The City of San Antonio Hosts Black Expression in Contemporary Art at The Plaza De Armas
On January 19, 2023, as part of Dreamweek 2023, the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture hosted the opening night of the “Between Yesterday & Tomorrow: Perspectives from Black Contemporary Artists of San Antonio” art exhibit. The exhibit is located at the Culture Commons Gallery in downtown San Antonio and housed at the Plaza De Armas. at 115 Plaza de Armas, 78205. The exhibit is open and free to the public until November 17, 2023.
Upon entering the exhibit you’ll find black expression in all mediums of art. The artworks include drawing, painting, photography, mixed media, digital media, assemblage, sculpture, and quilting. Themes covered include Black history and identity, family dynamics, social connections, personal human experience, spirituality, and resilience. The artist, just like their art they’ve created, are a collection of various ages, backgrounds, and gender. The exhibit features work by Bernice Appelin-Williams, John Coleman, Kaldric Dow, Kwanzaa Edwards, Anthony Francis, Alain Boris Gakwaya, Deborah Harris, Edward Harris, Paul Hurd, Carmen Cartiness Johnson, Alethia Jones, Theresa Newsome, Wardell Picquet, Calvin Pressley, Don Stewart, Naomi Wanjiku, and Angela Weddle.
Barbara Felix, the brainchild of the exhibit had this to say about this groundbreaking event. “The goal was to drive the collective vision of Black contemporary artists as documentarians of the historical and social conscience of their time,” Curator Barbara Felix commented. “When the individual selected works came together in the gallery, I realized the prospect of this show was coming to fruition in a way that beautifully celebrates each artist and their vision.” Krystal Jones, the Department of Arts & Cultural Executive Director had this to say about the yearlong arts exhibition. “The ‘Between Yesterday & Tomorrow’ exhibit is an important addition to the arts landscape of the city, and we could not be more pleased to provide a platform to present it to the public. This rich collection of artists provides gallery visitors unique perspectives into the personal experience of being Black in San Antonio.”
This exhibit should not be missed and everyone should take the opportunity to visit it before its closing in November of 2023.
More information is available at www.sanantonio.gov/arts and follow us at @getcreativesa #CultureCommons
