San Antonio Artists (and One Famous Drag Queen) Headed to Houston for the Glasstire Party

It’s only mid-January but the San Antonio art scene is already having an impressive year — especially in terms of visual representation in other Texas cities.

As we reported this week, the beloved Southtown gallery Presa House is en route to Corpus Christi to present the sprawling group show “Ctrl+A” as part of a creative exchange with K Space Contemporary. Ringing in at 97 (!) works in a wide range of media (painting, drawing, sculpture, video, photography, installation and performance), the exhibition brings together 50-plus artists, more than 30 0f whom are from San Antonio.

One week after that exhibition opens, another solid crew of local artists will represent the Alamo City at a Houston fundraiser benefiting the nonprofit publication Glasstire. Proudly billed as “the oldest online art magazine in the country,” Glasstire covers exhibitions, art news and happenings in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and points between with a mission of “expanding the conversation about art in Texas.”  Subtitled “San Antonio Comes to Houston,” the Glasstire Party upholds its theme with an auction of artwork created by nearly 30 Alamo City artists (Ricky Armendariz, Christie Blizard, Jimmy James Canales, Joey Fauerso, Ana Fernandez, Sarah Fox, Leigh Anne Lester, Ken Little, Michael Menchaca, Kelly O’Connor, Cruz Ortiz, Justin Parr, Gary Sweeney and the late, great Chuck Ramirez among them), not to mention underwriting opportunities named after the Alamo ($10,000), the River Walk ($5,000), Hemisfair Park ($3,000), Mi Tierra ($1,500) and Daddy-O’s Boots ($750). Individual tickets ring in at $350 per person and directly support “arts writers and artists all over the Lone Star State.”

Beyond the promise of “food, drinks, dancing and art,” the evening features a performance by Ada Vox, the San Antonio drag queen who famously made it into the Top 10 on the 18th season of American Idol and graced the Current’s cover last May. Although she won over many a fan with her televised renditions of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On,” Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” and Radiohead’s “Creep,” Vox has shifted her focus to original music that’s geared for the dance floor, exemplified by her 2018 debut single “Because of You.”

The Glasstire Party: San Antonio Comes to Houston
$350 per person, 7-11pm Fri, Jan. 18, the Space HTX, 2005 Commerce St., Houston, glasstire.com.

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