San Antonio Texas Travel - Art, Culture and All That Jazz
A vibrant music, arts and culture scene deep in the heart of Texas
We’re just a block from the Alamo, tapping our toes as Jim Cullum’s Jazz Band plays a Dixieland beat. Outside, riverboats float by placidly as the continuous party twenty feet below street level that is the San Antonio River Walk continues into the night. Later, under a warm starlit sky, we stroll the River Walk serenaded by the sounds of mariachi music.
If you were planning to travel to an American state in hopes of finding a vibrant music, arts and culture scene, would Texas be high on your list? Well, if San Antonio is any indication, it should be.
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The River Walk is a good place to start a musical exploration of the city. The Landing has been offering live jazz here for over 40 years. Jim Cullum’s Jazz Band plays classic jazz on the indoor stage six nights a week and broadcasts a nationally distributed public radio series, Riverwalk, Live from The Landing. As well, the outdoor riverside patio features live jazz duos from 12:00 noon until 1:00 a.m., non-stop.
Elsewhere, mariachi musicians dressed in silver-studded charro outfits with wide brimmed hats entertain patrons at restaurants or stroll along the River Walk. At other restaurants or nightspots you might hear Tejano/Conjunto music with its basis in Mexican ballads, but influenced by the beat and instruments of many other cultures.
If your musical tastes lean toward the classical, take in a San Antonio Symphony concert, as we did one night. At the Majestic Performing Arts Centre, a restored “movie palace”, we enjoyed an excellent evening of Ravel and Shostakovich.
This rich musical landscape is complemented by a wealth of visual arts. San Antonio was recently voted one of the Top 25 Arts Cities in the U.S. by American Style Magazine and it’s not difficult to see why.
The city is home to not one but two stunning art museums. The San Antonio Museum of Art blends old and new and is housed in the castle-like setting of the old Lone Star Brewing building.
The Museum showcases a fine collection of Greek, Roman and other ancient antiquities, a range of Asian art as well as other art from around the world. The 30,000 square foot Nelson A. Rockefeller Center wing is the first and only center in the world dedicated to 4000 years of Latin-American art.
Not far away, the McNay Art Museum, Texas’ first modern art museum, features works by Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, O’Keefe, Renoir and more. The building sits on 23 acres of landscaped grounds that include fountains, broad lawns and a Japanese garden and fishpond - perfect for a quiet picnic after viewing the McNay’s collection.
San Antonio’s contemporary art scene is readily accessible in a number of locations at or near the downtown core. The Blue Star Arts Complex is a collection of refurbished warehouses featuring galleries, artists’ lofts and exhibition space and is considered the heart of San Antonio’s contemporary art community.
Southtown is a unique neighborhood comprised of historical houses and converted warehouses containing an eclectic blend of shops, galleries and restaurants. Take the Blue Trolley from downtown or the Riverwalk to the King William neighborhood. Located directly off the River Walk, La Villita Historic District is San Antonio’s earliest residential settlement. Buildings along the cobblestone walkways are home to 26 unique shops and art galleries.
Other art hot spots? Two worth a visit are the Southwest School of Art and Craft and Art Pace. The Southwest School of Art and Craft, formerly an Urseline Academy, offers more than 120 classes and workshops and features two galleries and an artist-in-residence program. Art Pace is a foundation for contemporary art that offers emerging artists from around the world a residence program to create and exhibit their work.
But music and art do not exist in a vacuum. They’re a reflection of the culture of a particular place and San Antonio’s is particularly rich. A wealth of places and events showcase the cultural diversity that gives the city its unique character.
A good starting point is The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures. The Institute is a unique museum that interprets Texas history and folk culture by displaying contributions from 27 ethnic groups that have played significant roles in the state’s development. Wandering through the gallery and looking at each culture’s artifacts and photos is like taking a mini-tour around the globe.
Every June for the past 33 years, the Institute has organized the Texas Folklife Festival. This four-day celebration showcases Texas’ diversity and heritage by featuring more than 150 home-cooked dishes created by over 40 ethnic groups, 50 talented arts and craft vendors, 10 outdoor stages presenting musical entertainers and ethnic dancers.
The Festival also features storytellers, hands-on activities, artisan demonstrations and more. Other ethnic festivals throughout the year highlight the food, music and traditions of countries throughout the world.
Of course, as you would expect in Texas, one of the main cultures is Chicano or Mexican-American. To get a real Tex-Mex flavor, visit Market Square, the largest outdoor Mexican market outside Mexico. From early morning until late at night, the Square fairly hums with activity.
You can browse through the 32 shops at “El Mercado”, an area patterned after an authentic Mexican market or the over 80 specialty shops in Farmers Market Plaza. Market Square is also the scene of many Hispanic festivals featuring authentic Mexican food, beverages, music and dances alongside the Guadalajara lamps.
Also worth a visit is the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. This is an organization dedicated to preserving and developing the area’s Chicano, Latino and Native American heritage through a variety of performing and visual arts.
So, if you’re looking to get cultured on your next vacation, while dancing to the beat of some fabulous music, consider visiting San Antonio.
Author: Jeff Lukovich and Cathy Lukovich
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