{"id":138592,"date":"2026-01-26T17:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/138592\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T17:14:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T17:14:07","slug":"new-east-san-antonio-mural-brings-civil-rights-era-to-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/138592\/","title":{"rendered":"New East San Antonio mural brings Civil Rights era to life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Many San Antonians start a new year with a pledge to get fit and eat healthier. But others are looking to nurture their minds with art, history, and education. Here are just some area museums and galleries that will be hosting a variety of art exhibits and interactive displays in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcnayart.org\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">McNay Art Museum<br \/><\/a>\u201cFerias, Parques y Plazas: A Celebration of Public Space\u201d includes art from the McNay collection and loans from local artists that capture the energy and vibrancy of public gathering spaces. The dynamic show uses depictions of markets, streetscapes, fairs, folk life, dancing, and celebration to highlight the importance of human connection in everyday life.<\/p>\n<p>Featured artists will include Elizabeth Catlett, Howard Cook, Diego Rivera, and San Antonian Adriana M. Garcia. The exhibit starts Jan. 8 and ends April 12.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.samuseum.org\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">San Antonio Museum of Art<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.samuseum.org\/artwork\/exhibition\/new-african-masquerades-artistic-innovations-and-collaborations\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cNew African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations\u201d<\/a>is a unique display of works by artists from four regions of West Africa: Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa of Nigeria, Sheku \u201cGoldenfinger\u201d Fofanah of Sierra Leone, David Sanou of Burkina Faso, and Herv\u00e9 Youmbi of Cameroon.<\/p>\n<p>Through each artist\u2019s set of works, museum visitors learn about the masquerade, a tradition that features costumed performers wearing detailed masks to symbolize spirits, ancestors, or deities at funerals, initiations, festivals, and agricultural cycles. The rituals link the living with the spiritual world. The exhibit, which runs Feb. 28 through July 5, will offer 13 masquerade ensembles made from materials such as wood, cloth, sequins, feathers, and shells.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/briscoemuseum.org\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Briscoe Western Art Museum<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/briscoemuseum.org\/tejanos\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cTejanos Legacy: Another American Origin Story\u201d <\/a>will contain paintings and other artworks sharing the triumphs and struggles of Tejanos, the descendants of the earliest Mexican settlers who became part of the story of Texas long before statehood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTejanos Legacy\u201d demonstrates Tejanos as pioneers who fought to stay strong in the face of adversity, and whose impacts on society, culture, and tradition endure to this day. The exhibit will open on July 24.<\/p>\n<p class=\"shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image\">        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" id=\"1eff9\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"13c9e51677364afdea9684fa26666bd8\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" class=\"rm-shortcode rm-lazyloadable-image \" lazy-loadable=\"true\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" data-runner-src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769447647_44_briscoe-western-art-museum-tejanos-san-antonio-art.jpg\" width=\"799\" height=\"593\" alt=\"Briscoe Western Art Museum, Tejanos, San Antonio, art\"\/>                        The Briscoe Western Art Museum&#8217;s upcoming exhibit, &#8220;Tejanos Legacy: Another American Origin Story,&#8221; will include this oil painting that depicts a fandango, or dance, from the mid-19th century. Courtesy of the Briscoe Western Art Museum<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wittemuseum.org\/exhibitions\/the-steves-family-building-san-antonio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Witte Museum<br \/>\u201cThe Steves Family: Building San Antonio,<\/a>\u201d now open at The Witte, offers rarely shown photos, documents, and other objects from the museum\u2019s collections and archives, and select loans from the family of German immigrant Edward Steves, who arrived in Texas in the mid-1800s.<\/p>\n<p>As a San Antonio lumberman, Steves and his family both contributed to San Antonio\u2019s fledgling business community and to the physical infrastructure of the growing city itself. Handcrafted works like a carved pipe, a firefighter\u2019s helmet, and Fiesta garments show how the family has been ingrained in San Antonio\u2019s evolution over decades. The display also includes an interactive family tree and a recreated tablescape from the Steves family\u2019s historic King William homestead. The exhibit closes June 21.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saalm.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">San Antonio Art League and Museum<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.saalm.org\/gems.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cTexas Legacy: Hidden Gems from the Permanent Collection\u201d<\/a> will shine a spotlight on select, rarely shown works from renowned Texas artists that the local art league has preserved for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, the exhibit will feature paintings that reflect evolving styles of Texas art over a span of 12 decades. Some of the art pieces are called masterpieces, while others were labeled controversial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTexas Legacy\u201d will open with a reception from 3-5 pm on January 11 at the Art League Museum and end on February 19.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/colfa.utsa.edu\/art\/galleries\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UT San Antonio Main Art Gallery<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/colfa.utsa.edu\/art\/exhibitions\/2026\/fronterizx.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cFronterizx: Art by M. Jenea Sanchez and Gabriela Mu\u00f1oz with Jenelle Esparza\u201d<\/a> features works created by the <a href=\"https:\/\/fronterizxcollective.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Fronterizx Collective<\/a>, a collaborative of artists working and living in communities along the U.S.-Mexican border. Sanchez and Mu\u00f1oz founded the collective during their first collaboration in 2009.<\/p>\n<p>This new exhibit includes contemporary artworks such as the video \u201dCaldo de Pollo\u201d and the photographic series \u201dLiving Altar,\u201d as well as a new collaborative project between Esparza and Fronterizx. The show will have an opening reception from 6-8 pm on January 28, and will close on February 28.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewbraunfelsartleague.com\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">New Braunfels Art League<br \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenewbraunfelsartleague.com\/home-brewed-fantasy-2026.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">\u201cHome Brewed Fantasy\u201d<\/a> is all about community engagement and pop culture. The art league invited members of the public to submit their best sculpture, fan art, photos, or sketches inspired by their favorite comic book, cartoon, anime, or manga.<\/p>\n<p>Accepted family-friendly artworks will be split into two categories \u2014 teenagers and adults \u2014 and shown from February 9-March 21 at the NBAL Gallery. Entries are due February 8 and will be judged for awards and offered for sale during the exhibit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Many San Antonians start a new year with a pledge to get fit and eat healthier. But others&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":138593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[48212,2919,58578,96,2275,2419,58579,32065,4039,82,84,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-138592","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-black-culture","9":"tag-civil-rights","10":"tag-east-san-antonio","11":"tag-east-side","12":"tag-heritage","13":"tag-history","14":"tag-kaldric-deshon-dow","15":"tag-mural","16":"tag-public-art","17":"tag-san-antonio","18":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","19":"tag-san-antonio-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138592","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=138592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}