{"id":134932,"date":"2026-01-23T11:25:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T11:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134932\/"},"modified":"2026-01-23T11:25:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T11:25:06","slug":"utsa-arts-exhibit-thorns-living-systems-opens-friday-at-southwest-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/134932\/","title":{"rendered":"UTSA Arts exhibit, \u2018Thorns & Living Systems,\u2019 opens Friday at Southwest Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an exhibit celebrating the artists and legacy of one of San Antonio\u2019s oldest alternative, artist-run spaces,\u00a0UTSA Arts<\/a>\u00a0is presenting a new exhibit,\u00a0\u201cThorns & Living Systems: Jayne Lawrence, Leigh Anne Lester,\u00a0cactusBRA\/cactusBARN.\u201d<\/p>\n

The exhibition will be on view from\u00a0Jan.\u00a023 through March 21 at the Russell Hill Rogers Galleries<\/a> in the\u00a0Santikos Building\u00a0on\u00a0the UT San Antonio Southwest Campus.<\/p>\n

Curated by School of Art Professor\u00a0Scott A. Sherer\u00a0and\u00a0Lizzy Hayman,\u00a0a graduate student in\u00a0art\u00a0history, the\u00a0exhibition brings together works from the individual creative careers of\u00a0Jayne Lawrence\u00a0and\u00a0Leigh Anne Lester.<\/p>\n

The exhibit includes a\u00a0variety of materials that reference their collaborative endeavors in\u00a0cactusBRA\u00a0and\u00a0cactusBARN, the influential galleries they founded in San Antonio.<\/p>\n

Lester\u2019s works often have a foundation in\u00a0considerations\u00a0of the natural\u00a0world\u00a0while\u00a0Lawrence\u2019s works often develop in consideration of challenges to narratives that influence subjectivity and social engagement. The exhibition features mixed-media,\u00a0two- and three-dimensional works and installation.<\/p>\n

Professor of Instruction Jason Willome describes Lawrence\u2019s \u201cphenomenal technical facility\u201d as her way to \u201cto free her imagination rather than contain it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHer drawings and sculptures pull together insects, plant life, human figures and references to architecture into fluid, improbable hybrids that are both meticulously constructed and deeply\u00a0playful,\u201d\u00a0Willome\u00a0said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis sense of play\u00a0\u2018prop[s]\u00a0open\u00a0the narrative possibilities of her images\u00a0\u2014\u00a0to destabilize familiar hierarchies, embolden the\u00a0other,\u2019\u00a0and imagine worlds where difference is a strength and logic is pleasantly disturbed,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Willome describes Lester\u2019s work \u2014\u202fwith its layered drafting film, cut paper, plexiglass and other materials \u2014\u202fas a way to invent \u201cintricate hybrid botanicals and cellular forms that hover in the space between drawing and sculpture,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In her work, \u201cshadows, translucency, and relief pull the work off the wall just enough that the viewer feels it edging into their realm out of the pictorial, like a living thing evolving in real time \u2026 inviting us to consider how our own desires, anxieties, and technology are entangled with the natural world,\u201d Willome said.<\/p>\n

UTSA Arts is UT San Antonio\u2019s hub for connection, creativity, and imagination. The center supports public arts programs, community collaborations, and research initiatives that create pathways for San Antonians to participate fully in the cultural and artistic life of our city.<\/p>\n

Visit\u00a0UTSA Arts<\/a>\u00a0for information on\u00a0the exhibit\u00a0and a full schedule of UTSA Arts events.<\/p>\n

Exhibition Calendar
\nOpening Reception<\/p>\n

Friday,\u00a0Jan.\u00a023
6-8\u00a0p.m.
Russell Hill Rogers Galleries, Santikos Building, UT San Antonio Southwest Campus.<\/p>\n

Artist Talks and Meet the Artists<\/p>\n

Saturday, Feb. 28
1-3\u00a0p.m.
Russell Hill Rogers Galleries, Santikos Building, UT San Antonio Southwest Campus<\/p>\n

Exhibition Hours<\/p>\n

Jan. 23-March 28
Thursday through Saturday
Noon\u00a0\u2013 5\u00a0p.m.\u00a0or by appointment at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.
Russell Hill Rogers Galleries, Santikos Building, UT San Antonio Southwest Campus<\/p>\n

The exhibition and all events are free to attend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In an exhibit celebrating the artists and legacy of one of San Antonio\u2019s oldest alternative, artist-run spaces,\u00a0UTSA Arts\u00a0is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":134933,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[18977,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-134932","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-local-impact","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134932","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=134932"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134932\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=134932"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=134932"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=134932"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}