Thu 10/5
Santa Muerte: A Folk Saint in Texas
Produced by Texas Folklife, the short documentary
Santa Muerte: A Folk Saint in Texas looks at the “rising presence of Santa Muerte in communities across Texas; from its controversial significance as a folk saint, to its condemnation by the Catholic Church, the impact it has on religious freedom and the place it holds among censored female deities.” The unofficial saint enjoys a fervent following in South Texas as a saint of last resorts, a saint that can be asked for things that a proper saint cannot. As such, it’s no wonder that so many folks on the margins of society (and Catholicism for that matter) are drawn to Santa Muerte (literally translated as “holy death”), identifying with her as an outcast made more alluring, more beautiful and more triumphant by her distance from dominant norms. By way of whetting your appetite for this week’s special screening of
Santa Muerte, be sure to check out the documentary’s trailer at
texasfolklife.org/santamuertefilm.
Free, 7pm, Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151, guadalupeculturalarts.org.
— James Courtney
Thu 10/5-Fri 10/6
‘The Things They Carried’
With most Americans largely divided along party lines on issues such as immigration reform, Daniela Cavazos Madrigal hopes her artwork can spark a dialogue about the American Dream and what it means to be an immigrant in Trump’s America. “I think it was always something that I was interested in because I had a lot of close relatives and friends who were going through that,” Madrigal said. “The stories I tell are very much in the third person but I identify with them because it’s part of my cultural background.” Born to a Mexican-American father and a Mexican mother, Madrigal grew up in Laredo and spent three years living in Mexico. A 2017 graduate of the MFA program at UTSA, Madrigal uses discarded clothing to tell the stories of the forgotten immigrants living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Through the use of traditional craft practices such as embroidery, sewing and weaving, Madrigal blurs the lines between high art and low art while honoring what is traditionally seen as “women’s work.” In “The Things They Carried,” Madrigal considers some of the essential items carried by immigrants on what are often traumatic journeys. Incorporating textiles and found materials, Madrigal’s latest body of work focuses on the way physical objects represent our sense of home and “the difficult journey of abandoning one place to adopt another.” Fre
e, 6-9pm Thu, 6-8pm Fri (on view by appointment through Nov. 3), Hello Studio, 1420 S. Alamo St., (210) 291-8640, hellostudiosa.com. — Marco Aquino
Thu 10/5-Fri 10/6
‘Home Bodies’
One of two fall exhibitions opening at Blue Star Contemporary this week, “Home Bodies” approaches the intersection of artists’ work with family life. Featured works engage the perspectives of the parent, child, sibling and protector while examining the inherent bonds and conflicts within familial relationships. The exhibition is marked by a home-life aesthetic and the inclusion of textures and materials from the home – even stuffed animals! In addition to works by Ivonne Acero, Lenka Clayton, Catherine Colangelo, Karina Etcheverry Roberto, Casey Arguelles Gregory, Las Hermanas Iglesias, Hillerbrand+Magsamen, and Barry Stone, the opening reception will feature Courtney Kessel’s
In Balance With, a collaborative performance work between the artist and her daughter Chloé.
Free, 6-9pm Thu-Fri (on view through Jan. 21), Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarcontemporary.org. — Kelly Merka Nelson
Thu 10/5-Sat 10/7
Brian Posehn
Known to comedy nerds for his work on
Mr. Show and
The Sarah Silverman Program, veteran stand-up Brian Posehn might still be most often recognized for playing Kevin on
Just Shoot Me (he’s 6-foot-7, weighs over 300 pounds and has red hair if you’re still unclear as to who he is), but a couple of his more recent roles probably better describe his personality. He voices Sour Cream on
Steven Universe — the cult cartoon beloved for its deep empathy and message of inclusiveness — and also plays “The Butcher,” one of several tormentors in the horrifically violent, torture-filled Anthrax video “Blood Eagle Wings.” A physically imposing avowed metalhead who’s written a comic book miniseries about Santa Claus seeking bloody vengeance in the post-apocalypse (
The Last Christmas), Posehn is a surprisingly cuddly conundrum, but the best summation of his comedy act comes from the title to his 2010 album,
Fart and Wiener Jokes.
$20, 8pm Thu, 8pm & 10:15pm Fri-Sat, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com.
— Jeremy Martin
Thu 10/5-Sat 10/14
We Flamenco Fest
The origins of the modern flamenco dress trace back nearly two centuries to Seville’s
Feria de Abril, where gypsy women wore inexpensive calico dresses accentuated by layers of ruffles. As flamenco moved from its original gypsy communities and into Spain’s
cafés cantantes in the second half of the 19th century, its costumes became more extravagant. Today, flamenco style has established its own niche — one that’s inspired the high-fashion designs of both Giorgio Armani and John Galliano. On Thursday, the 2017 edition of We Flamenco Fest kicks off with a fashion show highlighting the history of flamenco costumes while bringing together some of the city’s top designers. On the runway, expect to see designs by Artist Foundation of San Antonio award winners Lisa Perello and Kendra Vigil as well as some exquisite headdresses created by Fabian Alejandro Diaz. Rounding out the collection will be dresses once worn by beloved local dancers Teresa Champion and Carmen “La Chiqi” Linares (
$10-$15, 7pm Thu, Geekdom Event Centre, 131 Soledad St.). Now in its eighth year, the festival is a citywide celebration (October 5-14) organized by the nonprofit Peoplehood to encourage collaboration within the local flamenco community while attempting to “invigorate and celebrate” the art form. Other highlights from this year’s fest include
TRIBUS, a performance by the modern flamenco project Arte y Pasión (
$10-$40, 9pm Fri., outside Carmens de la Calle at the corner of N. Flores and W. Pecan streets) and
Somos Flamenco, a performance by members of the San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department’s dance troupes featuring Pilar Andujar (
$15-$40, 8pm Sat, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St.).
For the full schedule, visit facebook.com/weflamencofest. — MA
Fri 10/6-Sun 10/12
‘The Latino List’
click to enlarge Eva Longoria photographed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders
“The Latino List,” a photographic portrait exhibit opening Friday at the San Antonio Museum of Art, evinces a surprising profundity within its deceptive simplicity. The portraits are huge (58-by-44 inches) and ultra-high definition, with plain backgrounds, meant to draw viewers’ attention to the subjects, which include Sandra Cisneros, Eva Longoria, Pitbull, Henry Cisneros, Gloria Estefan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, among others. Part of a multimedia initiative that also includes an HBO documentary and a book of photographs and monologues, the exhibit features 25 portraits of prominent Latin@s from the realms of literature, music, science, journalism, theater, business and government. The exhibit, and all other aspects of the initiative, is the work of celebrated portrait photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and is meant to highlight the struggles and successes of the featured individuals, while also contributing to a larger discussion on Latin@ identity in the contemporary United States.
$13-$20 (free from 6-9pm Fri), 10am-9pm Fri, 10am-5pm Sat-Sun (on view through Dec. 31), San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. — JC
Sat 10/7
That Disco Show!
Need some glitz to pump up your Saturday night? Well, Stars and Garters has got you, babe! Crowned “Best Burlesque Troupe” in our annual readers’ poll from 2013 to 2016, the company’s rolling out a “sexy ’70s spectacular” featuring their signature blend of burlesque, variety acts and audience participation, this time with a Studio 54 twist. Special guests Queen Anthuros and Giselle J’Adore will get groovy with S&G all-stars Suki Jones, Pystol Whips, Black Orchid, and Coco Simone for a night of disco-themed striptease. Don your finest polyester leisure suit or sequined tube top and get down to Brick for a glammed-up night of shimmying and shaking!
$25, 8pm & 10pm Sat, Brick, 108 Blue Star, (432) 235-0414, starsandgartersburlesque.com.
— Kelly Merka Nelson
Sat 10/7
Pete’s Dragon
Before filmmaker David Lowery put actor Casey Affleck under a white bed sheet and waxed philosophical earlier this year in
A Ghost Story, a film featuring a scene where actress Rooney Mara eats an entire chocolate cream pie for five whole minutes (no, seriously), the Milwaukee-born director/writer was given the opportunity to create his own version of
Pete’s Dragon, which Disney first produced for the big screen in 1977 as a live-action/animated musical. Lowery’s 2016 reboot is charming enough and shows audiences that updating Disney fairytales is working for the most part –
Cinderella,
The Jungle Book, yes;
Beauty and the Beast, no. Disney will continue with the live-action remakes when
Dumbo,
Aladdin,
The Lion King,
The Little Mermaid and others are soon repackaged. Until then, a screening of
Pete’s Dragon, which plays a bit like
Harry and the Hendersons with a few nods to Steven Spielberg’s
E.T., is a nice way to get the family off Netflix for a couple of hours and enjoy an outdoor movie together brought to you by the City of San Antonio’s World Heritage Office. Also: free popcorn (popped for your enjoyment by dragon fire).
Free, 7pm Sat, Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt Ave., 207-8612, slabcinema.com. – Kiko Martinez
Sat 10/7
Red Bull Last Stand
Fans of bike racing and extreme sports in general will, for the second year in a row, have the opportunity to catch a unique spectacle of a race right in downtown San Antonio, at the Alamo no less. (Because nothing screams madcap bike race like a recently crowned World Heritage Site, am I right?) Red Bull Last Stand attendees will witness qualifying and final rounds of competition in what is known as a crit race, “a type of cycling that combines a short track, 40 mile-per-hour speeds, and hairpin turns,” with categories for men and women, fixed and geared bikes. All this, amid a festival-like atmosphere (you know how Red Bull gets down) in a decidedly unconventional setting should make for a heck of a day. For those who follow this sport in particular, it’s worth noting that participants will include such elite riders as Addison Zawada, Stefan Rothe, Sammi Runnels (reppin’ Texas), Paolo Panzeri, Lorna Dudding and Ronnel Hualda.
Free, 1-10pm Sat, Alamo Plaza, 300 Alamo Plaza, redbull.com/laststand. — JC
Sat 10/7
Burton Ball
While there are plenty of people who might (justly) criticize accomplished, quirkily macabre director/writer Tim Burton’s oeuvre as lacking in diversity, none could accuse the man of lacking in creativity. From
Pee-wee’s Big Adventure to
Beetlejuice, from
Edward Scissorhands to
The Nightmare Before Christmas, from
Sweeney Todd to
Big Fish, Burton has created a whole, delightfully dark universe in the course of his near-40-year career. For the sixth year, fans of that Burton-verse have a chance to show their colors (lots of gray and black and red, I guess) at the Burton Ball, which celebrates all things associated with the oddball auteur. This year’s event will include DJs spinning spooky sounds, live Burton-inspired art, assorted vendors of seasonably appropriate miscellany, themed drinks (for all ages), a costume contest (with serious cash prizes), film projections and food trucks.
$5, 6pm-2am, The Korova, 107 E. Martin St., (210) 226-5070, thekorova.com. — JC