In her previous albums, Bett Butler told poignant musical stories that sprang from her own heart and mind. But for her newest release, American Sampler, San Antonio’s first lady of jazz chose very different material. Working with her husband, bassist and producer Joël...
One thing that strikes you upon walking into Veronica Prida’s studio is the abundance of vivid colors. From the chair that you are invited to take to the blingy dresses in various stages of completion lying on work tables, it’s a place that proclaims the power of...
A big part of Bernice Appelin-Williams’ artistic endeavor consists of collecting all sorts of odd objects, from old sepia photos of African-American women to shells, shoes, discarded TV lenses, lace, glasses, beads, sewing machine drawers and much more. ”That’s why I...
Tis the season to be merry, and arts organizations are certainly contributing more than their fair share to the mood. From festive concerts and ballet spectaculars to theme-park celebrations and artsy shopping, the city will be awash with holiday offerings for all...
The biggest event in September is the Fotoseptiembre USA Festival founded 16 years ago by artists/producers Michael Mehl and Ann Kinzer. It’s a huge, city-wide showcase of photography, from documentary and narrative to all sorts of experimental explorations of the...
The best way to escape the heat and have some fun at the same time is to sample some of the cool arts offerings around town. Literally cool, as in air-conditioned, and cool-exciting, cool-wonderful, cool-cool … you get the idea. Music and dance While most arts...
I arrive at the Stone Oak Youth Theater (SOYT) on a hot May afternoon, as two very different classes are about to start. In the original facility, a group of 7- to 12-year-olds are gathering to learn how to make and operate puppets, while two doors down in the same...
When I arrive at the Entre Flamenco new digs on Bandera Road, Estefania Ramirez proudly offers to give me a tour. At least twice the size of the company’s former quarters, the place is handsomely set up, with two actual studios, men’s and women’s dressing rooms,...
Once in a while artist Constance “Connie” Lowe takes a break from her own work to assume the curatorial role. Such was the case recently when she agreed to serve as curator for Magnetic Fields, a show opening March 10 as the Southwest School of Art’s contribution to...
At the recent fundraiser for the San Antonio Opera (SAO), a good part of the entertainment was provided by five young women who collectively call themselves Stiletto. They have high voices and high heels, and together they make beautiful sounds. For the occasion, they...
Joy Fisher Hein had been a painter for decades, but what she really wanted to do was illustrate children’s books. Only she didn’t know how to go about it. “I did it blindly,” she says. “I would submit work to publishers and it would get rejected. I made a lot of...
The spring social season was filled with fabulous and fun events celebrating women and children — from glamorous galas under the stars to luncheons featuring inspiring mothers to one-of-a kind runway fashion shows. The ladies of the Southwest Foundation Forum started...
It was perhaps preordained that actress Cassandra Small should portray the famed New Orleans voodoo priestess Marie Laveau in the upcoming musical Fire on the Bayou. Small says she has had “a strange history with Marie Laveau” ever since she impersonated her at the...
Lesta Frank’s house is like a gallery for her work. From delicate flower vases reminiscent of old botanical illustrations to paintings of women with mythical implications, the rooms tell the story of her artistic interests. On an easel in the living room stands a...
Memory Lessons With our population aging, our health care system facing upheaval and countless Americans caring for aging parents, Gemini Ink found perfect recipients for its 2009 Literary Excellence Awards: Dr. Jerald Winakur and his wife, poet-attorney Lee Robinson....
Like a gracious hostess, following greetings, Katie Pell give her visitor a tour of the premises. She and her husband, Peter Zubiate, a fellow artist and master craftsman, live and work in a former commercial building downtown that they have adapted for their needs....
In artist Marilyn Lanfear's bedroom hangs a huge panel depicting a woman, a large old-fashioned bed and three small children. Titled Every Night She Latched All the Windows, Locked All the Doors and Put the Babies in Her Bed, the panel is based on a story Lanfear's...
In the Big Read, the National Endowment for the Arts partners with libraries to revitalize reading in America by promoting a single book annually for citizens to read and discuss within their communities. This year's book is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 — the...
