Creative Endeavors: San Antonio’s Art Organizations Bring Their Collections, and More, to Our Living Rooms

Just because you can’t walk through the exhibition halls of local museums doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy them from home. San Antonio’s major art organizations have found clever ways to provide entertainment, education and even projects to do at home while we shelter in place.

For those of us who missed out on their latest exhibitions before the shelter-in-place order came down, San Anto’s art institutions have found virtual ways for us view them at home. Curators Suzanne Weaver and Lana Meador give the highlights of the San Antonio Museum of Art’s “Texas Women” exhibition in a special virtual tour (samuseum.org), while the McNay Art Museum has posted video lectures that dive deep into its exhibitions “Fashion Nirvana: Runway to Everyday” and “Siempre Selena” (mcnayart.org). Both museums also have digitized collections online for you to peruse at your leisure.

For people of all ages itching to create, Artpace and Ruby City have come to the rescue. Every Tuesday, Artpace is releasing a new workshop from a former artist in residence as part of its #ArtpaceAtHome initiative. Learn the basics of anything from zine-making to creating 3D assemblages from printed satellite maps (artpace.org). For its part, Ruby City is releasing weekly art challenges and tutorials that celebrate San Antonio cultural icons, including Cruz Ortiz and the late, great Chuck Ramirez (rubycity.org).

Looking for more of a party atmosphere? Anyone feeling Fiesta FOMO can tune into Ruby City’s April 10 newsletter for tips for hosting a remote Fiesta party, then return for more fun when the art center celebrates founder Linda Pace’s birthday on April 17. Those of us who have been missing our book clubs can get cracking on Artpace’s April Reading Red Book Club pick — Linda Nochlin’s essay “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?” — and join a virtual discussion on April 25.

But what’s the best way to keep up with all these online happenings? Believe it or not, it’s newsletters. Yes, we’re all used to ignoring them as if they’re spam, but SAMA, the McNay, Artpace, Ruby City and others are bringing all this and more to your inbox each week. Just hop on over to their websites to get added to their lists.

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