program brings performance workshops to the students, in an attempt to make Shakespeare’s works more enjoyable and understandable to the modern day student, in hopes to further their interest in Shakespearian literature. If a student already craves more Shakespearian entertainment, chances are they will want to attend “Shakespeare in the Park”, a free event for the whole family to enjoy in the surroundings of some of San Antonio’s most beautiful outdoor locations.

For more information on the mentioned programs, along with other worthwhile programs the Magik Theatre has to offer, check out their website for production dates and enrollment forms at magiktheatre.org.

Magik Theatre is one of the 27 affiliate organizations supported by theFund.

2011-02-22T11:39:00.000-08:00

In the wonderful words of the San Antonio Symphony, "It's a wonderful world in which to share", and isn't it so true. In tough times like these we don't really have the extra cash to lend out large amounts of money to charity and organizations as much as we would like to but in reality just one dollar can make a huge difference. Below is a list of ways you can help out the community by donating to organizations that are definitely in need of it, without emptying your pockets.

Sing It Louie!!

It's a wonderful world in which to share! February and March 2011 Community Collaboration partners include the American Heart Association, the Autism Community Network and the San Antonio Food Bank.

Donations will be collected at the American Heart Association offices and Simply Sinatra with Steve Lippia Pops concerts held February 25 & 26, 2011.

For a $20 donation, participants will receive a voucher for two tickets to a Symphony performance of their choice, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association's mission of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

The San Antonio Symphony is also hosting a toy drive to benefit the Autism Community Network at the Side by Side at the Movies concert, February 27, 2011, marking a new partnership in the Symphony's Community Collaboration program.

Autism Community Network requests toys suitable for children ages 2-5. Cash donations will be accepted. Donating patrons will receive a voucher for two free tickets to future Symphony performances.

Non-perishable food items and cash donations will be accepted at all March concerts to benefit the San Antonio Food Bank. The Food Bank can turn your $1 donation into 7 meals, 10 pounds of food or $13 worth of grocery products! This marks the third consecutive year the Symphony and Food Bank have partnered to help those in need.

130 E. Travis St., Suite 550
San Antonio, Texas 78205
Phone: 210.554.1010

Fax: 210.554.1034

2011-02-17T08:30:00.000-08:00

If you wanna put a face to the woman who is a multitasking queen here at theFund, meet Kathy the office manager. She has a deep dedication to support the arts, and a passion to support the mission fot theFund.

Kathy LeMaster

Office Manager, theFund

Having grown up in Chicago, I had the benefit of experiencing a multitude of art and cultural opportunities throughout the city. I am very grateful, that when I was in school, music and art classes were a mandatory part of the curriculum, and field trips to all the cities museums were a much anticipated annual event.

Enjoying the arts have always been an important part of my family's life, so I have encouraged my own children and grandchildren to appreciate the arts and culture by visiting museums, plays, ballet, musical and cultural events and reading to them.

When my family first moved to San Antonio, my granddaughter quickly became involved in theatre, singing and dancing in musicals at the Josephine Theatre. She also sang in her high school choir at Clark and Johnson HIgh Schools. The impact that involvement with art and music, has had on her cognitive, communication skills and self confidence, further impressed upon me how important the support of arts and culture in our community is, expecially with the reduction of arts and music curriculum in public schools.

I completely embrace and support the mission and vision of theFund. What a wonderful opportunity it is to be able to be an integral part in the growth of art and culture in San Antonio.

As Office Manager of theFund and the “other half” of the staff, I tend to the day to day administration of the office. My job is to make sure your contributions are accounted for and acknowledged promptly. I also, manage our social media, and volunteer recruitment. If you ever have any questions, I am here to help.

Viviana Vega - New Addition to theFund

2011-02-08T12:38:00.000-08:00

Say hello to another new staff member at theFund! Viviana is a Fine Arts student at Our Lady of the Lake University and is from San Antonio.

Viviana Vega - Marketing Intern, theFund

I am a born and raised San Antonian and I am currently a student at Our Lady of the Lake University. I have been influenced by art and culture from a very young age through music, film, and visual arts.

The last arts and culture event I attended was last Sunday January 16^th. I went to a local music show at a venue called the Ten Eleven. I have been involved with the underground local music scene here in San Antonio for many years, both supporting and performing.

If I could be supremely talented in one art I would have to pick visual arts, specifically photography or design. I am currently a college art student trying to engage in as many forms of visual arts as I can (painting, printmaking, drawing, animation, graphics, ceramics, etc.)

The rising number of schools who have eliminated art programs from their criteria is what drives me to work for the arts in San Antonio. I want both children and adults to be able to experience the impact that the arts truly have on our society. The arts define culture and who we are, it is important to support it within our own community.

Art can bring communities together in many ways. People come together to embrace the arts and to be a part of something beautiful within the community. For example, this past summer I worked with a group of young teens in a program called Art In Action, the students spent the entire summer collaborating, designing, and painting a mural under a bridge on 19^th St. When the mural was complete, there was a ceremony and blessing that welcomed the community. Many people within the community and surrounding areas showed up to support the teens and to admire the work that beautified the area.

The Museo Alameda: A Must See Exhibit

2011-02-03T13:51:00.000-08:00

I don’t think I would be alone in a head count of how many of us in San Antonio enjoy eating at Mi Tierra. El Mercado is surrounded with beautiful colors, unique art and motifs, music and of course the food y pan dulce. Have any of you been inside that big pink building though? By that big pink building I mean la Museo Alameda. Many of us have been captivated by the beautiful lights and metal work that surround the building when driving by at night but have not gotten the chance to see what’s actually inside. If you fall under this category you definitely need to check it out.

Did you know that la Museo Alameda is “the nation’s largest Latino museum and first formal Smithsonian affiliate”? Pretty amazing huh? Today I stepped inside the museum for the first time and was absolutely amazed with the current exhibit going on. The exhibit is labeled Revolution & Renaissance: Mexico & San Antonio 1910-2010, it contains objects from weaponry and traditional “China Poblana” clothing to original documents and pieces from Diego Rivera. This is only a portion of the many amazing pieces that are currently there including original black and white Mexican films that can be viewed in the mini theater replica of the original Alameda Theater.

Whether you’re a San Antonio native like me, you’re new in town, or just visiting this is one exhibit you honestly don’t want to miss. Considering how unmotivated this cold weather can make us you have until September 15^th to catch the exhibit, so no worries. So next time you grab some grub at Mi Tierra be sure to ask for your free Museo Alameda pass in case your waiter doesn’t mention it. If you’re not in the mood for Mexican food then the Alameda has free admission every Tuesday with a free guided tour beginning at 4:15. The museum is open from Tuesday-Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

For More Info:

The Museo Alameda

101 South Santa Rosa St.

San Antonio, TX 78207

(210) 299-4300

www.thealameda.org

http://www.facebook.com/#!/MuseoAlameda

the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center en San Antonio

2011-01-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

Deep in the heart of the west side of San Antonio rests an organization solely dedicated to the community, in fact it is “the largest community-based, multi-disciplinary organization in the United States.” In case you didn’t know, I am talking about the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center located at 1300 Guadalupe St.

If you haven’t made it out to an event hosted by the Guadalupe, you sure are missing out. This year The Guadalupe is hosting their 33^rd annual Cine Festival starting next month February 3^rd-6^th and their 29^th annual Tejano Conjunto Festival this May. These are just a couple of the community involved projects that the Guadalupe hosts though. This Friday if you swing by the Guadalupe Theater at 7:30 PM you can catch a play reading by Amalia Ortiz who “has appeared on three of Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry on HBO and the NAACP Image Awards on FOX.” And did I mention it’s free!? Sounds pretty sweet to me, what do you think?

Also, if you’re interested in exploring your cultural and artistic side the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center offers classes for both youth and adults in Dance, Literature, Media Arts, Theater Arts, Visual Arts, and Xicano Music. Like I said, this is just a few of the ways that Guadalupe gets involved with the community, if you’re interested in more information take a look at their website at www.guadalupeculturalarts.org. I hope to run into you at one of their events!

Allison

2011-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Say hello to a new staff member at theFund! Allison is a Public Relations student at UTSA. She is from Houston, Texas and is graduating from UTSA this December.

Allison Kantner
Marketing Intern, theFund

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. My parents are both designers, so I grew up in a household that fully supported the arts. I am a senior at the University of Texas at San Antonio, studying Communications with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Business focusing on Marketing.

The last art museum I went to was the Menil Collection, in Houston. Since I was a little kid, my parents have taken me to this free privately owned collection. Their exhibits are always diverse; so that whatever your preference of art is within the year they will have an exhibit that you love. A few years ago, that was the exhibit on Max Ernst for me. It was at that moment I found my love for surrealism. Their permanent collection never disappoints me, even after the countless times I have viewed these pieces of art, a sense of amazement still overcomes me. In my life, it is one of the places I can go and leave with a feeling of tranquil inspiration.

If I could be supremely talented in one form of art it would be drawing. It is one the most simplistic forms of art which enables the artist to do it anywhere at any time. I envy those who can doodle a masterpiece on a piece of notebook paper.

I chose to work with theFund because I knew I would be involved in a line of work that I cared about. Art and cultural events have been a monumental part of my life since I was a child. I’m pretty sure my parents dragged me to exhibitions, festivals, and galleries since I was the age of four. Weekly folk dancing class? If there was Baskin Robbins afterwards, I was a happy kid! As time went on though, my parents didn’t need to entice me with gimmicks; I had found my own appreciation for culture. I want to help make that possible for the next generation.

As the world continues to blend together it is important to understand one’s own culture as well the ideas and values of other individuals. Art is something that doesn’t have the boundaries that other professions deal with. Art is an expression that can be appreciated and supported by many. It is a way to bring all walks of life together. The motivation for working for a non-profit organization is something that has been instilled in me as a worthwhile business, because I have seen the joy and intellection it brings myself and others. I truly believe I will be an advocate for the arts for the rest of my life.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

Meet an Arts Lover

2010-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

When you phone theFund’s office, and instead of getting Kathy, you think you hear the voice of a young Lauren Hutton… in fact, it’s theFund’s premier volunteer Lauren Moore. She’s got a wicked sense of humor, a firm handshake, and like theFund’s CEO Rod Rubbo, a passion for the guitar.

Name a recent arts event that you attended:
Pagliacci dress rehearsal. Clowns are frightening.

If you could be supremely talented in one art, what would it be?
I would be an amazing talent on the guitar. Think Keller Williams one person exhibition as opposed to my current status as a three cord hack.

What drives you to work for the arts?
I greatly appreciate the arts and everything they bring to my home town. I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, an artist. My goal is to facilitate the expansion of a vibrant arts scene in San Antonio by assisting with day to day administrative tasks and fund raising efforts. Focus on your craft creative folks, and I’ll do the paperwork.

How can art illuminate the connections between history and current affairs?
Historical accounts and interpretations help mold our understanding of current events. All art provides ample opportunity to explore the views of others while considering our own interpretations of their art and subject matter.

What don’t you get done at home?
I have an eleven year old “Little” through Big Brothers Big Sisters who would love to do some more hiking.

Fantastic Fuerzas/Forces

2010-10-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

photo by Dulce Pinzon

This Thursday at 7:00 pm, get an intimate tour with local artists of Fantastic Fuerzas/Forces at the Guadalupe Gallery.

Curated by Patty Ortiz, Fantastic Fuerzas/Forces is an exhibition that explores the influence and significance of comics in contemporary art. Whether political or poppy in approach, artists Juan Felipe Salcedo, Gustavo Higuera, Angel Rodríguez-Diaz, Dulce Pinzón, Nadin Ospina, Jaime Higa, Xavier Garza, Rafael Fajardo, Albert Alvarez, and David Almaguer combine fuerzas to present work that, while ironic or humorous on the surface, comments on “America’s mass media manipulation into marginal worlds.” The work of Mexico’s Dulce Pinzón sums up the exhibition nicely. Dressed as comic book characters and photographed in colorful surroundings, Pinzón’s unsung heroes (immigrant workers) appear suspended in the daily grind.

This marvelous exhibit received ink as a Critic’s Pick in the San Antonio Current.

You can also read an in-depth review by Kiko Martinez here >>

“Fantastic Fuerzas/Forces” will put you in touch with your secret super identity just in time for the Halloween weekend.

The exhibit is free, weekdays 10am-6pm and Saturday 12-5pm, Guadalupe Gallery, 723 S. Brazos St., guadalupeculturalarts.org. On view through Nov 18.

The Guadalupe Cultural Center is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

Why I Pledged

2010-10-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

This week is pledge drive for Texas Public Radio, and I am proud to boast that I’m volunteering on the phones. Even better, I pledged my sixty bucks and became a new member.

I'm a long-time devout listener of public radio, but I only recently moved to Texas, nine months and 26 days ago. For months after moving here, I listened to NPR programs online, or I listened to my old home station KALW online. Listening to the Bay Area local news, however, made me homesick. And while the programs on National Public Radio are phenomenal connecting me to national and global communities, they’re not local. They don’t inform me about my neighborhood or the issues of San Antonio, Texas.

Shows like The Source, Texas Matters, and the Living Green podcast help pry my fingers off the West Coast. It’s been thrilling to hear about the evolving controversy over the Alamo and the Daughters of the Republic. Listening to Mayor Julian Castro reflect over his year in office with Terry Gildea enwrapped me, inspiring civic esteem. But most importantly, I am heartened to know that smart, serious journalism exists in my new hometown, and more is coming.

This month TPR reinvigorated its commitment to bringing us comprehensive local, regional, national and international news. They’re improving their news service by providing more original news reports throughout the day. They’ve even hired a report to focus on the regional cultural and political issues involving the U.S.-Mexico border.

When I reflect on what my family pays for Internet and cable in conjunction with how much we truly value and listen to public radio, sixty bucks is easily prioritized as manageable. And for me, becoming a member of TPR is another step to embracing San Antonio as my new home--like getting a library card and registering to vote.

(*If sixty dollars is as much to you as it is to me, you’ll be encouraged to know that you can space your pledge out in monthly payments.)

Texas Public Radio is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

We're Celebrating Five Solid Years

2010-10-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

This Sunday marks theFund’s fifth anniversary. Hip-hip-hurray!

In 2005, the Tobin Endowment rallied local companies, foundations, and individuals to raise more than $200,000 to launch theFund and support its first-year operating expenses.

Here are some stats of which we’re mighty proud, especially given the economic recession:

In the past five years, theFund has facilitated over half a million dollars in contributions to its affiliated arts and cultural organization.

Forty-seven company partners host workplace campaigns, raising an annual average of $103,130.

The average employee gift is $64, and 94 cents of every dollar raised is reallocated to our 27 affiliates.

The San Antonio United Art Fund is the first and only united art fund in Texas. While we wish there were more, we’re happy to be the first.

Want to celebrate theFund’s birthday with us? Donate a gift of $60 or more, and you will receive theFund Card, which provides discounts and "FUNd Card only" performances and events with affiliated arts and cultural organizations.

Meet an Arts Lover

2010-10-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Rod Rubbo is the President/CEO of the Fund, and he moved to San Antonio just for the job. Rod has decades of experience in arts management. Before the call to San Antonio, he was President/CEO of the Cultural Center for the Arts in Canton, Ohio for nearly 30 years. He was also General Manager of the Ohio Ballet, General Manager for the North Carolina Dance Theatre at the North Carolina School for the Arts, and Company Manager for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Currently, he is a member of the Rotary club of San Antonio and the Cultural Alliance of San Antonio, and he is the new President for Luminaria, Arts Night in San Antonio.

Name a recent arts and culture event or exhibit you attended:
A screening of Children of the Revolucion at the McNay

If you could be supremely talented in one art, what would it be?
Playing the Guitar

What drives you to work for the arts in San Antonio?
Exposure to some of the world’s best talent.

How can art bring communities together?
Events like Luminaria build communities because people see and experience the arts together.

Art on the Hill, Trolley Along

2010-10-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Tobin Hill Art Alliance

It’s the second Friday of the month and time for Art on the Hill, an art walk of Tobin Hill art galleries and studios. The crew from the Fund will be meeting up at High Wire Gallery at 6:00pm for the VSA art exhibit, and they’ll continue on via the free trolley. Venues include Serendipity ArtSpace, Galeria Santos, SAC Visual Arts Gallery, SAVA Exhibit, La Casa Rosa Art Studio, Tycoon Flats, Treasured Restorations, and the Gallery Josephine. We hope to see you there.

Mental Illness Awareness Week Art Show @ High Wire

2010-10-06T09:40:00.000-07:00

In observance of Mental Illness Awareness Week, we want to share this video from our friends at VSA Texas: the State Organization on Arts and Disability.

Join VSA Texas in celebrating the nationally recognized Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) at a thought provoking art exhibition, recognizing the artistic accomplishments of over a dozen artists with mental illnesses.

High Wire Art Gallery
Artist Reception is Friday, October 8, 2010 at 6:30-9:30pm
The show runs through October 28.

For more information contact Susan Beattie at 210-341-4979.

VSA Texas, the state organization on arts and disability works to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. Their mission is to promote the creative power in people with disabilities by working with all community members to facilitate full access to the cultural and educational arts. VSA Texas is a member of the international network of VSA, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Breakfast With Friends

2010-09-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Here's a great boost to overcoming hump day: invite your colleagues in the non-profit arts to breakfast. Early Wednesday morning at MadHatters Tea House & Cafe, Rod Rubbo, Kathy LeMaster, and I hosted a meet-up with the Fund's affiliates to discuss social media collaboration. We had a fantastic turn-out, and I was inspired by how generous everyone was their time, experiences, and ideas.

In attendance, we had Linsey from the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), Shelley from the Southwest School of Art, Yonnie from the Carver Community Cultural Center, Aimee from the Magik Theatre, Di Ann from the San Pedro Playhouse, Emily and Zinnia from Blue Star Art, Lee from ARTS SA, Suzan from the SA Opera, Jennifer from Gemini Ink, Katrina from KLRN, Lee from San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and Nicte from YOSA. We were also supported by fellow Fund volunteers Lauren, Anja, and Christina.

It was the first time the group met offline, getting to know the folks behind the Facebook Pages, Twitter feeds, and emails. We hope it's the springboard of many future collaborations and a stronger sense of identity and community among arts organizations throughout San Antonio.

Next month, many of us will be attending Action Camp - Social Media for Nonprofits; today is the last day to register at the discount rate of $25. And if you're interested in learning more about social media in San Antonio, there's no better resource than Social Media Mentoring.

Structural Visions and Photoshop

2010-09-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

(Photo courtesy of Jennifer Monaghan.)

On Saturday, I attended the Jennifer Monaghan Community Photoshop Workshop at the Semmes Library. Photoshop is a complicated application that everyone wishes they knew how to use. Even if they do know how to use it, one can always learn more, so I was surprised that more people did not attend.

Jennifer’s work was displayed and provided an example of what can be done using Photoshop. Step-by- step, she demonstrated how she manipulated her photos to create intriguing artworks of unique scenes. I was in awe of the complexity of the process required in order to create this form of art, and I was amazed at how much I learned in a couple of hours with a good teacher.

Structural Visions is Monaghan's body of work that explores the subconscious mind by transforming everyday structures into surrealistic visions. These photographs have been processed and manipulated digitally to create a balance of surrealism and realism. "I want the viewer to become so involved with the work that, at first glance, they do not always realize it has been manipulated," says Monaghan, "but soon reality becomes unreality and realm of possibilities open." Curated by Alex Rubio, Program Instructor of ArtSmart Program at Blue Star Contemporary Art Complex, Structural Visions will be on exhibition in the Conference Gallery of the Julia Yates Semmes Public Library through October 30.

I also happily discovered that Blue Star's ARTsmart program hosts a series of rotating exhibits and other workshops at the Semmes Library. Several students’ artwork is on display in the Quiet Room and above the computer stations.

The Julia Laura Yates Semmes library is located at 15060 Judson Road in San Antonio. The exhibits are open to the public during regular library hours: Sunday – 1:00 to 5:00 p.m., Monday – 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday – 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday – 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m

On Becoming a Fan of the Opera

2010-09-21T09:04:00.001-07:00

When I was growing up, the opera was the one art discipline I did not have the chance to be exposed to. Consequently, until coming to work at theFund and having the opportunity to attend a few operas, I had not developed a taste for it. I believe that opera, like any other fine music, requires experience and time to develop an appreciation.

Opera is similar to learning a foreign language; you enter a new world. Music is one of the seven forms of human intelligence, and therefore requires development. For example, in my music classes in elementary school we learned about classical music and were expected to listen and analyze it. This assisted in my development of a love of classical music.

Friday night, I attended my third San Antonio Opera, two one acts, Suor Angelica and Pagliacci. For the first time, I was genuinely moved to tears, which is what I understand is supposed to happen. Just as any art, opera should elicit emotion. The two acts were a good mix, one demonstrating the humiliation and tragedy in the life of a man and the other the humiliation and tragedy of a woman. Sandra Lopez performed Sister Angelica in Suor Angelica and Nedda in Pagliacci. She totally captivated my focus. Besides enjoying her voice, I found her acting genuinely sincere and very compelling. Now, I am trying to convince my daughter to join me the next time I attend the opera and share in my conversion.

Have you considered aquiring an appreciation for opera? What kept me away from opera for many years was the fear of not understanding it. At the San Antonio Opera, there are English surtitles above the stage, so this is no longer a problem. I highly recommend reviewing the story line before attending a performance to enhance your enjoyment. I am looking forward to Marriage of Figaro, San Antonio Opera’s next performance; they will be back at the Lila Cockrell Theatre. Care to join me?

A Play for Mexico's Bicentennial

2010-09-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Two hundred years ago, a Mexican priest held mass and delivered the Grito de Dolores, also known as the battle cry for the Mexican War of Independence. Although Mexico’s independence from Spain was not recognized until a decade later, September 16 is celebrated as Mexico’s Independence Day, and the priest, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla is considered the “Father of the Nation.”

The inspiring life story of Padre Hidalgo is the subject of a new play written and performed by Teatro ALAS. Say Si's newest program, Teatro ALAS involves students in a high school performance company and middle school troupe who

“draw from their own experiences, observations, and insights to produce theatre of relevance to their lives and their communities.”

El Padre: The Story of Hidalgo's Revolution will be performed September 17th, 18th, 19th, and 24th. Details are here >>

SAY Sí is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

Get Ready for Some Opera!

2010-09-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

In a place like Texas, where everything is larger than life, dramatic, and full of heart, the opera should be as popular as football, the rodeo, and country music.

Kathy LeMaster, Office Manager for theFund, took me to my first opera, Guiseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto, last June. We had great seats close to the stage, and I was blown by the performers’ sheer vocal athleticism. The dialog and storyline were more cunning than my prejudices had allowed a 19th century opera. And for those of us who don’t speak Italian, there are English surtitles; the lyrics are projected on a screen at the top of the stage. (In all the opera scenes I’ve seen in movies like Pretty Woman, they never showed the 1980’s Canadian invention of surtitles.)

The San Antonio Opera opens its 15th season this weekend with two one acts: Pagliacci led by the tenor Stuart Neill and Suor Angelica starring the lirico-spinto soprano Elizabeth Blancke-Biggs. Now this is not like a movie or a play at the San Pedro Playhouse; you can’t catch it next week. There are only three performances, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the 17th through the 19th.

The divine Maria Callas once said “An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house.” An evening at the San Antonio Opera is perfect for an exotic date (fellow parents, you must get out) or just a few friends looking for an adventure. Get more cultured.

The 2010-2011 season has two more operas in store, The Marriage of Figaro and H.M.S Pinafore. The full calendar is here.

The San Antonio Opera is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

Girl Scout Troop 810 Celebrates the Arts with theFund

2010-09-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

By Kathy LeMaster, Office Manager for theFund

Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending a recital, "Celebrate the Arts," by Girl Scouts, Nina Eng, Megan Obeid, and Sarina Obeid. Hosted by Cindi Obeid, Megan and Sarina’s mother, the recital was part of a Girl Scout advocacy project to achieve the Girl Scout’s highest and most honored award, the Gold Award.

The girls chose to "speak up for the Arts" and honor theFund as the recipient of the money they raised through cookie sales, nut sales, and sausage sales in their Girl Scouts Troop 810. Their recital program explains, "an advocate is someone who speaks up for lasting change." Having been blessed with the advantage of music, voice, dance and art, "they wanted to do a project to give other children who may not be as fortunate a chance to explore their inner talents."

Each of these girls proved to be very talented. Nina’s younger sister, Cassie, accompanied them on a recorder, as the three sang "Panis Angelicus" by Cesar Frank. Megan then played Waltz Opus 39, No15 on the piano, followed by Sarina Obeid singing Franz Schubert’s "Ave Maria," accompanied by Nina Eng on the piano. Both Megan and Sarina then played Beethoven, Sarina chose the First movement, Op. 27 No 2 of Moonlight Sonata, and Megan chose the first movement, in F Major of Sonatina No. 2. Nina Eng played the recital finale, Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy beautifully.

Following the performances, the girls introduced their special guest, Bassam Nashawati, 1st violinist for the San Antonio Symphony. He performed brilliantly. The San Antonio Symphony is a funded arts affiliate of theFund.

Steven Bull, accepted the donation on behalf of the Fund. Steven is a Director on theFund Board and an award-winning actor. He has served both on the board of San Pedro Playhouse and Classical Theatre. He was accompanied by his wife Mary who has been involved with Girls Scouts, beginning as a Scout, then a Troop leader of 3 troops and was the Service unit Director of the Alamo Heights Girl Scouts. Their daughters all earned their Gold Awards under her leadership.

Artist Biographies

Nina Eng is 15 years old and currently a junior attending Providence High School. She has been playing piano for 10 years, has played, and accompanied piano for various occasions including weddings, funerals, and school events.

Megan Obeid began piano when she was five. Besides studying piano, she also pursued her interest in singing. She is a junior at Health Careers High School, sings in the Madrigals, and is a participant in the TMEZ Regent Choir, and all-state solo and ensemble UIL. Megan plans to pursue a career in music.

Sarina Obeid has always been interested in music and began piano lessons at the age of 5. She is a freshman at The Atonement Academy and sings in Honors Choir. She studies voice and has been a prticipant in TPSMEA solo and ensemble competition for the last three years.

Cassie Eng is 11 years old and is in the 6th grade at Providence Preparatory School. She began piano lessons at the age of 5 and last year she studied recorder and earned the black belt in Recorder Karate. Cassie sings in the evening choir at her church.

The Life of a Bexar County Workplace Campaign for theFund

2010-08-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

The fundraising cornerstone of theFund is the Workplace Giving Campaigns in which employees are asked to make contributions to community arts and cultural organizations affiliated with theFund. Since 2005, Bexar County employees have participated in the campaigns. This year, led by coordinating team, Linda Sue Guajardo, Laura Jesse, Yvonne Escamilla (pictured here), they raised over $28,000. This post gives you a sense of how a campaign works and how you organize one at your own workplace.

For more photos of the campaign, see our Picasa album here >>.

On March 1, 2010, the sixth annual Bexar County Workplace Campaign began with a meeting between Rod Rubbo, President and CEO of theFund, and Yvonne Escamilla, the overall County Campaign Coordinator; they established a plan with goals and a time-line of events. Yvonne has organized the County campaign since the first in 2005, but this year she passed the hat to Laura Jesse, Public Information Officer.

A couple weeks later on March 16, theFund presented campaign plans to Commissioners Court for approval of theFund Campaign 2010. The campaign launched on April 28 at a leadership lunch with elected and appointed officials and hosted by County Judge Nelson Wolff. The next week, Campaign Coordinators from each county department attended a training workshop over lunch with theFund to learn how to make presentations. Presentations for the staff began the next day, May 6.

The fund-raising campaign took place over the next two months, and on July 15, they began closing out the campaign. The results were assessed, and contribution forms were turned in to the Auditor’s Office for processing. On August 24, theFund delivered a report with the campaign results to the Commissioner’s Court. After more than 55 presentations and many people’s help and support, the campaign ended with a ceremonial awards presentation.

This year, theFund established three awards of appreciation for workplace-giving campaigns: an Award for Most Funds Raised, an Award for Largest Percentage Increase from Previous Year, and an Award for Highest Percentage of Employee Participation. Each winning department received an original work of art contributed by a funded art affiliate.

"And the Award goes to"

For Most Funds Raised, Bexar County Infrastucture Services. Director Joe Aceves and Coordinator Kerim Jacamen were acknowledged for once again inspiring their department to raise the most funds. Their award Cityscape, painted by Brackenridge High School student Chrysanthemum Brown, was donated through the Blue Star Contemporary Art program MOSAIC.

For Largest Percentage Increase from Previous Year, Bexar County Planning and Resource Management. Campaign Coordinator Nancy Soto accepted the award, a Texas Mission watercolor painted by student John Darrin with SAY Sí.

For Highest Percentage of Employee Participation, the Bexar County District Clerk’s Office. Director Margaret Montemayor and Campaign Coordinator Joan Schaffer accepted the award, a framed linocut of a meadowlark on handmade kozo paper created by Linda Draper of Southwest School of Art and Craft.

Acknowledgments

TheFund greatly appreciates all the consistent and generous participation of Bexar County employees in the Workplace Giving Campaigns.

We thank Blue Star Contemporary Art, SAY Sí, and Southwest School of Art and Craft, three funded art affiliates who donated artwork produced in their programs.

TheFund would also like to thank Ms. Rose Avila of Piedras Negras Café for her contribution of tacos for the Bexar County Information Services taco sale to supplement the department’s contributions. Rose’s contribution allowed Information Services to donate 100% of the proceeds to theFund.

And a special thanks to Olivia Morales, a violinist and former YOSA student, for her performances at the District Attorney’s offices.

How to have a workplace campaign:

Call us at 210- 212-8303 to set up an information meeting,
Identify an On-Site Coordinator and schedule a presentation(s),
And/Or have an Open House with displays and live performances by our funded affiliate organizations.

Writers Respond to Art @ SAMA

2010-08-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

Have you ever marveled at a painting and wished you could wax poetic about line, color, and composition? The writers at Gemini Ink have, and they’ll be sharing their work this Tuesday evening, 6:30, in the auditorium of the San Antonio Museum of Art. Come early to view the Contemporary Art works, and gain your own sense of the collection. Then, listen to Robert Flynn, Catherine Kasper, Regina Moya, and Lyle Rosdahl for inspiration on how to write about it. This collaborative event is free.

SAMA and Gemini Ink are affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

One Bexar County Kid's Passion for the Arts

2010-08-26T11:04:00.000-07:00

TheFund recently wrapped up a workplace-giving campaign with Bexar County employees, and we’ll be telling you more about their achievements in an upcoming post. But last year, employees of Bexar County offices raised over $30,000 for the Fund, a 16.4% increase over 2008. Yvette Moran is the Community Programs Management Analyst for Bexar County and has served as Campaign Coordinator for Workplace-Giving Campaigns with theFund. Here, she writes about how the arts plays a critical role in the education and growing self-esteem of her daughter, Paris (pictured).

My daughter, Paris, now 12 and starting the eighth grade, has participated in the arts in several ways. She started at age three with dance and Kinder-Musik programs. She was enrolled in the Guadalupe Summer Dance camp and took Ballet Folklorico/Flamenco with them for a while. She has also done ballet and jazz through a private agency. She was in choir in elementary school at St. Anthony's Catholic School. St. Anthony's also has a good music program for the elementary school that involves learning to read music and playing keyboards.

I think her participation in the arts allowed her cognition to improve, especially when it came to tough subjects like Classical Heritage. The class taught the Classics by developing students’ thinking and problem solving skills. It was no longer enough to just memorize, students had to theorize and deduce. Paris aced the class; her predisposition for the arts helped her.

In Picture Your World, a program of Green Spaces Alliance (formerly Bexar Land and Trust), Paris practiced nature photography in various locations around town. She learned about the beauty of nature in our own environment and how to capture that with a camera. She then used the Say Si! media lab to crop and edit her photos for a contest, and she won an honorable mention for her submission. The winning photographs were displayed under glass in beautiful frames at the San Antonio Public Library Gallery. This was great for her self-esteem. She’ll be taking Journalism and Yearbook in the spring.

Paris is now learning Latin, and I believe her education and training in the arts makes her realize that she can do whatever she wants with guidance and perseverance. She has learned that from all of her art, music, theater, and photography teachers.

Paris is a great student, and the arts are her passion. I used to wish she'd become a doctor or something to support us in our old age. But, now I know that this is what makes her happy and she'll lead a more passionate life if she is doing something she loves. Besides (in my own non-objective opinion) she is good at it, and we as parents need to recognize our kids’ special talents and support them with all we've got.

The Majik Theatre Ends Summer with Broadway

2010-08-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Friends come in all shapes and temperaments—“a worrywart toad and a perky frog,” for example. Two amphibious friends and all their “colorful hopping, crawling, and flying companions star” in the Magik Theatre’s latest production A Year With Frog and Toad. This musical by brothers Robert and Willie Reale was the first professional children theatre production on Broadway. The story follows the woodland adventures of Frog and Toad through winter, spring, summer, and fall.

Sings Frog:

“I’d like to sing a little ode
About my good friend Toad
Toad with whom I frequently take tea
He’s not so good at sports
And of course, he’s got those warts, but
Toad has been a lovely friend to me.”

It’s no surprise that Magik Theatre sold out the opening day. A Year With Frog and Toad runs through September 15. Make your reservations in advance. Visit the Magik Theatre online, or call their box office at 210.227.2751.

The Magik Theatre is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.

My Evening @ SAMA with My Dad

2010-08-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

Utamaro and his Five Women is not about a polygamist. My father and I saw this 1946 Japanese film at San Antonio Museum of Art, Tuesday evening. It was the second of three films in SAMA’s Japanese film series screening this month. I’m a cinephile fond of foreign classics, and my father spent his high school years in Japan. For us, the rare opportunity to see these black-and-whites is worth the trek to town.

Utamaro, the film’s protagonist, is an 18^th-century painter renowned for his woodblock prints of beautiful women. The five women of the title include two models of his paintings (a courtesan and a lady-in-waiting), a courtesan on whose back he paints a tattoo, and two women pursuing two of his friends. Naturally, passion, censorship, and murder ensue.

While waiting for the film to begin, Dad and I debated whether the film was made after or during the war. My father argued that it was made after the war; it does say 1946. The chemicals to develop the film couldn’t have been widely available during the war. I argued that it was released in 1946, but go back three to six months for post-production, one to two months for shooting, 12 to 15 months for scriptwriting, fundraising, and casting. Surely, they began research and development during the war.

Utamaro and his Five Women was made during the American Occupation, explained Curator John Johnston introducing the film. In order to produce the film, the script had to be approved by Occupation censors. The film could not involve sword fights, and the protagonist had to be congruent with democratic values. Few period films were approved, as they were deemed inherently nationalistic and militaristic. Although the print wasn’t in peak condition, the setting of the Edo period and the frame compositions are enthralling, and I was surprised by a number of near bawdy turns in dialogue.

After the film, we dashed up to the museum’s second floor to see the room of Taiso Yoshitoshi’s paintings, Season Four of Seasons of Beauty: Yoshitoshi's Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life. The eight paintings astonished me in the way they beam beauty through exquisite precision and detail—the minute, patterned brush strokes and careful, even embossments. Yoshitoshi’s hand was more trained, his focus more fastidious, his patience more infinite than I can imagine. For an experienced pro, the process couldn’t have been too painful, or so my dad thinks. I imagine that sometimes it’s the process of production and execution that makes artists sane and crazy at the same time.

Next Tuesday’s film is The Assassination (1964) by Masahiro Shinoda. Incidentally, it’s Free Tuesdays, so there’s no admission to the museum. If you’re a member, (good for you!), admission to the theatre is free. If you’re not a member yet, pony up five bucks. We arrived at 6:45 and got good center seats; by 7:00, available seats were mainly in the bottom front rows. The parking lot was fuller than I expected, but we still found a spot.

If you see me and my dad next Tuesday, say hello.

Joy-Marie Scott is a writer, arts advocate, and Fund volunteer.

ARTS SA Presents Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz with Judi Deleon

2010-08-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

The Charline McCombs Empire Theatre will be shaking tomorrow night with the bongos and timbales of congo dynamo Henry "Mr. Ritmo" Brun and his Latin Playerz Orchestra with his wife, vocalist Judi Deleon. They're celebrating the release of the Latin Playerz 20th Anniversary CD, and the concert's proceeds benefit ARtsTEach, ARTS San Antonio's acclaimed in-classroom, elementary-school arts education program benefiting children in the Greater San Antonio area.

Buy your tickets through Arts San Antonio.

Three-Time winners of Univision TV's Latin Jazz Band of the Year, the group's website is here.

You can get a taste with this video of Henry Brun and the Latin Playerz performing "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas."

And if you can't make tomorrow's concert, tune in to Brun's radio show, Ritmos Del Mundo, Saturday evenings at 10 p.m. on KXTX 89.1 FM, Texas Public Radio.

ARTS San Antonio is one of 27 affiliates of theFund. Donations to theFund help provide financial operating support to qualified arts and cultural organizations.