Concerns over equity, gentrification and cultural authenticity dominated an artist roundtable convened by a San Antonio councilwoman this week to discuss Project Marvel, the proposed downtown sports-and-entertainment district.
San Antonio’s artists didn’t mince words during Tuesday night’s conversation at the Contemporary at Blue Star gallery. Pulled together by District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo , the gathering was intended to hear community expectations around Project Marvel.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Castillo and the participating creatives agreed the city should use at least some of the district’s funding to elevate and support the arts.
Artists argued that they don’t want Project Marvel to flatten the public representation of San Antonio into a postcard. Any public art created for the development “has to look like us, sound like us, be like us,” San Antonio Poet Laureate Eddie Vega said.
Art advocates including Gemini Ink Executive Director Alexandra van de Kamp, San Antonio Cultural Arts Center Executive Director Cuauhtli Reyna and others guided the conversation into a broader discussion of who the city’s investments serve and what it means to build a cultural future rooted in authenticity.
“Are we creating art for tourists, or is there room for us to create art for ourselves?” writer and performance artist Amalia Ortiz asked rhetorically.
Beyond advocating for individual projects, artists at the event demanded more systemic investment including:
- Reinstating a 2-3% allocation for art in all capital projects
- Ensuring local artists receive commissions
- Designing public spaces that double as climate refuges
- Creating dedicated performance and gathering spaces
- Funding art that reflects contemporary, evolving cultural identities, not just traditional or stereotypical imagery
Castillo opened the roundtable by grounding the discussion in San Antonio’s long-standing artistic identity.
“We would be remiss if we did not include the arts community in the initiation of the conversations,” she said, noting that the arts are a multimillion‑dollar economic generator for the city.
Even if the city sees artists as central to downtown’s vibrancy, many in attendance questioned why public investment so often bypasses the community’s creative class.
Writer and performance artist Ortiz questioned why San Antonio is prepared to spend billions on a new arena and sports district when the city hasn’t provided basics such as shade over bus stops where elderly people wait in 100‑degree heat.
“It feels almost dystopian,” she said. “We need to take care of people first.”
Others in attendance pushed back against the idea that public art should cater to tourists.
Fatima Masoud, a poet, artist and English instructor at San Antonio College, said that during her time living in El Paso, she saw that city invest in an arena instead of art and cultural preservation. Today, that arena remains largely empty.
“[Public art] needs to say something about the city,” she said. “More than just what we imagine tourists want us to look like.”
Visual artist Andy Benavides, co-founder of S.M.A.R.T at the 1906 arts incubator, said it took decades for Southtown to come into full bloom. He reminded the room that with the right guidance the downtown investment could have long-term benefits for the community.
“There are things we may not see in our lifetime … but if it’s bringing people together, like the Spurs do, let’s celebrate it,” he said.
Talking with the Current before the roundtable, Benavides emphasized the emotional and communal power of art, noting that the Spurs’ latest playoff run brought the community together. Even so, he said the city must invest in aesthetics that uplift residents, not just visitors.
“If this epicenter for sports happens, and we can be convincing enough for the investment to be made into creative aesthetic … there’s a good feeling that comes with it,” he added.
Just the same, many at the roundtable raised concerns about displacement and gentrification, particularly in historically Black and Brown neighborhoods.
Musician Joaquin Muerte noted the absence of Black artists at the roundtable. He also said Project Marvel seems to demonstrate a familiar pattern of development — that those in power “are just going to do it anyway,” regardless of community input.
Catherine Cisneros, co-executive director of Urban 15, lamented the way development has erased cities’ cultural landmarks and sense of history. She pointed to the stripping of the historic character of downtown San Antonio’s La Villita area during its redevelopment.
“We keep tearing down our treasures,” Cisneros added. “Thinking about the future, before we make more treasures, are we going to just tear them down?”
Castillo acknowledged that Project Marvel doesn’t have universal support, and she reiterated her commitment to negotiating stronger community benefits.
“We do need to see more,” she said. “This is something the public is investing in, so there should be a public return.”
Sign Up for SA Current newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
