San Antonio Museum of Art

September at SAMA—

📷 Kids’ Studio: Fotoseptiembre!
Wednesday, September 11 | 10:00–11:15 a.m.

🎨 ReCollections: Serene Sumi-e
Friday, September 13 | 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

🖼️ Off the Wall Tours
Select Tuesdays | 5:30–6:30 p.m.
September 10: Once You Know, You Know
September 17: Latina/o Artists in Texas
September 24: Altars of the World

🥀 Member Preview: Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory
Friday, September 20 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Members only

💬 In Dialogue: Archaeology of Memory with Amalia Mesa-Bains and Tomás Ybarra-Frausto
Friday, September 20 | 6:00–7:00 p.m.

🕯️ Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory
September 20, 2024–January 12, 2025

Learn more about upcoming events and programs: https://www.samuseum.org/events/event-calendar/

Delilah Montoya’s “Los Dos Corazones” pays homage to renowned Chicano artist Luis Jiménez who died in 2006. The locket and small silver milagros (religious folk charms) were a gift from Jiménez to the artist. “Luis was a very warm, caring individual, and I hope people can get this sense of him when looking at this print,” she said.

This work is on view until Sunday, October 20, in Round II of “Lovers & Fighters: Prints by Latino Artists in the SAMA Collection.”

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Delilah Montoya, American, born 1955, “Los Dos Corazones,” 2007, Screen print, Image: 16 × 19 1/8 in. (40.6 × 48.6 cm); Sheet: 22 1/8 × 29 in. (56.2 × 73.7 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo, 2012.31.44, © Delilah Montoya

Art on Tap: Summer Chills
Friday, August 30 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.

In Japan, summer is spooky season! Since the 1600s, elite samurai and mischievous teenagers alike have swapped ghostly tales to stave off the heat by chilling the blood. Enjoy an evening of Japanese-themed ghoulish delights, including special tours, creepy cocktails, and artmaking.

Art activity: Make your own yōkai fan depicting supernatural creatures.
Food from The Culinary Hideout and drinks from Hot Joy will be available for purchase.
Live music by DJ Tones.

The event will be held indoors. Free to Members or with Museum admission.

Learn more: https://www.samuseum.org/events/event/art-on-tap-summer-chills/

Today is ! 🐕

Next time you visit the Museum, try to spot these dogs throughout the galleries.

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“Bowl,” Puente del Arzobispo, Spain, Europe, 18th century, Earthenware with tin glaze; copper, cobalt, and iron in-glaze decoration, height: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm), diameter: 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Dr. Ric Bradford, Houston, Texas, 2012.34.

“Dog,” Chinese, Han Dynasty, 206 B.C. – 220 A.D., Earthenware with pigments, height: 20 7/8 in. (53 cm), width: 18 1/2 in. (47 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Faye Langley Cowden, 92.14.8.

“Jicara Bowl,” Mexico, ca. 1960, Lacquered and carved jicara (calabash), San Antonio Museum of Art, The Robert K. Winn Collection, 85.1.683.

“Seated Dog,” Veracruz, Pre-Columbian, ca. A.D. 550-950, Earthenware with black tar pitch, h. 10 7/8 in. (27.6 cm); l. 12 in. (30.5 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, The D. Joseph Judge, M.D. Collection donated by the Judge Family, 2001.38.4.

Asher Brown Durand, “Haystack Mountain, Vermont” (detail), 1852, American, 1796–1886, Oil on canvas, 30 1/4 × 42 1/4 in. (76.8 × 107.3 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, given in memory of Mrs. Henry Drought, by exchange, 86.57.2.

“Dog Motif Stirrups,” Cochamba, Bolivia, South America, late 19th century, Wood and iron, h. 7 in. (17.8 cm); w. 5 in. (12.7 cm); d. 9 in. (22.9 cm), each, San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Peter P. Cecere, 2000.31.7.a-b.

“Dog Mask,” Ecuador, South America, ca. 1978, Painted wood, San Antonio Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by the Friends of Folk Art and Folk Art Acquisition Funds, 90.44.

Felipe Benito Archuleta was born in 1910 in Santa Cruz, New Mexico.

Before becoming an artist, Archuleta worked as a carpenter. He felt that his carpenters’ union did not give him enough work to support his family and prayed to God for a way to improve his situation. He began carving animal sculptures soon thereafter, leading to an exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art that cemented his fame in the American folk art community. This bear is a quintessential example of his work, which tends to express the aggressive nature of the animals he portrays.

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Felipe Benito Archuleta (American, 1910 - 1991), “Bear,” Tesque, New Mexico, United States, ca. 1980, Wood, paint, rubber, 29 × 60 × 16 in. (73.7 × 152.4 × 40.6 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Frost National Bank, 90.115.13, © Felipe Benito Archuleta

This fall, SAMA will present the first retrospective exhibition of the influential Chicana artist and cultural critic Amalia Mesa-Bains, who pioneered the genre of altar-installations.

Presenting work created between 1991 and 2024, “Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory” features over forty works in a wide range of media and celebrates Mesa-Bains’s important contributions to the field of contemporary art.

On view September 20, 2024–January 12, 2025.

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“Archaeology of Memory” is organized by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive () in collaboration with the Latinx Research Center (LRC) at UC Berkeley ().

Amalia Mesa-Bains: “Queen of the Waters, Mother of the Land of the Dead: Homenaje a Tonatzin/Guadalupe” (detail), 1992; mixed mediainstallation including fabric drape, six jeweled clocks, mirrorpedestals with grottos, nicho box, found objects, dried flowers, dried pomegranate, potpourri; 120 x 216 x 72 in.; courtesy of the artist and Rena Bransten Gallery, San Francisco

Amalia Mesa-Bains: “Queen of the Waters, Mother of the Land of the Dead: Homenaje a Tonantzin/Guadalupe,” 1992. Photo: Daria Lugina.

These towering figures appear like richly textured stone monuments rendered with abstracted forms and bold outlines. Standing side-by-side, the figures nearly merge as their gazes and hands meet. Austin-based artist Luis Gutierrez grew up in Mexico City and draws from precolonial Mesoamerican symbolism as well as Chicano culture in his artwork.

This work is on view until Sunday, October 20, in Round II of “Lovers & Fighters: Prints by Latino Artists in the SAMA Collection.”

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Luis R. Gutierrez, “Untitled,” 1994, American, born Mexico, 1951, Screen print, Gift of Ricardo and Harriet Romo, 2011.1.2.9, © Luis R. Gutiérrez

Congratulations to San Antonio-based artist Joe Harjo ()! He is one of fifteen artists from across the United States—and the only artist from Texas—selected to receive a 2024 fellowship from the Joan Mitchell Foundation. Each fellow will receive $60,000 in unrestricted funds, distributed over five years.

Harjo is a multidisciplinary artist from the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma. His practice redresses the historic erasure of Native American art, culture, and people. SAMA is honored to have “The Only Certain Way: Faith” in our collection. The Museum acquired the sculpture in 2021 as part of an initiative to acquire art by contemporary San Antonio artists.

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Joe Harjo, “The Only Certain Way: Faith,” 2019, United States, 78 × 104 × 4 in. (198.1 × 264.2 × 10.2 cm), Sculpture, 24 Pendleton beach towels, 24 custom memorial flag cases, Purchased with The Brown Foundation Contemporary Art Acquisition Fund and funds provided by Dr. Katherine Moore McAllen, Dr. Dacia Napier, Edward E. (Sonny) Collins III, and The Sheerin Family

Happy International Cat Day! 😺

Next time you visit the Museum, see how many of these cats you can find throughout the galleries.

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“Bastet,” Egyptian, Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, ca. 664-30 B.C., Bronze, Museum Purchase: Stark-Willson Collection, 86.138.201

“Storage Jar (Pithos) Fragment With a Lion, Geek, Mid-7th century B.C., Terracotta, Height: 10 1/16 in. (25.6 cm), Width: 7 1/4 in. (18.4 cm), Depth: 1 1/4 in. (3.1 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., 87.20.3

“Head of a Cat,” Egyptian, Late Period-Ptolemaic Period, ca. 712-30 B.C., Bronze, 3 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 3 9/16 in. (8.5 x 8.5 x 9 cm), Museum Purchase: Stark-Willson Collection, 86.138.224

“Peaceable Kingdom with Quakers Carrying Banners (detail),” Edward Hicks (American, 1780 - 1849), United States, ca. 1830-1835, Oil on panel, 17 5/8 x 23 5/8 in. (44.8 x 60 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of the Ewing Halsell Foundation in memory of Eva Halsell McCluskey, 75.180

“Model of a Lion,” Sukhothai province, Thailand, Ayudhya kingdom, ca. 15th century, Stoneware with lead glazes, Height: 9 in. (22.9 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Floyd L. Whittington, 95.32.1

“Water Vessel with Lid (detail),” Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico, North and Central America, Earthenware and paint, Water Vessel, Height: 12 in. (30.5 cm), Diameter: 8 1/2 in. (21.6 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, The Robert K. Winn Collection, 85.1.1511.a-b, Signed: Ladislao Ortega, Tonala, Jal.

August is Xicanx Month, a city-wide celebration and commemoration of the Chicano Arts Movement that holds its roots in San Antonio.

This work, “Mnesic Myths,” by Xicana artist Alma Lopez, draws inspiration from Aztec imagery. Here, a woman kneels over a sleeping woman, reminiscent of the tragic myth of the lovers Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl. Around the two figures are floral and aquatic imagery, butterflies, and a brilliant rainbow, further linking this work to images found in Aztec codices and reinterpreting them within a modern Xicanx context.

This work is on view until Sunday, October 20, in Round II of “Lovers & Fighters: Prints by Latino Artists in the SAMA Collection.”
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Alma Lopez, “Mnesic Myths,” 1999, Screen print, 30 x 22 in. (76.2 x 55.9 cm). San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo, 2012.31.7. © Alma Lopez.

Unveil the many secrets of San Antonio's museums after dark! Get ready for an extraordinary journey through time as you explore the San Antonio Museum of Art 🕵🏻‍♀️

https://youtu.be/Rb35ZkXRQ8U

A huge thank you to Visit San Antonio for including us in this incredible project!

The Many Secrets Through Time: San Antonio Museum of Art Embark on a journey through time as we unveil the secrets of San Antonio's museums. In this video, we explore the San Antonio Museum of Art, home to an exten...

The Latin American galleries have reopened. Plan your visit to the Museum today! https://www.samuseum.org/visit/

August at SAMA—

Family Flick: Moana
Friday, August 2 | Activities: 7:00–9:00 p.m. | Film: 9:00–10:30 p.m.

First Tuesday: Nahui Ollin—Movement of the Four Elements
Tuesday, August 6 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.

SAMA Lotería Night
Friday, August 9 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Try your luck with the classic Mexican game of ‘lotería,’ inspired by SAMA’s globe-spanning collection and illustrated by Texas artist Jayme Ditto Advance registration is required.

Off the Wall Tours
Select Tuesdays | 5:30–6:30 p.m.
August 13: Depicting the Divine
August 27: Meet the Etruscans

Kids’ Studio: Pandora’s Patterns
Wednesday, August 14 | 10:00–11:15 a.m.

Ringu: A Summer Screening of the J-Horror Classic
Tuesday, August 27 | 6:00–7:30 p.m.

Art on Tap: Summer Chills
Friday, August 30 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.
In Japan, summer is spooky season! Join us for an evening of Japanese-themed ghoulish delights, including special tours, creepy cocktails, and more.

Learn more about upcoming events and programs: https://www.samuseum.org/events/event-calendar/

This Friday!
🏝️ Family Flick: Moana
📅 Friday, August 2
🎨 7:00–9:00 p.m. Family-friendly activities
🌺 8:00-9:00 p.m. Hawaiian dance performance
🎥 9:00–10:30 p.m. Film screening

Join us in the West Courtyard for a screening of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s “Moana.”

Arrive early to enjoy family-friendly activities, including a dance performance by The Hula Halau Ohana Elikapeka and the chance to make your own block-printed bandana!

Admission to Family Flick is free. Food and drink are available for purchase from

Outdoor films are offered in collaboration with . Bring your lawn chairs and blankets. No pets or outside alcohol permitted.

The modern Olympic games, starting today in Paris, were derived from the ancient Greek Olympic games, which were held every four years during a religious festival honoring Zeus. The Greek world was rife with athletic competitions, including four-horse chariot races, such as the one depicted on this drinking cup.

Chariot racing was as expensive as it was dangerous. As such, it was largely relegated to upper-class aristocrats who could afford to maintain a team of horses, and sponsoring a winning chariot team was one of the highest accomplishments a man could boast.

This vessel presents a stylized image of a chariot race, resplendent with floral motifs and dolphin imagery, and showcases the precarity of the sport, with charioteers leaning over their horses.

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“Cup with racing chariots and a Gorgoneion,” Greek, Ca. 520 B.C., Terracotta, black-figure technique, Height: 4 1/8 in. (10.4 cm); Diameter: 10 1/16 in. (25.5 cm); Diameter with handles: 12 3/4 in. (32.4 cm); Diameter of foot: 4 in. (10.2 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., 86.134.49.

Happening today!

Today for National Clay Day, we’re highlighting this beautiful vase from our Asian collection.

This elegant and well-balanced shape is known in Korean as maebyeong and is found in numerous ware types. The shape is derived from Chinese meiping vessels, which were likely introduced to Korea during the Goryeo dynasty. Although meiping literally means “plum vase,” such vessels were used primarily for storing wine.

“Maebyeong Vase,” Goryeo dynasty 918-1392, Korea, Asia, h. 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm); diam. 8 in. (20.3 cm), Stoneware with iron decoration and celadon glaze, Gift of Lenora and Walter F. Brown, 2006.4.1

DOCENT RECRUITMENT 📢
Come Curious, Leave Inspired!

Embark on a journey of discovery as a docent at SAMA. Share your love for learning with visitors of all backgrounds—no formal art or history experience required! Lead tours, spark conversations, and inspire appreciation for the arts. Seeking both English and bilingual Spanish speakers.

Applications closing soon! Apply online by July 31.

Learn more: https://recruitingbypaycor.com/career/JobIntroduction.action?clientId=8a7883d08d19fedb018d41334a4b1aba&id=8a7883ac8fa7a13d018fc4a216441643&source=&lang=en

Dawson Dawson-Watson was in 1864.

As an international artist who taught and studied in many places, Dawson-Watson ultimately settled in San Antonio after winning the prestigious San Antonio Competitive Exhibitions.

This piece is a homage to his adopted home, depicting the Governor’s Palace in downtown San Antonio, which was used by the captains of the Spanish garrison from 1722 to the 1800s. By the time Dawson-Watson painted the building, it had been turned into the city’s first museum. The painting’s color palette and attention to light culminate in a work balanced by technical skill and expression.

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Dawson Dawson-Watson, American, 1864–1939, “Spanish Governor’s Palace, San Antonio, Texas,” 1937, Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 × 25 1/8 in. (76.5 × 63.8 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Kelso Endowment for Texas Art, 2019.6.

Art on Tap: Mythic Mingle 🏛️🏺🌿
Friday, July 26 | 5:00–7:00 p.m.

Travel to the shores of the wine-dark sea and join us for an ancient Mediterranean-themed evening of mythological discovery. Our heroic docents will lead themed tours through our Egyptian, Greek, and Roman collections. Explore the galleries, enjoy live music by the UTSA Jazz Band, and try your hand at hieroglyphs.

Food from and drinks from will be available for purchase.

🎟️ This event is free to Members or with Museum admission.

Learn more: https://www.samuseum.org/events/event/art-on-tap-mythic-mingle/

Today on National Lottery Day, you’ll need to win the favor of Fortuna, the ancient Roman goddess of fortune and abundance!

Depicted here as a veiled woman holding a baby and a cornucopia, Fortuna’s domain is prosperity, and her clothing and regal posture convey her divine authority. Although in myth she occasionally represents the power of ill fate and life’s many obstacles, this does not diminish her power over chance.

“Statue of Fortuna,” Roman, 1st–2nd century A.D., Marble, Height: 22 1/2 in. (57.1 cm); Width: 10 5/16 in. (26.2 cm); Depth: 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, Gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr., 86.134.111.

⚠️ Latin American Wing Closure ⚠️

The Latin American galleries will be closed beginning Tuesday, July 16 for scheduled maintenance and will reopen Saturday, August 3. We apologize for any inconvenience.

July is World Watercolor Month!

Winslow Homer was one of the most prolific American artists who specialized in watercolor painting. Heavily influenced by contemporary French artists, Homer focused on landscape and pastoral scenes, typically featuring one figure interacting with nature.

This piece, in which a boy is expertly catching a fish, captures both serenity and drama. The thick greenery and glimmering water are painted with long horizontal brushstrokes, contrasting with the dramatic tension in the boy’s fishing rod and the upwards slope of his canoe. The watercolor’s soft texture aids Homer’s suggestion, rather than illustration, of objects outside the painting’s focus.

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Winslow Homer, American, 1836–1910, “Boy Fishing,” 1892, Watercolor on paper, 14 5/8 x 21 in. (37.1 x 53.3 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation and Friends of the San Antonio Museum Association, 86.130.

¡Más Museos! Museum Day for Educators is happening on
Friday, July 19, from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Learn about exhibitions and programs at SAMA, the McNay Art Museum, the Witte Museum, and the DoSeum and earn six hours of continuing professional education credit.

Register by Thursday, July 11!

Space is limited and reservations are required. Fee (includes tote bag, box lunch, and museum admissions): $30

Mas Museos - Programs & Events | San Antonio Museum of Art Learn about exhibitions and programs at the McNay Art Museum, the Witte Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the DoSeum and earn six hours of continuing professional education credit. Educators provide their own transportation and circulate through all four museums in 90-minute sessions. Che...

Happy Fourth of July!

Washington DC is in many ways emblematic of the history, culture, and spirit of the US. This painting of the nation’s capital by Colin Campbell Cooper illustrates some of its most famous landmarks as they appeared in 1903.

Cooper, a prolific impressionist painter, specialized in landscape and urban scenes. He became especially known for his paintings of the New York City skyline. This skill is present in “Pennsylvania Avenue,” as Cooper renders architecture with special attention to the interplay between light and shadow: the redbrick and dark tones of the tree-lined avenue contrast with the radiant white of the Capital Building behind them.

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Colin Campbell Cooper, American, 1856–1937, “Pennsylvania Avenue,” 1903, oil on canvas, h. 21 in. (53.3 cm); w. 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Frederick Carl Groos, Gretchen R. Groos, and Lieschen G. Gray in memory of Edward Cowen Connor, Jane Connor Groos, and Martha Bailey Groos, 2016.25.

We’re closed this Independence Day, but we’ll be back this weekend to satisfy your Tuscan cravings! Don’t forget to join us for our Baked Wagyu Beef Lasagna - a sought after Sunday exclusive!

SAMA will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. We will resume regular business hours on Friday, July 5.

July at SAMA —

First Tuesday: Drumming Performance by Austin Taiko
Tuesday, July 2 | 5:30–6:30 p.m.

Kids’ Studio: Amazing Alebrijes
Wednesday, July 10 | 10:00–11:15 a.m.

LECTURE: teamLab: Collectivity, Chance, and the Fabric of Urban Japan with Nina Horisaki-Christens
Tuesday, July 16 | 6:00–7:00 p.m.

¡Más Museos! Museum Day for Educators
Friday, July 19 | 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Off the Wall Tours | 5:30–6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 9: Everywhere You Look
Tuesday, July 30: Teeny Tiny Treasures

Learn more about upcoming events and programs: https://www.samuseum.org/events/event-calendar/

It’s National Camera Day! To celebrate, we’re highlighting this piece by American photographer and multimedia artist Delilah Montoya (.montoya)

This print features boxing champion Terri “Lil’ Loca” Lynn Cruzstanding confidently with crossed arms and a bold stare. Montoya’s longtime interest in depicting woman boxers challenges traditional notions of femininity as something delicate and docile. Instead, this artwork celebrates Cruz’s strength as a celebration of nonconformity and the blending of traditionally masculine and feminine traits.

On view now in the Golden Gallery.

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Delilah Montoya, American, born 1955, “Smile Now, Cry Later,” 2008, Screen print, Image: 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm), Sheet: 22 1/8 × 29 in. (56.2 × 73.7 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Ricardo and Harriett Romo, 2012.31.86, © Delilah Montoya