Merry Christmas!

Meet an Arts Lover

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(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

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

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!

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

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

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:

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

Writers Respond to Art @ SAMA

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

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

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

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

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.

Bakumatsu in Japanese Art @ SAMA

Ever wonder what life in Japan was like before westernization? Bakumatsu, the age of the last samurai, is one of the most agitated and romanticized periods in Japanese history. It's this "twilight of the shogun" period that is featured in a current exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art, with 19th century prints by artist Taiso Yoshitoshi and a Japanese film series.

The Serpent (Orochi) is the first of three films that SAMA will screen on Tuesday nights. A silent film made in 1925 by director Buntaro Futagawa, it tells the story of a samurai who tragically falls on hard times.

The series' schedule:

Tuesday, August 10, 7:00pm
The Serpent (Orichi), 1925

Tuesday, August 17, 7:00pm
Utamaro and His Five Women (Utamaro o meguru gonin no onna), 1946

Tuesday, August 24, 7:00pm
Assassination (Ansatsu), 1964

For more information, check SAMA's site here >>

View Curator John Johnston's interview on "Great Day SA" here >>

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

Maria A. Ibarra's SCARS @ the Esperanza, last weekend

Only two performances left to catch Ibarra's latest, most personal play, "Scars," in which Ibarra vividly relays her fight with cancer throughout the life of her 10-year old son:
"a compilation of video documenation, journal entries, poemas, canciones, cuentos y maldiciones."

“Scars” can be seen at 8 p.m. today-Saturday at the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave. Admission costs $10. Receive a $1 discount with your FUNd Card.

For more info >>

Listen to an interview with Ibarra on TPR here >>

Read the review in today's Express here >>

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

SHANE on the Big Screen w/ TPR's Cinema Tuesdays

Don't miss the opportunity to experience this classic Hollywood motion picture on the big screen; Shane was nominated for six Oscars, winning one for Best Color Cinematography. Catch it tonight at Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro as part of the Cinema Tuesdays Series presented by Texas Public Radio.

"Alan Ladd plays the titular character in this classic Western. Former gunfighter Shane rides into town looking for work, and takes up with a family of homesteaders. The son, Joey, idolizes him; the mother, Marion, grows to love Shane but neither party dares speak of it. Meanwhile, a local gang is threatening the family, hoping to drive them off their land. The gang’s muscle? Jack Palance, clad in black, who hardly speaks in the film, but is one of the most memorable villains of the Western genre."

For screening details, see TPR's site here >>

Read Roger Ebert’s Great Movies essay on Shane.

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