May/June 2013 Issue

May/June 2013 | On The Town 1

Lionel SosaBecker VineyardsArt in the Garden

Texas Folklife FestivalAsia and Art on KLRN

Pasión Popular at SAMACactus Pear Music Festival

Plus 5 Additional Articles

Lionel SosaBecker VineyardsArt in the Garden

Texas Folklife FestivalAsia and Art on KLRN

Pasión Popular at SAMACactus Pear Music Festival

Plus 5 Additional Articles

ON THE TOWN Ezin

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May/June 2013May/June 2013

http://onthetownezine.com


2 On The Town | May/June 2013

http://sasymphony.org


http://reatarealestate.com


Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any advertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perfor-mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to attendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.

New Opera, Great Performances and 8A Cowboy Rides AwayMay and June are Loaded with IncredibleEntertainment Opportunities

Asia and the Arts on KLRN 14

Cinema Tuesdays: Season 13 16

Geronimo Lopez-Monascal 38Rediscovering the New World

Becker Vineyards 42Pioneer of the Texas Wine Industry isGoing Stronger Than Ever

Visual Arts Round-Up: 50Traditions on Display Every Object Opens a World 56Pasión Popular at SAMA

Art in the Garden: New Sculptures 60Arrive at San Antonio Botanical Garden

San Antonio Artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz 64Exhibit at New York Art Show

Dreams & Prayers: Cactus Pear Music 68Festival’s 17th Season

Defining Texan Culture: San Antonio 72Prepares 2013 Texas Folklife Festival

Front Cover Photo: Mairead Nesbitt of Celtic WomanPhoto by Agata Stoinska

Performing Arts Cover PhotoFlashdancePhoto by Kyle Froman

Events Calendar Photo:Jerry SeinfeldCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Culinary Arts Cover Photo:LampsCourtesy Culinary Institute of America

Visual Arts Cover Photo:Photo by Greg Harrison

Festivals & Celebrations Cover Photo:© Ken Hurst / Dreamstime.com

Literary Arts Cover Photo:© 350jb / Dreamstime.com

88 1414 3838

Features Cover Credits


Lair Creative, LLC would not knowingly publish misleading or erroneous information in editorial content or in any advertisement in On The Town Ezine.com, nor does it assume responsibility if this type of editorial or advertising should appear under any circumstances. Additionally, content in this electronic magazine does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the management of Lair Creative, LLC. Since On The Town Ezine.com features information on perfor-mances and exhibits, it is recommended that all times and dates of such events be confirmed by the reader prior to attendance. The publisher assumes no responsibility for changes in times, dates, venues, exhibitions or performances.

78785757 6868

Cover Credits ContributorsGary Albright

Mikel Allen,creative director /graphic designer

Betsy Beckmann

James M. Benavides

Olivier J. Bourgoin(aka. Olivier the Wine Guy)

Thomas Duhon

Chris Dunn

Dana Fossett

Peabo Fowler

Greg Harrison,staff photographer

Michele Krier

Christian Lair,operations manager /webmaster

Kay Lair

Tracy Lowe

Susan A. Merkner,copy editor

Bill Peary

Angela Rabke

Sara Selango

Jasmina Wellinghoff

Liz Garza-Williams

Cassandra Yardeni

Events Calendar 20

Book Talk: Lionel Sosa – Marketing 78Consultant, Portrait Artist, Producerand Author

Out & About With Greg Harrison 84

Departments

OnTheTownEzine.com is published byLair Creative, LLC14122 Red MapleSan Antonio, Texas 78247210-771-8486210-490-7950 (fax)



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Performing Arts

8-20

Performing Arts

8-20


NEW OPERA, GREAT PERFORMANCES AND A COWBOY RIDES AWAYMAY AND JUNE ARE LOADED WITH INCREDIBLE ENTERTAINMENT OPPORTUNITIES By Sara Selango


I would like to begin by mentioning the inaugural performance of The Opera San Antonio on May 23 at the Majestic. Their Opening Gala Concer t

of Stars , in collaboration with the San Antonio Symphony, features eight accomplished voices, including the likes of Patrida Racette, Eric Owens, Susannah Biller and Alex Shrader. The evening represents the start of great things to come from TOSA. Congratulations to this new and exciting performing arts organization.

The San Antonio Symphony concludes its 2012-13 season with three classical concerts and one pops offering during May and June. Sebastian Lang-Lessing leads the orchestra in classical performances of Beethoven and Sibelius featuring pianist Andreas Bach (May-3-4), Mozart and Shostakovich with pianist Michel Dalberto (May 17-18) and Mahler 3, the season finale, highlighted by the appearance of mezzo-soprano Beth Miller (May 31-June 1). All performances are at the Majestic. Live and Let Die – A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Paul McCar tney , starring Tony Kishman and conducted by Mark Herman, is

the aforementioned pops performance. See it at Trinity ’s Laurie Auditorium May 10-11.

Two other area symphony orchestras play their final concerts of the season as well. Symphony of the Hills closes with Symphony Greatest Hits at the Kathleen C. Callouix Theater in Kerrville on May 2. Three days later, Mid-Texas Symphony presents Ends with a Bang! at the Civic & Convention Center in New Braunfels.

Continuing in the classical genre, Musical Bridges Around the World brings Russian Extravaganza with Barynya to the McAllister Auditorium stage May 19. That same day, pianist Emile Pandolfi performs for the Fredericksburg Musical Club. Power of the Story by SOLI Chamber Ensemble follows on May 21 at Ruth Taylor Recital Hall and on May 22 at Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum. Other classical performances can be found in the events calendar of this magazine.

Switching hats, I want to explore the sea of country music possibilities that exists in and



around San Antonio. Since I don’t have the space in this article to go into detail, let me just say that there is no better time than right now to take in shows at legendary area dancehalls. Check out doings at John T. Floore Country Store, Luckenbach Dancehall or Gruene Hall to list a few. Big names in the C&W industry play these places on a regular basis. Next you might want to turn your attention to Whitewater Amphitheatre in New Braunfels. Big names frequent this outdoor venue too, like The Band Perry for example. A monster list of country performances is listed in the events calendar.

The biggest highlight on the C&W horizon is a sad one. On June 1, George Strait per forms at the Alamodome in his Cowb oy R ides Away Tour . Special guests include Mar tina McBride and Miranda Lamber t. Is this real ly the last t ime we wil l see him in concer t? Most l ikely it is. After 30 years of touring, he’s mak ing that one last round. I f you can get a t icket to see this unparal leled superstar, get one. With 59 number one hits and 60 major awards to his credit , i t is

safe to say, no one else comes close. June 1, the cowboy r ides away.

On a happier note, there are majestic evenings in our future, beginning with Diana Krall playing the big theater on Houston Street May 5. I l Divo is up next on May 14 followed by Celtic Woman May 19. Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen get together for an acoustic evening at the Majestic May 24 with Cheap Trick taking the stage exactly one month later. Biggies at the AT&T Center include Barry Manilow May 18 and Taylor Swift ’s The Red Tour May 22. Pat Benatar and Neil Geraldo play next door at Freeman Coliseum June 18.

Turning to the Broadway stage, The Addams Family brings its tour to the Majestic May 7-12. Flashdance: The Musical follows as the last offering of the 2012-13 Cadillac Broadway in San Antonio Series on June 18-23. The 2013-14 Season kicks-off with The Book of Mormon in September. For details go to www.sanantonio.broadway.com.

May-June highlights in locally-produced theater


www.sanantonio.broadway.com


include Spring Awakening at The Playhouse San Antonio, In The Heights at the Woodlawn, Little Shop of Horrors at the Sheldon Vexler, The Rat Pack Lounge plus All Shook Up! at the Cameo and Last of the Red Hot Lovers at Harlequin Dinner Theatre. Also featured are Picnic at The Playhouse San Antonio’s Cellar Theatre, Boogie Back to Texas at Carmack Performing Arts Center, The Classic Theatre San Antonio’s Scapin, Henchmen at the Overtime and The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs at the Woodlawn Black Box. Out-of-towners are Oklahoma by the Fredericksburg Theater Company, Snow White: The Untold Story at the Smith-Rich Point Theater in Ingram and The Psychic at Boerne Community Theatre. Dance and comedy opportunities round out this discussion. Arts San Antonio presents Romeo & Juliet by Mejia Ballet International on May 1 at the Majestic and The Carver features Philadanco (Philadelphia Dance Company) May 3 at the Jo Long. Funny stuff includes Amy Shumer at the Charline McCombs Empire May 16 followed by Latin Comedy Jam the next evening at the same

venue. Tracy Morgan takes the mic at the Empire May 31. Jerry Seinfeld is next up with two shows at the Majestic June 7 while Rob Schneider performs a five-show engagement at Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club June 7-9.

Oops! I don’t want to close without mentioning a wonder ful opportunity happening south of San Antonio in the sparkling city by the sea. Blue Man Group makes a tour stop in Corpus Christi at American Bank Center ’s Selena Auditorium with shows on both May 28 and 29. Drive a l ittle, enjoy a lot.

That’s it for now. Get some tickets and go!



Photo Credits:

Pages 8-9

Flashdance: The MusicalPhoto by Kyle Froman

Pages 10-11 (L-R)

George StraitCourtesy georgestrait.com

Dana MillerCourtesy danamiller.com

The Addams FamilyPhoto by Carol Rosegg

Patrida RacettePhoto by Devon Cass

Jerry SeinfeldCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Pages 12-13 (L-R)

Pat Benatar and Neil GeraldoCourtesy Webster & Associates, Inc.

Robert Earl KeenCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Celtic WomanCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Lyle LovettCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Diana KrallPhoto by Mark Seliger



ASIA AND ARTS ON KLRNBy Angela RabkePhotography Greg Harrison

San Antonio has always had a vibrant creative community, but for many years those individuals and organizations in the local art scene quietly

went about their business without a lot of attention from the broader community.

Changes in development, accessibility and media in recent years have led to a surge of interest in and support for the artists/arts institutions that have called San Antonio home for years. Recently, KLRN (San Antonio’s local PBS affiliate) and Asia Ciaravino, president of the San Pedro Playhouse (as well as co-founder of the Classic Theatre of San Antonio), combined forces to introduce Arts, a new PBS show featuring local arts and cultural news, as well as stories about arts and culture from around the country. The arts program is a newer concept introduced by PBS and was conceptualized when general managers from 30 top PBS markets came together. The program allows different markets to develop local segments and upload those segments to a shared portal, along with graphics and other tools that allow each local station to provide consistency with the PBS brand along with personalization for their market. San Antonio was among the first to jump on the bandwagon, and more than 22 episodes have been recorded since October. The show, hosted by Ciaravino, always includes a focus on an art form in our area, as well as segments from several additional markets.

“It was very easy to select Asia — she is such a natural fit,” said Katrina Kehoe, vice president of marketing and public relations for KLRN. “Asia is both arts oriented and community oriented. When you have someone in that role, someone who is going to represent your station, it’s my job to think about how that person will reflect KLRN — and every single person we spoke

with has amazing, positive experiences with her.” Ciaravino is equally enthusiastic about what the show brings to the community.

“There is art in everything, and that is really what the show talks about, about how art is alive and thriving,” she said. “It is out there, and this show helps people pay attention—it gives us the ability to spotlight the underdogs and the artists that wouldn’t have opportunities for exposure at this level.”

Ciaravino said she admires the flexible format of the show and looks forward to how it might evolve in its second season. “We have learned how to put the show together more efficiently, and I see us having the ability to offer even more local content and stories that connect with younger people.” KLRN agrees in the sense of purpose and direction for the program, Kehoe said.

“For many years, our focus was on a lot of different things, fundraising, etc.,” Kehoe said. “The team that is here has really taken the direction of the station to ‘let’s be more local.’ We are really focused on bringing local information, and starting a conversation about our local community.

“We want the people watching our programming to see local people and news that are relevant to our viewing areas, and remind them how great this community is,” she said. “Arts is a part of that focus.” Arts airs at 8:30 p.m. Fridays and also is available 24/7 on KLRN’s website: www.KLRN.org.The Arts tab also offers a calendar featuring various arts-related events in San Antonio and the surrounding communities.


www.KLRN.org

16 On The Town | May/June 201316 On The Town | May/June 2013


O

.nly in Texas Public Radio’s Cinema Tuesdays

.series could “Big Bottom” butt up against one of the most revered Catholic saints. But

the common thread between This Is Spinal Tap and Flowers of St. Francis is that they’re both great movies, according to Nathan Cone, director of marketing and digital content at TPR, and the curator of the popular summertime film series.

Cinema Tuesdays, now in its 13th season, features classic films, rare and well-known, on the big screen at the Santikos Bijou theater in the Wonderland of the Americas mall near Interstate 10 and Loop 410.

Cone drew from audience feedback, as well as his own knowledge of film history, to program the series, whose diversity is inspired by the late Roger Ebert.

“Not only did I look up to Roger Ebert as a great film writer,” Cone said, “but he used his Ebertfest event to share that love of film with friends. He was a great festival programmer.”

Like Ebertfest, Cinema Tuesdays does not hew to one particular theme. Most of the films shown are 20+ years old. The oldest of this year’s titles is celebrating its 90th anniversary. Harold Lloyd, one of the great silent comedians, is often overlooked in favor of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton. But even if you don’t know Lloyd by name, you may know the iconic image of a man hanging off the hands of a clock over a crowded Los Angeles street. That famous image is one of many memorable moments in Safety Last, screening July 23.

Other highlights this summer include the original King Kong, starring Fay Wray, and a digital restoration of Lawrence of Arabia that knocked the socks off audiences in Los Angeles and New York last year. Cone said

bringing the David Lean epic to the big screen has long been requested by Cinema Tuesdays attendees, and now’s the time to show it off. “It’ll look so real, you’ll want to bring a pitcher of water with you,” Cone joked. Lawrence of Arabia opens the Cinema Tuesdays series on May 28. Although most screenings start at 7:30 p.m. each Tuesday during the summer, Lawrence of Arabia will screen at 7 p.m. “It’s a four-hour movie,” Cone said. “We do want to finish before the next day!”

Admission for the Cinema Tuesdays series is by suggested donation of $10 for members of Texas Public Radio or $12 for non-members. All proceeds benefit Texas Public Radio. More information is online at tpr.org.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 16

(Above L-R)

King Kong with Fay Wray

Harold Lloyd in Safety Last

(Center L-R)

Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain

Flowers of St. Francis

(Below)

This Is Spinal Tap

Cinema Tuesdays:

Season 13

By Peabo FowlerAll photos courtesy of Texas Public Radio



http://theplayhousesa.org


Events Calendar20-38

Events Calendar20-38


May-June 2013 Events CalendarMusic NotesCounty Line Music SeriesCody & Willy Braun (Acoustic)5/1, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Houston Grand Opera Studio Of Clowns and Queens5/2, Thu @ 6:30pmLeeper AuditoriumMcNay Art Museum

Symphony of the HillsSymphony Greatest Hits5/2, Thu @ 7:30pmDr. Jay Dunnahoo, conductorKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Rockbox Theater - Fredericksburg5/3-6/30, Fri @ 8pm,Sat @ 4:30 & 8pm, Sun @ 2pm

Ray Price5/3, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Bob Bennett5/3, Fri @ 8pmJosephine Theatre

Drugstore Cowboys5/3, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Pat Green5/3, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio SymphonyBeethoven & Sibelius5/3-4, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, conductorAndreas Bach, pianoMajestic Theatre

Billy Mata & Texas Tradition5/4, Sat @ 8pmAnhalt Hall

Thompson Lee & Company5/4, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Emmerson Biggins5/4, Sat @ 9pmTwin Sisters Dancehall

Stewart Mann & the Statesboro Revue5/4, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Charlie Robison5/4, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Mid-Texas SymphonyEnd with a Bang!5/5, Sun @ 4pmDavid Mairs, conductorCivic & Convention CenterNew Braunfels

Diana Krall5/5, Sun @ 7pmMajestic Theatre

San Antonio BrassThe Sonic Arcade5/5, Sun @ 4pmSt. Mark’s Presbyterian Boerne5/7, Tue @ 7pmFirst United Methodist New Braunfels5/12, Sun @ 2pmBeacon Hill Presbyterian5/14, Tue @ 7pmAbiding Presence Lutheran

Olmos EnsembleFour Quintets, Familiar and New!5/6, Mon @ 7:30pmFirst Unitarian Universalist

Youth Orchestras of San AntonioGold Series – Fate and RedemptionTroy Peters, conductor5/6, Mon @ 7:30pmLaurie Auditorium @ Trinity

County Line Music SeriesMicky & The Motorcars5/8, Wed @ 6:3opmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

KRTU Jazz 91.7 Presents Moonstruck Thursday:Jazz Date Night at Blue Star5/9, Thu @ 6pmBlue Star Contemporary Art Museum

Aaron Lewis of Staind5/10, Fri @ 7pm (doors open)Cowboys San Antonio

Eli Young Band5/10, Fri @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Shooter Jennings5/10, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall



http://broadwayinsanantonio.com


Drugstore Cowboys5/10, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Almost Patsy Cline5/10, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Hispanic Heritage SocietyLa Gran Serenatacon Voces de San Antonio y Mariachi International5/10-11, Fri-Sat @ 7pmJosephine Theatre

San Antonio SymphonyLive and Let Die A SymphonicTribute to the Music of Paul McCartneyStarring Tony KishmanMark Herman, conductor5/10-11, Fri-Sat @ 8pmLaurie Auditorium @ Trinity

Mark Schultz5/11, Sat @ 7pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Cactus Country Band5/11, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle

San Antonio Chamber ChoirThree Saints in Two Acts5/11, Sat @ 8pmSt. Louis King of France Catholic Church – Austin5/12, Sun @ 3pmSt. Peter Prince of the Apostles Catholic Church – San Antonio

Felix Truvere & The Open Road Band5/11, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Walt Wilkins & The Mystiqueros5/11, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Dirty River Band5/11, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Marshall Tucker Band5/11, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Sunday Jazz at the WitteBett Butler and Joel Dilley5/12, Sun @ 3pmWill Smith AmphitheaterWitte Museum

The Best of IL Divo5/14, Tue @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

County Line Music SeriesCody Johnson5/15, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

2013 Tejano Conjunto Festival5/16, Thu @ 7pmGuadalupe Theatre5/17-19, Fri @ 5:30pmSat @ 12pm, Sun @ 1pmRosedale Park

An Evening with Dwight Yoakam5/16, Thu @ 9pmGruene Hall

Dale Watson5/17, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Carver Community Cultural CenterEthel with Robert Mirabal5/17, Fri @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Chris Saucedo & The New Age Outlawz5/17, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Jon Wolfe5/17, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio SymphonyMozart & Shostakovich5/17-18, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, ConductorMichel Dalberto, pianoMajestic Theatre

Jerry Jeff Walker5/17-18, Fri-Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Barry Manilow5/18, Sat @ 7:30pmAT&T Center

Brauntex Presents The Highwaymen5/18, Sat @ 7:30pmBrauntex Performing ArtsTheatre – New Braunfels

Cactus Country Band5/18, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Old 97’s5/18, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

17th Annual KNBT 92.1FMAmericana Music Jam5/19, Sun @ 12:30pmGruene Hall

San Antonio SymphonyColumbus and his Musical Voyages5/19, Sun @ 2:30pmAkiko Fujimoto, conductorLaurie Auditorium @ Trinity

Musical Bridges Around The WorldRussian Extravaganza with Barynya5/19, Sun @ 3pmMcAllister Auditorium @ SAC

Celtic Woman5/19, Sun @ 3pmMajestic Theatre

San Antonio Choral SocietyBeyond The Horizon: Music of the 20th & 21st Century5/21, Sun @ 3pmTravis Park United Methodist

Fredericksburg Music ClubEmile Pandolfi5/19, Sun @ 3pmFredericksburg United Methodist



SOLI Chamber EnsemblePower of the Story5/21, Tues @ 7:30pmRuth Taylor Recital Hall @ Trinity5/22, Wed @ 7:30pmBlue Star Contemporary Art Museum

County Line Music SeriesCody Canada5/22, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Taylor Swift: The Red Tour5/22, Wed @ 7pmAT&T Center

The Opera San AntonioOpening Gala Concert of Stars5/23, Thu @ 7pmMajestic Theatre

Jolie Holliday5/24, Fri @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

An Acoustic Evening with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen5/24, Fri @ 8pmMajestic Theatre

The Band Perrywith Kyle Park5/24, Fri @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds5/24, Fri @ 8pmLila Cockrell Theater

Almost Patsy Cline5/24, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Max Stalling5/24, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Tovar Brothers5/24, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Ruby Dee & The Snakehandlers5/24, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

The Josh Abbot Bandwith Kevin Fowler5/25, Sat @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Johnny Lee & The Urban Cowboy Band5/25, Sat @ 8pmBluebonnet Palace

Rocky King5/25, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Turnpike Troubadours & Hayes Carll5/25, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Charlie Robison5/25, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Brandon Rhyder5/25, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

The Bud Light River City Rockfest5/26, Sun @ 12pmAT&T Center

Gary P. Nunn5/26, Sun @ 8pmGruene Hall

The Spazmatics5/26, Sun @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Bob Schneider’s TexasBluegrass Massacre5/26, Sun @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Two Ton TuesdayTwo Tons of Steel5/28, 6/4, 11, 18 & 25Tue @ 8:30pmGruene Hall

County Line Music SeriesCurtis Grimes5/29, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Ray Wylie Hubbard5/31, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Chris Story5/24, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

The Countrymen5/31, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Doug Moreland5/31, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

San Antonio SymphonyMahler 35/31-6/1, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSebastian Lang-Lessing, conductorDana Miller, AltoMajestic Theatre

George Strait: Cowboy Rides Away TourSpecial guests Martina McBride and Miranda Lambert6/1, Sat @ 5:30pmAlamodome

Paul Thorn6/1, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Bimbo and Borderline Band6/1, Sat @ 9pmTwin Sisters Dancehall

County Line Music SeriesJason Boland and the Stragglers6/5, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Rockwell Sings America6/6, Thu @ 6:30pm6/9, Sun @ 2pmLeeper AuditoriumMcNay Art Museum

Bart Crow Band6/7, Fri @ 7pm (doors open)Cowboys San Antonio

Drugstore Cowboys6/7, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall



Meyer Anderson Band6/7, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Zack Walthers6/7, Fri @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Janice Maynard6/8, Sat @ 8pmKendalia Halle

Bob Schneider6/8, Sat @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Landon Dodd6/8, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

James McMurtry6/8, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Cory Morrow6/8, Sat @ 9pmLuckenbach Dancehall

Sunday Jazz at the WitteThe Jazz Protagonists6/9, Sun @ 3pmWill Smith AmphitheaterWitte Museum

South Texas Jazz Presents Brent Watkins – The Sound of the Trio: A Tribute to Oscar Peterson6/11, Tue @ 7:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Concert Under the StarsThe Powerhouse Big Band6/13, Thu @ 6:30pm (gates open)San Antonio Botanical Garden

Kendrick Lamar6/13, Thu @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Mark Chesnutt6/14, Fri @ 7pm (doors open)Cowboys San Antonio

Almost Patsy Cline6/14, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

T.J. Smith6/15, Sat @ 7:30pmKathleen C. Cailloux TheaterKerrville

Carver Community Cultural CenterRonnie Laws with T om Browne6/15, Sat @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Darrell McCall & Justin Trevino6/15, Sat @ 8pmAnhalt Hall

Randy Rogers Band6/15, Sat @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels


Billy Garza Band6/15, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Bleu Edmondson6/15, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Summer Jazz ConcertSeries: Ken Slavin6/16, Sun @ 12:30pmLeeper AuditoriumMcNay Art Museum

Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo6/18, Tue @ 7:30pmFreeman Coliseum

County Line Music SeriesRoger Creager6/19, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Merle Haggard6/21, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Cactus Country Band6/21, Fri @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Micky and the Motorcars6/22, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

Cheap Trick6/24, Mon @ 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

Pitbull & Kesha6/24, Mon @ 7:30pmAT&T Center

County Line Music SeriesDirty River Boys6/26, Wed @ 6:30pmCounty Line BBQ – IH10

Leon Russell6/28, Fri @ 8pmGruene Hall

Almost Patsy Cline6/28, Fri @ 8pmLuckenbach Dancehall

SAIPC Piano SeriesGustavo Romero6/29, Sat @ 7:30pmRuth Taylor Recital Hall @ Trinity

Stoney LaRue6/29, Sat @ 8pmWhitewater AmphitheaterNew Braunfels

Billy Mata & Texas Tradition6/29, Sat @ 8:15pmLeon Springs Dancehall

Charlie Robison6/29, Sat @ 9pmJohn T. Floore Country Store

Todd Rundgren6/29, Sat @ 9pmGruene Hall

On StageThe Overtime TheaterMasquerade5/2-4, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmGreg Barrios Theater

S.T.A.G.E FBI Girl: How I Cracked My Father’s Code5/2-19, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(Dinner optional @ 6:30pm)3/3 & 10, Sun @ 2:30pm(Lunch optional @ 1pm)Kraus Haus – Bulverde

Woodlawn TheatreThe Producers5/3-5, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 3:30pm

Boerne Community TheatreThe Psychic5/3-18, Thu @ 7:30pmFri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pm

The Playhouse San AntonioPicnic5/3-26, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pmCellar Theatre

Cadillac Broadway in San Antonio The Addams Family5/7-12, Tue-Fri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @2pm & 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

Harlequin Dinner TheatreLast of the Red Hot Lovers5/9-6/8, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(Dinner @ 6:15pm)

Sheldon Vexler TheatreLittle Shop of Horrors5/9-6/9, Thu @ 7:30pmSat @ 8pm, Sun @ 2:30pm(no show on Fridays)Barshop JCC

The Renaissance GuildAct One Series – XVI5/10-11, Fri-Sat @ 8pmLittle Carver Theatre

The Classic Theatre San AntonioScapin5/10-25, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 3pm(additional performance @ 3pm on Saturday, 5/25)Sterling Houston TheatreBlue Star Arts Complex

Woodlawn Black BoxThe Agony and The Ecstasy of Steve Jobs5/10-12, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pm5/14-15, Tue @ 8pmWed @ 2:30pm5/17-18, Fri @ 8pmSat @ 2:30pm5/24-26, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmWoodlawn Theatre

Attic Rep in Residency at TrinityHell Cab5/16-6/2, Thu-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmAttic Theatre Trinity University



http://musicalbridges.org


The Playhouse San AntonioSpring Awakening5/17-6/9, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pmRussell Hill Rogers Theatre

The Overtime TheaterHenchmen5/17-6/15, Fri-Sat @ 8pmThu @ 7pm (5/30 & 6/13)Sun @ 2:30pm (5/26)Sun @ 7pm (6/9) Little Overtime Theater

The Rat Pack Lounge5/18-6/9, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 4pmCameo Theatre

Boogie Back to Texas5/18-7/7, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmPat Berlet Memorial Theatre @ Carmack Performing Arts Complex

Las Casas Foundation 2013Scholarship Performance5/19, Sun @ 6pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Woodlawn TheatreIn The Heights5/24-6/23, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 3:30pm

Shakespeare in the Park5/29-6/1, Wed-Fri @ 6:30pm (gates open)Performance @ 8pmSan Antonio Botanical Garden

Hill Country Arts FoundationSnow White: The Untold Story6/14-16, Fri-Sun @ 8:30pm6/20-29, Thu-Sat @ 8:30pmSmith-Ritch Point Theatre (Outdoors) Ingram

Cadillac Broadway in San Antonio Flashdance6/18-23, Tue-Fri @ 8pmSat @ 2pm & 8pmSun @2pm & 7:30pmMajestic Theatre

The Playhouse San AntonioCharley’s Aunt6/21-7/14, Fri-Sat @ 8pm Sun @ 2:30pmCellar Theatre

All Shook Up!The Music of Elvis Presley6/22-7/14, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 4pmCameo Theatre

Harlequin Dinner TheatreThe Masters of Music6/27-8/10, Thu-Sat @ 8pm(Dinner @ 6:15pm)

Fredericksburg Theater CompanyOklahoma6/28-7/14, Fri-Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pmSteve W. Shepherd Theater

Woodlawn Black BoxWhen Pigs Fly6/28-7/21, Fri-Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2:30pmWoodlawn Theatre

Opera

The Opera San Antonio Opening Gala Concert of Stars(with San Antonio Symphony)Featuring Patrida Racette, Eric Owens, Susannah Biller, Jay Hunter Morris,Lucas Meacham, Daniela Mack, Dolora Zajick, Alex Shrader5/23, Thu @ 7pmMajestic Theatre

The Metropolitan OperaSeries: Giulio Cesare(On screen encore presentation)515, Wed @ 6:30pmThe Rialto, Cielo Vista 18, Huebner 14 & McCreeles Cinema

Dance

Arts San AntonioRomeo & JulietBy Mejia Ballet International5/1, Wed @ 7:30pm

Carver Community Cultural Center PresentsPhiladanco5/3, Fri @ 8pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Alamo Arts Ballet TheatreAlice! A Ballet Wonderland5/4-5, Sat @ 7:30pmSun @ 3pmPerforming Arts CenterPalo Alto College

Collective Dance Artistry’sSpring Performance 20135/21, Tue @ 7pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Circus By Quenedit Ballet School5/24, Fri @ 7pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Sleeping Beauty By Quenedit Ballet School5/25, Sat @ 7pmJo Long Theatre @ The Carver

Children’s

Magik Children’s TheatreThe Velveteen Rabbit5/1-11, Tue-Thu @ 9:45am & 11:30am, Fri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pmSat @ 2pm



Children’s Fine Arts SeriesSleeping Beauty5/3, Fri @ 6:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Jr.5/3-12, Fri @ 7:30pmSat-Sun @ 4pmCameo Theatre

Suessical Jr. The Musical5/10-12, Youth PerformancesFri @ 7pm, Sat-Sun @ 3pm5/11-13, Teen PerformancesSat-Mon @ 7pmWoodlawn Theatre

Magik Children’s TheatreFreckleface Strawberry: The Musical5/22-6/15, Tue-Thu @ 9:45am & 11:30am, Fri @ 9:45am, 11:30am & 7pmSat @ 2pm

Scooby-Doo Live! Musical Mysteries6/1-2, Sat @ 8pmSun @ 2pmMajestic Theatre

Children’s Fine Arts SeriesThe Comic Adventures of Old Mother Hubbard and Her Dog6/14, Fri @ 6:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Magik Children’s TheatreTreasure Island6/26-7/27, Fri @ 7pmSat @ 2pm

Comedy

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubWarren Holstein5/1, Wed @ 8pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubGreg Vaccariello5/1-5, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubBrad Williams5/2-5, Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubDarrell Joyce5/8-12, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubApril Macie5/8-12, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pm Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubAl Ducharme5/15-19, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm


Amy Shumer5/16, Thu @ 8pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubPatrick DeGuire5/16, Thu @ 8pm

Latin Comedy Jam5/17, Fri @ 7:30pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubBruce Bruce5/17-19, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubAndreas Fernandez5/22-26, Wed-Thu @ 8:30pmFri-Sun @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubPatti Vasquez5/22-26, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubWillie Barcena5/29-6/2, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubBaron Vaughn5/29-6/2, Wed-Thu @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10pm

Tracy Morgan: Excuse My French5/31, Fri @ 8pmCharline McCombs Empire Theatre

Rivercenter Comedy ClubLarry Reeb6/5-9, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm

Jerry Seinfeld6/7, Fri @ 7pm & 9:30pmMajestic Theatre

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubRob Schneider6/7-9, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubAndy Gross6/12-16, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubCarlos Oscar6/12-16, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pmSun @ 8pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubCleto Rodriguez6/19-23, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubJessica Kirson6/19-23, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8pmFri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubSullivan & Son Comedy Tour6/26, Wed @ 8pm

Rivercenter Comedy ClubErin Jackson6/26-30, Wed-Thu & Sun @ 8:30pmFri-Sat @ 8:30pm & 10:30pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubAndy Beningo6/27, Thu @ 8pm

Laugh Out Loud Comedy ClubJon Reep6/28-30, Fri-Sat @ 8pm & 10:15pm Sun @ 8pm

On ExhibitARTPACE

International Artist-In-ResidentNew Works: 13.1Tala MadaniAdam PutnamJ. Parker ValentineSuzanne Cotter, curatorOngoing

Hudson Showroom Anya Gallacio5/2-9/1

Window WorksMichael Menchaca5/2-9/1

BIHL HAUS ARTS

ICONS: Contemporary Cuban Art by Adrian RumbautThru 5/25

BLUE STAR CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER

ContinuumThru 5/11

Lloyd Walsh: Solo ExhibitionThru 5/11

Gary Sweeney: A Forty-Year Overview (1973-2013)Thru 5/11



Renaissance5/2-11

BRISCOE WESTERN ART MUSEUM

Grand Opening Coming Soon

INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES

Texas Contemporary Artists Series: Luisa WheelerThru 5/3

Arte ChihuahuaThru 5/5

Progression of a DreamThru 6/30

Fiesta Medal ManiaThru 7/8

Girl Power! Thru 7/14

Made in TexasThru 9/29

Why We Came: The Immigration ExperienceThru 3/30/14

INSTITUTO CULTURAL de MEXICO

Talavera de UriarteThru 6/23

Monarch ButterflyThru 6/26

Grandes Aportaciones de Mexico a la HumanidadOpens 5/9

Pueblos MagicosOpens 5/9

McNAY ART MUSEUM

Printed in San AntonioThru 5/12

Leonard Brooks of San Miguel de AllendeThru 5/19

Real/Surreal: Selections from the Whitney Museum of Modern ArtThru 5/19

The Human Face and FormThru 5/19

Chris Larson: Deep NorthThru 5/21

Fiesta, Fete, FestivalThru 6/9

Majority Rules: A Decade of Contemporary Art AcquisitionsThru 9/15

The America of Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton5/29-9/8

Beth van Hoesen at The McNay5/29-9/20

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera6/5-9/1

SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN

Art in the Garden 2013(In conjunction with Blue Star Contemporary Art Center)Thru 3/2014

SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

Artists of SAMOMA from the SAMA Collection Thru 5/26

Pasion Popular: Spanish and Latin American Folk Art from The Cecere CollectionThru 8/18

The Jameel Prize: Art Inspired by the Islamic Tradition5/24-8/11

SOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART

Trish RamsayEquivalent Forms5/9-7/5

Michael JamesOrganizing Nature5/9-7/7

Naomi Wanjiku GakungaA Tradition of Strings5/9-7/7

WITTE MUSEUM

Robert J. and Helen C. Kleberg South Texas Heritage Center at The Witte MuseumNow Open

Artists on the Texas FrontierThru 5/27

Wanderlust: From German to TexanThru 6/9

Witte Through Time:85 Years and Still GrowingThru 8/13

Dinosaurs Unearthed: Bigger. Better. Feathered.Thru 9/2

Patriotism and Pageantry:Fiesta Honors the MilitaryThru 8/18

Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color 1885-19356/15-9/8

The World Through Magic Lanterns6/29-1/2014



MiscellaneousWitte Museum Boot Scoot & 5K Run presented by New Balance5/4, Sat @ 7am

Cinco de Mayo Celebration5/4-5, Sat / 10am-10pmSun / 10am-9pmMarket Square

Tejas Rodeo5/4-6/29, Sat @ 7:30pm

Arts San Antonio Floating Feastival5/8-9, Wed-Thu @ 6pmRiver Walk

57th Annual Fiesta Noche del Rio5/10-8/10, Fri-Sat @ 8:30pmArneson River Theatre

Culinaria Wine & CulinaryArts Festival5/15-19, Various Venueswww.culinariasa.org

Red Dot Sale5/22, Wed – Time TBDBlue Star Contemporary Art Museum

Cesar Millan Live!5/29, Wed @ 7:30pmLila Cockrell Theater

Texas Folklife Festival6/7-9, Fri / 5pm-11pmSat / 11am-11pmSun 12pm-7pmInstitute of Texan Cultures

Photo CreditsPage 20 (L-R)

Ray PriceCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Pat GreenCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Charlie RobisonCourtesy liveatfloores.com

David MairsCourtesy mtsymphony.com

Page 22 (L-R)

Diana KrallPhoto by Mark Seliger

Troy PetersCourtesy yosa.org

Eli Young BandCourtesy eliyoungband.com

Almost Patsy Cline BandCourtesy almostpatsyclineband.com

Page 24 (L-R)

Bett ButlerCourtesy musicaltheatregeniuses.com

Dale WatsonCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Jon WolfeCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Sebastian Lang-LessingPhoto by Marks Moore

Page 25 (L-R)

Tracy MorganCourtesy Majestic Theatre

Rob SchneiderCourtesy robschneider.com

Page 26 (L-R)

Akiko FujimotoPhoto by Eric Green

Mairead Nesbitt-Celtic WomanPhoto by Agata Stoinska

Emile PandolfiCourtesy fredericksburgmusicclub.com

SOLI Chamber EnsemblePhoto by Kemp Davis

Page 28 (L-R)

Cody Canada and The DepartedCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Taylor SwiftCourtesy taylorswift.com

EthelCourtesy ethelcentral.com

Kyle ParkCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Page 29 (L-R)

Max StallingCourtesy maxstalling.com

Josh Abbott BandCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Page 30 (L-R)

Kevin FowlerCourtesy kevinfowler.com

Johnny LeeCourtesy liveatfloores,com

Brandon RhyderCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Gary P. NunnCourtesy liveatfloores.com

Page 32 (L-R)

The SpazmaticsCourtesy thespazmatics.net

Two Tons of SteelCourtesy twotons.com

Dana MillerCourtesy danamiller.com

George StraitCourtesy georgestrait.com

(L-R)

Roger CreagerCourtesy rogercreager.com

The Addams FamilyPhoto by Carol Rosegg

FlashdancePhoto by Kyle Froman

Patrida RacettePhoto by Devon Cass


http://childrensfineartseries.org


http://childrensfineartseries.org

36 On The Town | May/June 2013 November-December 2012 | On The Town 36

http://cappysrestaurant.com/

http://cappyccinos.com/

http://lafondaonmain.com/


Culinary Arts38-48

Culinary Arts38-48


”

Geronimo Lopez-Monascal REDISCOVERING THE NEW WORLD By Chris Dunn

I ...n case you haven’t noticed, Peruvian ceviches, replete with aji amarillo and leche de tigre, are showing up on menus across the

country; Brazilian farofa (toasted manioc root) and Argentinian chimichurri are now appearing nightly at a steakhouse near you; and dishes with names like Tlayudas Oaxaqueñas, Enfrijoladas, and Cochinta Pibil are starting to make Mexican restaurants seem … well, more Mexican.

“There’s a big movement going on,” said Geronimo Lopez-Monascal, describing the growing interest in Central and South American, interior Mexican and Caribbean cuisines. Lopez is executive chef at Nao: New World Flavors, the Culinary Institute of America’s restaurant at the Pearl Brewery complex in San Antonio. He is also an instructor for the school’s Latin Cuisines Certificate and Associate programs. This dual role gives him a unique opportunity to help shape the New World food movement in the United States, both now and in the future.

At age 38, Lopez already has more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant business. His interest in cooking began when he was in high school in his home town of Caracas, Venezuela, where he started working in restaurants for free to gain experience. Subsequently, he had the opportunity to participate in a government-sponsored program to study the culinary arts in France. “At the time there were no culinary schools [in Venezuela],” he said.

When he returned home, he began the process of taking what he had learned abroad and applying it to his native cuisine. “I was searching for my style. There was always that French love that I have, but there were also the ingredients we had in Venezuela.”

Lopez said he was one of the first generation of Venezuelan chefs who “stepped out of the home and into the kitchen,” bringing with them their rich heritage of indigenous foods and native cuisine.

Lopez took his Latin influences with him during a 10-year stint with Four Seasons Hotels. His travels took him to Mexico City, Las Vegas and Hawaii, where he was exposed to many new cultures and cuisines. “It was a game-changer for me,” he said. “Hotel business is a very different monster to handle. The chaos is bigger … in Hawaiian, Chinese, Filipino, you need to put on a lot of different hats to meet everyone’s expectations.”

Now at Nao (pronounced “nay-oh”), Lopez has found the perfect outlet for his wide-ranging experience. Staff and student chefs utilize ancient and cutting-edge techniques in the preparation of the constantly changing menu items. The traditional wood-fired comal, parilla grill and hearth oven are often used in conjunction with ultramodern tools, such as sous vide thermal immersion circulators, to create many of the dishes.

The varied techniques also give the five to nine students from the Culinary Institute of America, who work with Lopez and his permanent staff of five cooks and a sous chef, hands=on experience with every kind of cooking method imaginable. “We want to show them how it is done,” he said. The 24-seat tapas lounge and 78-seat formal dining room also provide students an opportunity to gain front-of-the-house experience.

“We have created a system where the students have to develop the dishes,” Lopez said. “I give them the general idea. They have to investigate the products, the recipes, the traditions.”

One of the standout menu items created this way is the “Tostadas” de Sierra —crispy plantain cones filled with a spicy green “sierra” ceviche, avocado cream, and hibiscus caviar (made from tapioca pearls). Another highlight is the Octopus “Al Olivo” — rosemary and garlic octopus that has been cooked sous vide, then wood grilled and served with salt-crusted baby potatoes and bitter greens.



With so many cultures, cuisines and cooking styles to draw on, Lopez said developing dishes for the menu was a challenge. “In the beginning, it was difficult. So, we focused on product that we could find, that was produced in Texas. Then, we thought about techniques and flavors that would work with those ingredients. We want to be true to the flavors of the country [of origin], but it is reflected in a way that is understandable to Americans.” Lopez said fellow instructors at the school, including Hinnerk von Bargen, Elizabeth Johnson-Kossick, Brian West and the school’s director, David Kellaway, have provided tremendous ideas and support throughout the process.

The restaurant is further enhanced by visiting Central and South American, Mexican and Caribbean celebrity chefs who work with Lopez and the students and present special dinners that showcase their countries’ cuisines. Recent visitors included Pedro Miguel Schiaffino from Peru, Yara Castro Roberts from Brazil, Eric Calderon from Bolivia, and Huberto O’Farrel from Argentina. The program will resume in August or September of this year, and a limited number of tickets for these special dinners will be available to the public.

Under the watchful eye of Lopez, Nao has become a great resource not only for the school but also the city San Antonio, nurturing the creativity of its chefs and the patrons who dine there. Lopez said, “We want people to be amazed and surprised and bring back some memories.”

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 38Geronimo Lopez-MonascalPhoto by Dana Fossett

(Above)Exterior of Nao at CIA San AntonioPhoto courtesy Culinary Institute of America

(Center)Main dining room at NaoPhoto courtesy of Culinary Institute of America

(Below)CausitasPhoto courtesy of Culinary Institute of America40 On The Town | May/June 2013


http://swfoodexpo.com


This is the first in a series of articles about the Texas wine industry. For this inaugural article, your editor and I chose to feature Becker

Vineyards, one of the premier and better-established Texas wineries. I hope you will enjoy discovering with us all that Texas has to offer in the fascinating world of winemaking. Cheers!

Long gone are the days when Bunny Becker used to personally hand-deliver cases of wine to local restaurants and retailers out of the trunk of her car, with a folding dolly. Established in 1992, Becker Vineyard’s first harvest was completed in 1995, and since the late ’90s, their wines have been distributed across Texas. The widely acclaimed brand’s renown now extends well beyond the state’s borders.

It all started innocently enough, as a leisurely trip to the Hill Country, in search of a place to buy as a weekend getaway. Richard Becker, M.D., and his wife, Bunny, fell in love with a little corner of heaven-on-earth in Stonewall, off Highway 290 about halfway between Fredericksburg and Johnson City. Twenty-plus years later, “the rest is history.”

The Beckers’ vision of establishing a winery in the Hill Country has since matured into a full-fledged, state-of-the-art operation, with 50 employees and an annual production of roughly 100,000 cases per year (about 238,000 gallons).

Keeping with the spirit of the Hill Country and as a nod to the numerous German immigrant families who helped settle the area, the just over 10,000-square-foot winery’s architecture is modeled after that of a late 19th century German stone barn. Under the watchful eye of current winemaker Jon Leahy, it now houses 64 tanks and more than 2,000 barrels, as well as a top-of-the-line bottling machine which can crank up to one bottle per second when working at full capacity.

Although still a practicing and respected endocrinologist, Dr. Becker is passionate about his second career as a winery owner and executive winemaker. “We have steadily increased our vineyards holdings over the years to where we currently farm and manage a total of 125 acres of land,” he said.

“This includes vineyards in Mason and Ballinger, Texas, in addition to the 46 estate acres at the winery proper,” Dr. Becker said. “On this land we grow a number of different grape varietals, from Cabernet Franc to Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Petite Syrah, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah and Viognier.”

Becker was the first winery in Texas to grow the French Viognier grape, and it did so in such remarkable fashion that their Viognier has been the recipient of numerous awards. In all, Becker now produces more than 30 types of wines, some of which are sold only at the winery.

“We also buy grapes from 15 other Texas growers, and we also source some Cabernet and Chardonnay juice from out of state, which is delivered to us via refrigerated trucks, and we make the wine right here at the winery in Stonewall,” Dr. Becker said. “If I could buy everything I need in Texas, I would. There just aren’t enough quality grapes available to satisfy our production.”

Besides the grape-growing gig, the Becker Estate also is known for its 3 acres of lavender fields, which were planted in 1998 with 10,000 lavender plants from four varietals, Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula intermedia grosso, Lavandula intermedia provence, and Lavandula stoechas. A number of items made from lavender extracts and oils from the plants grown there are available for purchase in the gift shop, including soaps, linen sprays and candles.

Another staple at Becker’s are the many fun events

BECKER VINEYARDSPioneer of the Texas Wine Industry is Going Stronger Than EverBy Olivier J. Bourgoin; (aka. Olivier the Wine Guy).Photography Bill Peary



that take place at the winery throughout the year. There is the ubiquitous Grape Stomp, which occurs each year on the last weekend of August, preceded by the Fourth of July festival which benefits Habitat for Humanity.

Other events include a chili cook-off, and a Port and Stilton (a deliciously pungent English blue cheese) festival. Then there is the always well-attended Lavender Festival, followed by the Blues, Bluebonnets and Barbecue festival and the popular “Port and Chocolate” event around Valentine’s Day.

As if the place was not busy enough, there is also the constant happy buzz from the many weddings that take place at the winery (about 40 per year), “not to mention the countless bachelorette parties in addition to the weddings,” said Becker’s public relations and tasting room coordinator, long-time employee Nicole Bendele.

On any given day, one can belly-up to the tasting bar for some samples of the various wines made by the estate. Ask French native and tasting-room salesman Henri Delobbe to tell you a story; he knows a few and if not, he’ll make one up for you, but either way, he will keep you entertained.

Delobbe’s overall favorite Becker wine? The Canada Vineyard Reserve Cab (made from North Texas grapes grown on the Canada Vineyard located in Plains, Texas, southwest of Lubbock) and the Rosé Provençal made from a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Enter the tasting room and for $ 10, visitors may sample up to six selections from the 25-plus wines available and take home the sampling glass.

Serious wine aficionados may make a reservation for a library tasting, starting with a tour of the production area, followed by a sampling directly from the tanks and barrels, and then a taste of reserve wines from a special portfolio of vintages Dr. and Mrs. Becker personally have held back.

“We purchase more oak barrels, both French and American, and we crush more grapes per year than any other winery in the state of Texas,” Dr. Becker said. “We receive visitors from all corners of the world, and we are continually making improvements to our facilities in order to welcome everyone in a comfortable atmosphere,” he said.


‘We have plenty of parking and plenty of wine to sample. If you’ve never been here, come see us! If you’ve already visited, please come back.”

Becker Farms Road, Stonewall, Texas 78671; (830) 644-2681; www.beckervineyards.com.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Photo Credits:

Page 42

(Above)

Bunny and Dr. Richard Becker

(Below)

The Estate, home to 46 acres of vineyards, The Winery with three tank rooms, a barrel / bottling haus and tasting room, The Library, Lavender Haus, Lavender fields and more.

(Above)

Main Tasting Room

(Below)

One of the over 2,000 Oak barrels at the winery

Page 45

(Above)

A selection of Becker Wines

(Below)

The Library

www.beckervineyards.com


‘We have plenty of parking and plenty of wine to sample. If you’ve never been here, come see us! If you’ve already visited, please come back.”

Becker Farms Road, Stonewall, Texas 78671; (830) 644-2681; www.beckervineyards.com.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Photo Credits:

Page 42

(Above)

Bunny and Dr. Richard Becker

(Below)

The Estate, home to 46 acres of vineyards, The Winery with three tank rooms, a barrel / bottling haus and tasting room, The Library, Lavender Haus, Lavender fields and more.

Page 44

(Above)

Main Tasting Room

(Below)

One of the over 2,000 Oak barrels at the winery

(Above)

A selection of Becker Wines

(Below)

The Library


www.beckervineyards.com

46 On The Town | May/June 2013 May/June 2013 | On The Town 46


Visual Arts50-66

Visual Arts50-66


With summer approaching and Springtime and Fiesta season coming to a close, San Antonio’s art scene is heating up. Local galleries and museums

are brimming with a variety of work, with pride and patriotism taking center stage from a retrospective on Girl Scouts, to art inspired by Islamic tradition, to graphic illustrations based on Mesoamerica.

Institute of Texan CulturesUTSA HemisFair Park Campus801 E. Cesar E. Chavez Blvd.TexanCultures.com

Cowboy boots and computers. Salsa and Texas-shaped tortilla chips. Jalapeño jelly and prickly pear wine. Ancient stone tools and artificial hearts. What do these all have in common? Texas! Through September 29, Made in Texas explores a diverse array of Texan-made objects which add to the fabric of life not only in our state, but across the globe.

Explore objects, concepts, ideas and expressions of culture which originate in, are made in, or have strong ties to Texas: foodways, arts and crafts, agriculture and manufacturing, music, ways of making a living, furniture, clothing, inventions and architecture. Discover the impact Texas has had on the world and how Texas culture has influenced others.

Now through July 14 and in partnership with Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas, Girl Power! is an exhibit that heralds the next century of Girl Scouting. The exhibit offers visitors a unique perspective on the iconic organization. Through personal stories, artifacts and memorabilia, the exhibit will highlight the values and traditions of Girl Scouts that are as relevant today as when the movement was founded in 1912.

What began with 18 girls on March 12, 1912 in Savannah, Georgia, set into motion the nation’s premier leadership program for girls. A century ago, Juliette Gordon Low believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to develop physically, mentally, and spiritually. These values have empowered more than 59 million American women to advance and achieve, taking their places as leaders in community, business, and government.Finally, whether it was 10,000 years ago or 10 days ago, everyone in Texas today is here because someone endured a life-changing journey.

Why We Came: The Immigration Experience is a fun way to immerse yourself in the modern-day experience of immigrating. Step onto a life-sized game board and make the journey alongside actual immigrants. Learn the process and understand the motivations, emotions, challenges, and experiences faced by those who create a new life in a new land. See if you can pass a citizenship

Visual Arts Round Up: Traditions on Display By Cassandra Yardeni



test and then share a story of your own family’s saga of becoming Texan.

Witte Museum3801 Broadway210.357.1900WitteMuseum.org

Through September 2, Dinosaurs Unearthed: Bigger. Better. Feathered... allows curiosities to soar. Step back in time to discover the most fascinating creatures to have roamed the Earth. Don’t miss life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, skeletons, fossils, a hands-on dig site, the opportunity to explore the most current scientific findings and augmented reality-where dinosaurs become 3D right before your eyes! Bring your own iPad, iPhone or Android, download the app and use augmented reality in the palm of your hand. Highlighting the latest discoveries in paleontology, Dinosaurs Unearthed includes evidence suggesting some dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern day birds rather than modern reptiles. The story of feathered dinosaurs is an interactive visual spectacle that visitors of all ages can enjoy. Be sure to visit “Patty” the Apatosaurus, who at 60 feet long, will meet you in the Witte frontyard and a 14 foot T. rex in the Witte courtyard!

Beginning June 15, the Witte Museum’s Russell Hill Rogers Texas Art Gallery Texas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstroke and Color, 1885-1935 breaks the stereotypes about Texas artists in the American Impressionism movement. Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs and Curator of Art Michael R. Grauer has chosen to rigidly

adhere to a few Impressionist requirements for a painting to be included in the exhibition, namely the work must have been painted between 1885 and 1935, have a high-keyed palette bordering on and including the pastel colors and include active brushwork with short strokes applied quickly over the surface. Featured artists include Julian Onderdonk, Robert Onderdonk, José Arpa, Edward G. Eisenlohr and Ella Koepke Mewhinney, among others.

Bihl Haus Arts2803 Fredericksburg Rd. 210.383.9723BihlHausArts.org

The Cubans are here! On display through May 25, Icons: Contemporary Cuban Art is a powerful exhibit of paintings and multiples by Cuban artist Adrian Rumbaut. Forming two bodies of work, “Icons” first explores, through Contraparte/Counterpart, a “visual duality” through the super-imposition of the symbolic images and iconic paired portraits of Marilyn Monroe and Ché Guevara, two of the most recognized and commercialized faces of the 20th century. In this work, Adrian fuses the pictorial with the graphic by combining painting and fabric design. In each pair of paintings, the reverse image of the alternate is embedded on the canvas. In the second, Diagramas Pictóricos/Pictorial Diagrams, the artist questions the rules of pictorial traditions such as composition and equilibrium. In them, iconic portraits of Marilyn, Ché, Marx, Mickey Mouse, etc., have been cut up and recombined to create new faces, multiplied images that mimic reality itself.



In Counterpoise, opening June 1, curator Laurel Gibson has chosen works that balance idiosyncratic worlds with ‘real’ ones centered on the vulnerability of Mother Earth. They establish equilibrium between modern cultural and environmental awareness and the fantastical. Through these works, it is ok to dream, to ponder, to contemplate the mythical while remaining keenly aware of the fragility of our very existence.

Artists Stacy Elko, Linda Rael and Susie Monday symbolically transport the viewer into extraordinary worlds in which fish become flying bomb-ships embossed with hennaed North African symbols; shamans emerge from embellished skulls and bones that signify rebirth; and La Sirena and other powerful figures emit mysterious messages. These artworks function as visual stories and embody, as defined by Josef Campbell, the four key elements of mythology: mystical, cosmological, sociological, and pedagogical. The mystical is the awakening of a sense of wonder and participation in the universe. The cosmological functions to fill every particle of the current world image with a mystical one. The sociological is validated through moral systems and cultural customs. The pedagogical is the passage of life through childhood into maturity. Symbols, materials and life experiences create the mythological stories surrounding the viewer.

McNay Art Museum6000 N. New Braunfels210.824.5368McNayArt.org

Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera is a landmark

exhibition exploring in depth Rockwell’s richly detailed study photographs, commissioned by the artist as references for his iconic paintings. Opening June 5 and organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, this presentation reveals a rarely seen yet fundamental aspect of Rockwell’s creative process, and unveils a significant new body of Rockwell imagery in an unexpected medium.

Bringing together paintings, drawings, tear sheets, magazine covers, and prints of Rockwell study photographs results in a frame-by-frame view of the development of some of Rockwell’s most indelible images.

Early in his career, Rockwell hired professional models to pose for the characters in his paintings. Beginning in the mid-1930s, however, the evolving naturalism of his work led him to embrace photography. For Rockwell, the camera brought a new flesh-and-blood realism to his work, and opened a window to the keenly observed authenticity that defines his art. Working with friends and neighbors rather than professional models fired Rockwell’s imagination by providing a wide array of everyday faces.

Printing Perfection: The Art of Beth Van Hoesen is on view beginning May 29. Beth Van Hoesen, who lived and worked for most of her life in San Francisco, was born in Boise, Idaho, in 1926. After graduating with a BA from Stanford in 1948, she went on to study in Paris and Mexico City. She dedicated herself exclusively to printmaking in 1956 and excelled at the intaglio processes of etching, drypoint, and aquatint. In 1959, Van Hoesen and her husband, artist Mark Adams, purchased a 1910 firehouse in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood and made it their



home and studio. Along with fellow artists, including Wayne Thiebaud, Van Hoesen and Adams hired models for weekly drawing sessions in the firehouse, making it a nexus for the Bay Area’s art community.

Van Hoesen’s prints are first and foremost examples of great technical achievement. Renowned for her perfectionism, Van Hoesen often created many working proofs with detailed notes for changes she wanted made, before finally getting an image that met her incredibly high standards of refinement and finish. Typical of her method is Sally, a complicated combination of etching, drypoint, aquatint, and roulette; the image went through at least twelve revisions, what the artist called “stages,” before getting what she wanted. Van Hoesen combined this technical virtuosity with her keen eye for texture, color, and line to create her alluring prints.

San Antonio Museum of Art200 W Jones Ave210.978.8100SAMuseum.org

Beginning May 24, The Jameel Prize: Art Inspired by the Islamic Tradition, explores the cultural dialogue between the Islamic artistic tradition and contemporary practice, and to contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture. The Jameel Prize, inaugurated in 2009, is an international art prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of art, craft and design.

Leading curators, designers, artists and cultural figures around the world were invited to nominate candidates. Nearly 200 submissions were received, and from these,

a panel of judges chose a shortlist of ten artists and designers. The ten finalists were invited to submit work for an exhibition at the V&A that was held in the summer of 2011 Algerian-born artist Rachid Koraïchi received the second Jameel Prize, worth £25,000, for his selection of embroidered cloth banners from the series, Les Maîtres Invisibles (2008). Also included in this exhibition are works that range from sculptural installations and digital collages to mirror mosaic and textiles.

Artpace445 N Main Ave210.212.4900ArtPace.org

Beginning May 2, Artist Anya Gallaccio returns to Artpace 16 years after her International Artist-in-Residence exhibition, they said there was a paradise way out west, debuted alongside projects by fellow residents Nancy Rubins and Kathy Vargas. Known for her site-specific installations that often incorporate organic material referencing the physical nature of the site, Gallaccio will unveil new work in the Hudson (Show)Room composed of native Texas rock.

Also on display is work from artist Michael Menchaca. San Antonio-based artist Michael Menchaca’s colorful illustrations and videos draw inspiration from pictorial history books of ancient Mesoamerica known as “codices” that traced history, religion, and geography through a codified, symbolic language. Using this historical precedent, he creates a visual allegory to address sociopolitical issues surrounding the US-Mexican border. For Artpace’s Main Avenue windows, his multi-



dimensional installation--”AUTOS SACRAMENTALES”--depicts self-sacrifice in homage to El Diedad del Queso, a rat god, and Aquilas, an eagle deity.

Southwest School of Art300 Augusta210.224.1848SWSchool.org

Trish Ramsay: Equivalent Forms opens May 9, showcasing Texas artist Trish Ramsay’s use of pliant materials such as felt, paper, wax and string to explore spatial tension. This exhibition pairs a new series of mixed media on the Ursuline Campus with one of her constructed linear installations on the Navarro Campus. A pop-up garden piece will also be included on the historic grounds of the art school. Ramsay received her BFA from the University of the Arts, Pennsylvania and MFA from Syracuse University, New York, and has held residencies in Japan and Finland.Also on display is Micharl James: Organizing Nature. Professor of Textiles at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Michael James’ art references natural forms but occupies the ambiguous realm between the recognizable and the indeterminate, the physical and the psychic environments that we straddle daily. Using digital techniques, he manipulates images to achieve the desired color and textural qualities, then pulls from traditional quilt techniques to gain an ordered sense of pattern.

Finally, Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga: A Tradition of Strings, also on display beginning May 9, features San Antonio artist Naomi Wanjiku Gakunga’s work. Crossing boundaries by merging African artistic traditions and contemporary concepts, she has used unconventional materials such as string, plant fiber and tin cans since she was a child growing up among the Kikuyu people in Kenya.These new pieces repurpose disposed materials and incorporate stitching, twisting, crocheting and weaving to honor her heritage. Gakunga has degrees in art from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, and the University of California, Los Angeles and currently has work included in the 14th International Triennial of Tapestry in Poland.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits:

Page 50 (L-R)Reference photo for Norman Rockwell’s Expense Account, 1957. Photographer unidentified. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.

Expense Account, Norman Rockwell, 1957Oil on canvas, 38” x 35 3/4’”Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, September 20, 1958.©1957 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN.Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.54 On The Town | May/June 2013


Page 51 (L-R)Reference photo for Norman Rockwell’s Breakfast Table Political Argument, 1948 Photos by Gene Pelham. Licensed by Norman Rockwell Licensing, Niles, IL. Norman Rockwell Museum Collections.

Breakfast Table Political Argument, Norman Rockwell, 1948Tear SheetCover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, October 30, 1948©1948 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Publishing, Indianapolis, IN.Norman Rockwell Museum Digital Collections

Page 52

Made in Texas exhibit at the Institute of Texan Cultures thru September 29

Page 53

Allosaurus with Yangchuanosaurus skeleton in background. Dinosaurs Unearthed: Bigger, Better, Feathered exhibit at Witte Museum thru September 2

Page 54

(Above)

Pictorial Diagram, Mixed MediaAdrian Rumbaut – ICONS exhibitat Bihl Haus Arts thru May 25

(Below)

Polygon #2, 2010, Mixed Mediaon panel, 12 x 12 x 2 in.Trish Ramsay – Equivalent Forms exhibit at Southwest School of Art thru July 5

(Above)

Tranquil Afternoon, 1929Oil on canvas board, 30 x 36 in. Louis Oscar GriffithTexas Impressionism: Branding with Brushstrokes and Color, 1885-1935 exhibit at Witte Museum thru September 8

(Below)

Closer to You XVI, 2009Mixed MediaAdrian Rumbaut – ICONS exhibitat Bihl Haus Arts thru May 25 May/June 2013 | On The Town 55


A quiet, industrious magic has unfolded at the San Antonio Museum of Art. Dr. Marion Oettinger, curator of Latin American art, has put the

finishing touches on a long-considered and carefully detailed exhibition – Pasión Popular: Spanish and Latin American Folk Art from the Cecere Collection, on view through Aug. 11. Peter P. Cecere, a former cultural affairs officer stationed in Spain and throughout Latin America, is a dedicated collector of folk art who has donated nearly 400 pieces to SAMA over the past 10 years.

“You’ve never seen anything like this,” Oettinger said. “These are such remarkable pieces — there are no clichés here.” The scope of this exhibition is daunting: it includes

approximately 200 objects, dating from the 18th century to modern times, and originating in different Hispanic cultures throughout Spain and Latin America. The pieces are crafted of wood, cloth, metal, stone, clay, tar, tin, paper, leather, cork — whatever media were best known and at hand — and their sizes vary from small to monumental. Oettinger organized this great variety by function, dividing the material into five sections titled The Faces of Folk Art, The Beauty of Utility, The Shape of Belief, The Art of Diversion and Art for the Sake of Beauty and Memory.

“This is a collection of unparalleled quality — the pieces are unique, and for the most part very rare,” Oettinger said. “Folk art is ephemeral: The objects are usually made to use and use up. If it’s a candle, it burns away; if it’s ceremonial bread, it is eaten. Even items

EVERY OBJECT OPENS A WORLD: Pasión Popular at SAMABy Betsy BeckmannPhotography courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art



that were designed to be more permanent are often made from fleeting, inexpensive materials. So to find pieces from the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries of this caliber is pretty extraordinary.” Rare as the objects are, Oettinger expressly planned their display to feel immediate and human, showing pieces “as is” and stressing their function in their display. Walking sticks float as is if in use, carousel figures are staggered on poles on a circular platform as at a fair, and toy airplanes swarm the airspace. Oettinger avoided isolating these pieces as purely aesthetic objects, not only by placing them in the context of their use but also by situating them among images from traditional portraiture and more popular press of the people who might have made and used them. The Faces of Folk Art is both the opening section and a philosophical underpinning of the exhibition. Enlargements of oficios — iconic images of butchers, painters, potters, masons, etc., that were used in exemplary broadsheets to educate children on a range of trades in 18th century Spain — along with prints documenting regional dress, portraits, photographs and genre paintings deliberately foreground the people behind the objects.

Scale also can be a challenge for the exhibition of a large body of folk art since many collected pieces tend to be of a similar, human size, but Pasión Popular includes a number of very large pieces, like a 10-foot-long cast-iron butcher-shop sign, as well as exquisite small objects, like finely detailed bread stamps for personalizing loaves in a communal oven and wooden nutcrackers, their simple pincer form efficiently designed for function, but embellished with ornate carving. In many instances, objects from Cecere’s collection expand or complement the meaning of pieces that Oettinger has collected separately. For example, a large Ecuadorean game cloth that was already in SAMA’s collection is shown with the curious bone dice acquired by Cecere, used to play a high-stakes game of heaven and hell.

“When Cecere bought the dice in a flea market, I don’t think he was entirely sure of their use,” Oettinger said, “but the game cloth completes the picture.” During a wake, the shaman will throw the dice on the cloth to determine the fate of the departed soul. This allegorical drama, which may include a person on his death bed, surrounded by grieving relations, symbols of temptation, and angels and demons in competition


58 On The Town | May/June 201358 On The Town | January-February 2013

for his soul, is a traditional motif depicted in other pieces in the exhibition. A Spanish portrait of a lañador, an itinerant craftsman who mends broken pottery with metallic “stitches,” is accompanied by beautiful vessels that have been repaired in just this ingenious traditional fashion. At a table covered with masks for ceremonial use, Oettinger said every object in the exhibition seems to unfold with detail. “Each object just opens up. Take a dance mask: the mask is part of a costume, which is part of a dance group; the performance is part of the celebration of a particular saint, and that celebration is part of the specific calendar of a village’s life. It all just expands. Every piece here is pregnant with cultural knowledge and provides a passage into understanding.” Visit SAMA’s Latin American Galleries this summer, and let the stories unfold. Pasión Popular remains on display through Aug. 11.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 56

Boxers, Mid 20th CenturyEcuadorPainted wood; avg. 13 ¾ x 5 x 4 1/2 in. Gift of Peter P. Cecere 2006.1. 289a, b

Page 57Carousel Mermaid, 20th CenturyMexicoPainted wood, metal; 12 1/8 x 12 1/8 x 29 in.Gift of Peter P. Cecere2006.1.129

(Above)

Dr. Marion Oettinger, curator of Latin American Art, with Ecuadorian game cloth

(Below)

Cherub, 18th CenturyCentral SpainWood, glass; 16 ½ x 10 ¼ x 6 ¾ in. Gift of Peter P. Cecere99.21.3


http://culinariasa.org


http://culinariasa.org


Once again, San Antonio Botanical Garden is host to Art in the Garden, an annual collaboration with Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum.

This year’s opening reception was held in March during Contemporary Art Month, and the sculptures are on display through February 2014.

The installation features 10 contemporary sculptures installed within the garden grounds. Incorporating these artistic pieces into the garden landscape offers visitors a unique look at and experience with sculpture.

As part of the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s “Cultivate Yourself” message, both young and mature guests are able to appreciate the beauty and creativity of nature and humans.

Curated by renowned Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt, this year’s exhibit features works by members of the Texas Sculpture Group, the Mid-South Alliance and Chicago Sculpture International. For more than 40 years, Hunt’s work has been displayed at a multitude of public installations. Working in metal, steel and bronze,

ART IN THE GARDEN: New Sculptures Arrive at San Antonio Botanical Garden By Tracy LowePhotography Courtesy San Antonio Botanical Garden



Hunt has had solo exhibitions and commissioned works across the United States. In 2009, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center.

“We are fortunate to have an artist such as Richard Hunt curate our show this year,” said Bob Brackman with the San Antonio Botanical Garden. “The sculptures installed are simply amazing, and we welcome all of San Antonio to come spend time walking through the garden and experiencing these contemporary pieces.”

Selected works are fabricated from steel, bronze, limestone, wood and more. Visitors will partake in a visual feast, as the backdrop for the sculptures is the lush, green plant life along the walk to the Texas Native Trail.

Featured sculptors and their works Include:

Mid-South Sculpture Alliance: Isaac Duncan III - Precarious-C, Andrew Light - Waiting, Linda Walden - Altar to an Unknown God, and Bret Price – Sfera.

Mid-South Sculpture Alliance advances the creation and awareness of sculpture in its many and varied forms, promoting a supportive environment for sculpture and sculptors. The alliance seeks to advance the understanding that sculpture educates; effects social change; and engages artists, art professionals and the community in dialogue.

Texas Sculpture Group: Danville Chadbourne - The Natural Liberation of the Source, and Julia Ousley - Skyline II.

Founded by a group of artists from San Antonio, Austin and Houston, Texas Sculpture Group is one of three affiliates operating in cooperation with the International



Sculpture Group (ISG.) This gathering of professional sculptors, dealers, curators and collectors formed to promote both public and art-world awareness through exhibitions, publication and networking.

Chicago Sculpture International: Jean Jacques Porret - Legacy II, Ted Sitting Crow Garner – Bumble, and Ben Woitena - Traveler and Shadow Land.

Chicago Sculpture International advances the understanding and creation of sculpture as a unique and vital contribution to society. The CSI seeks to expand public understanding and appreciation of Chicago sculpture through exhibits and public forums on sculpture. The CSI engages artists and art professionals in a dialogue to advance the art form and promote a supportive environment for sculpture and sculptors.

The San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place at North New Braunfels Avenue, is operated under the auspices of the City of San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation. The garden is open year-round except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.

For more information, visit www.sabot.org or call 210-207-3250.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •Photo Credits:

Page 60

Sefera - Brett Price

Page 61

Traveler and the Shadowland – Ben Woitena

(Above)

The Natural Liberation of the Source – Daniel Chadbourne

(Below)

Legacy II – Jean Jacques Porret


www.sabot.org


Charismatic San Antonio artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz has painted his way into the heart of the city. Welcomed into the homes of the rich and famous, Mondini-Ruiz himself is at home deep on the West Side, a short distance from the fairytale spires of Our Lady of the Lake University.

His home exudes the same magical and whimsical quality -- lush gardens, Alice-in –Wonderland-like hallways, and a glassed-in studio with spiral stairs leading up to an outdoor bedroom.

Primping peacocks, rabbits and baby goats meander in the lovely gardens of the artist’s sprawling bungalow. Over the Easter holiday, Mondini-Ruiz opened his home and studio to the public, inviting everyone to drop in to see and discover his art.

“My art is for everyone,” Mondini-Ruiz said. “My work deals a lot with the hybridity of culture, class and viewpoints on art.”

Lovely slender women silhouetted against the Eiffel Tower with tiny dogs in tow and tongue-in-cheek work such as Rabbit With a Habit (a cigarette dangling out of the rabbit’s mouth) give an example of Mondini-Ruiz’s range, which also includes nods to Goya, with a floating empty dress on a dark background, and hauntingly beautiful works with outlines of cathedrals and buildings beginning to disappear, seemingly melting into the background.

Born in San Antonio, Mondini-Ruiz attended school in Boerne on the edge of the fabled Hill Country. This influence later appeared in his stunning series of landscapes Almost an Onderdonk, inspired by a 2008 book, Julian Onderdonk. The complete series was purchased by the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Mondini-Ruiz was discovered in the mid-1990s, and by 2000 was selected for the prestigious Whitney

Biennial. In 2004, he was awarded the Rome Prize for a residency at the American Academy in Rome.

Now collected in museums as far away as Helsinki and New York, Mondini-Ruiz’s artwork will be included in the permanent Smithsonian collection this summer.

Creative Capital, part of the Andy Warhol Foundation, has arranged for Mondini-Ruiz to be exhibited at the Pulse Art Show in New York May 9-12. The artist was busy painting again just days after his successful open house to be ready for the New York show.

The son of an Italian father and a Mexican mother, Mondini-Ruiz became a lawyer before devoting his career to art in 1995. Known for his off-beat whimsical pieces, Mondini-Ruiz also paints Gustav Klimt-inspired pieces such as Afternoon on a Klimt that sell to art collectors from across the globe.

A show at a local gallery in San Antonio last fall also featured Mondini-Ruiz’s smaller canvases, affordable for students and budget-minded art fans.

“I like to make art available and truly accessible to a broad audience,” he said. “I want everyone to be able to have beautiful paintings -- they’re not just for wealthy arts patrons.”

The San Antonio Museum of Art’s permanent exhibit includes some of Mondini-Ruiz’s sculpture.

Mondini-Ruiz has exhibited at the Taylor Gallery in New York, Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Light Box Gallery in Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan in New York, as well as at El Museo del Barrio and in Florence and Rome, among many other gallery exhibits.

San Antonio Artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz Exhibited at New York Art Show By Michele KrierPhotography Greg Harrison



http://santikos.com


Festivals & Celebrations

68-76

Festivals & Celebrations

68-76


C.actus Pear Music Festival’s founder and artistic director Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio has had a lifetime of musical dreams, one of them most prominently

giving rise, in San Antonio and the South Texas region, to the chamber music festival she conceived 17 years ago dreaming an evening away on the River Walk.

Sant’Ambrogio still is not sure if it was more the Zuni Grill signature cactus pear margaritas, which most definitely influenced the festival’s name, or the dearth of summer classical music offerings that shaped her dream into a reality. Her desire for a world-class music festival came together in July 1996.

Since then, the concert venues of San Antonio and surrounding cities have played host to some of the best classical music artists from America and abroad, and shimmered with the most exquisite chamber music masterpieces, traditional and modern. This July is no

different: The dreams — and prayers — live on.

“The festival theme this season is inspired by an amazing work that I’ve programmed on the final concert, The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind,” Sant’Ambrogio said. “Grammy award-winning Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov wrote this deeply spiritual piece for klezmer clarinet and string quartet in 1994, and I first became aware of it almost a decade later. I’ve wanted to program it for many years, but it is an extremely difficult and complex work. So I have waited until I found just the right group who could play this with our own outstanding San Antonio Symphony principal clarinet, Ilya Shterenberg.

“Golijov’s music then inspired me to create an entire program by Jewish composers; but, I really had too many masterpieces to choose from. It was a challenge,” she said.“Czech composer Gideon Klein perished during the Holocaust in Terezìn in 1945, but he brought hope to the


Dreams & Prayers: Cactus Pear Music Festival’s 17th Seasonby Gary AlbrightPhotography Courtesy CPMF


hearts of the inmates through his music. His String Trio opens the program, which also includes Alan Shulman’s Rendez-vous written for Benny Goodman, and Erich Korngold’s sumptuous String Sextet in D. That program is going to be a fantastic season finale,” Sant’Ambrogio said. “The four earlier programs will still challenge this one for ‘Best of the Season.’ They are all terrific.”

Again hosted by Coker United Methodist Church, the festival’s San Antonio concerts take place on consecutive Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. starting July 5. Love’s Geometry opens with works by the Schumanns, Clara and Robert, with Johannes Brahms rounding out the evening, musically and romantically: The love Brahms held for Clara, in this most-famous of triangles, was certainly Brahms’ muse for many of his masterpieces. Sant’Ambrogio is joined by her Argenta Trio colleagues, pianist James Winn and cellist Dmitri Atapine, as well as the New York-based and long-time CP.M.F violist Daniel Panner.

Program II, Into the Mystic, performed only in San Antonio at 7 p.m. July 6, features Shterenberg in Olivier Messiaen’s transcendent Quartet for the End of Time. The eminent Austin composer and pianist Kathryn Mishell joins Sant’Ambrogio for her own mystical Elegy for violin and piano. Works by Pierre Jalbert, Witold Lutoslawski and a fiery Arabian Waltz by Rabih Abou-Khalil complete the evening’s journey into the sublime.

On the Winds of Dreams, Program III, presents The Aeolus String Quartet, the young, emerging all-American quartet that has been awarded prizes at nearly every major competition in the United States and has performed across the globe. The quartet will perform classics by Haydn and Ravel, and contemporary works by Alexandra Bryant and Dan Visconti. The concert will be at 7 p.m. July 7, in Boerne’s acoustically crystal-clear and intimate First United Methodist Church.

Program IV, Celestial Strings, presented on Friday evening, July 12, in San Antonio, and Sunday afternoon, July 14, in Boerne, is filled with the ethereal notes of quintets by Mozart, Brahms and Glazunov. The sensational young Bulgarian violinist Bella Hristova, who made her CP.M.F debut last summer, shares the stage with another stellar young violinist, Elena Urioste, who was recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist. CP.M.F favorites, cellists Tony Ross and Beth Rapier, and violist Ara Gregorian, return to the festival stage after a several-year hiatus.

The festival concludes with Program V, its thematic namesake, the all-Jewish program Dreams and Prayers.

May/June 2013 | On The Town 71May/June 2013 | On The Town 71

Performances are Saturday evening, July 13, in San Antonio, and Sunday evening, July 14, in Boerne.

“Music, in my mind, really gives voice to all our dreams and prayers. In fact, I feel that music is the manifestation of just that … dreams and prayers,” Sant’Ambrogio said. “What’s more beautiful than letting our dreams and prayers be carried ever upward on the strains of music? We try to make that happen at every concert!” Who could argue with that dreamy sentiment?

A complete listing of program pieces and artists is available at http://www.cp.m.f.us/cp.m.f_season.html.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • Photo Credits:

Page 68

Stephanie Sant’AmbrogioPhoto by Liz Garza Williams

Page 69 (L-R)

Illya ShterenbergClarinet

Elena UriosteViolin

Page 70

(Above)

Daniel PannerViola

(Below)

Beth RapierCello

(Above)

Bella HristovaViolin

(Below)Dmitri AtapineCello

http://www.cp.m.f.us/cp.m.f_season.html


Defining Texan Culture San Antonio Prepares 2013 Texas Folklife FestivalBy James Benavides, Institute of Texan CulturesPhotography courtesy ITC

E very summer, one event reconnects Texas with its roots and introduces strangers to the state’s heritage in a way no other can. Over the course

of three days, the world almost literally comes to HemisFair Park in San Antonio. Harkening back to the 1968 World’s Fair, when people from all over the world came to San Antonio, the Texas Folklife Festival reminds everyone that being a Texan means being from a place built by many cultures.

The Texas Folklife Festival convenes June 7-9 to share the music, dance, stories, arts and foods of the state. The signature event for the Institute of Texan Cultures, Folklife is marked by the drone of Scottish bagpipes, the pounding of Japanese

Daiko drums and the bellow of accordions playing zydeco, polka and conjunto. It is the one event that truly captures the diversity of Texan cultures and showcases the Texas identity.

The Texas Folklife Festival has a faithful contingent of participants and volunteers, many with a 40-plus-year history at the festival. Founding organizations representing the Belgians, Greeks, Lebanese and others have welcomed cultures new to the festival and new to Texas: the Guamanians, the Nigerian Igbo people, the Jamaicans, the Colombians, the Argentineans and several more who have added their distinct folkways to Texas culture.


May/June 2013 | On The Town 73May/June 2013 | On The Town 73

The festival features multiple stages for music and dance performances, and the styles are as varied as the cultures. A Chinese lion dance might be taking place a short distance away from an Argentine tango or a clog dance. Blues may be playing on one stage while on another, a cowboy balladeer or master of Spanish guitar serenades the audience.

Preserving music and dance is part of keeping cultures alive, as is preserving the crafts and craftsmanship that helped Texans settle the frontier. At the Institute of Texan Cultures’ “Back 40” outdoor education area, two distinct groups gather: craftsmen and living historians. Craftsmen demonstrate a variety of skills and give guests the opportunity to get hands-on with a piece of Texas heritage. They can learn how to make jelly, weave a basket, work leather or carve their own toys from wood. While considered a craft or hobby in modern society, many of these skills were necessities on the frontier, when self-sufficiency was the law of the land.

The other component of Texas’ pioneering spirit comes from the state’s frontier days, reaching back even before Spanish exploration, then coming through the American Revolution, the Civil War and Reconstruction. Living historians remind visitors of the Texas connection to pivotal moments in state and national history. Buffalo Soldiers groups demonstrate an era after the Civil War, when African-Americans earned a place in a full-time, standing U.S. Army. These soldiers opened Texas to exploration and settlement. Other groups show Texas’ involvements in the Civil War, whether fighting to keep Texas in the Union or fighting for the Confederacy. Other living historians go back further, to the early Spanish Colonial days of Texas, San Antonio, the Spanish Missions and the Native Americans who first settled this land.

A day at the Texas Folklife Festival would not be complete without a meal and the festival has an estimated 150 menu items. Festival organizers often


smile when asked, “How many types of sausage do you serve?” and the answer hovers around seven: Belgian, Polish kielbasa, Cajun boudin, three or four German-style wursts, and occasionally spicy Italian or chorizos from Mexico and South America.

Aside from sausages, the culinary delights of the festival might include Wendish noodles, Hawaiian kalua pork, Chinese stir-fry, Indian samosas, Native-American fry bread tacos, Lebanese shish-kebab, Scotch eggs, Polish pierogi, Greek gyros, Turkish coffee, and dozens of other choices.

The Texas Folklife Festival is a distillation of the Texas identity into three days of celebration. It is shaped by the diversity of cultures participating and offering others the opportunity to celebrate with them. It’s not an easy task to define what it is that makes a Texan, but the Texas Folklife Festival makes it a bit easier to experience it.

The 2013 Texas Folklife Festival is June 7-9 at the Institute of Texan Cultures. Ticket information and more details are available at www.TexasFolklifeFestival.org or 210-458-2300.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Photo Credits:

Page 72

St. George Maronite Church prepares Lebanese and Mediterranean foods

Page 73

Living historians portray various periods in Texas History

(Above)

A stone carver practices his craft

(Below)

Ritmo Columbiano celebrated their first year at the festival in 2012


www.TexasFolklifeFestival.org


Literary Arts78-82

Literary Arts 78-82


LIONEL SOSA, Marketing Consultant, Portrait Artist, Producer and Author Story and Photo by Jasmina Wellinghoff


L ionel Sosa has been one of the most prominent marketing and political consultants in San Antonio and on the state and national scenes

for decades. He is the founder of Sosa, Bromley, Aguilar & Associates – currently Bromley Communications – which is now the largest Hispanic advertising agency in the country. His advice on how to approach Hispanic voters has been sought by multiple politicians, including presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, as well as presidential candidates John McCain and Newt Gingrich.

A member of the Texas Business Hall of Fame, Sosa is also a renaissance man who is good at a lot of things. He is an outstanding portrait painter, an education advocate, the author of several books on how to achieve success, and more recently, the producer and editor of, respectively, the PBS-TV series and the book titled The Children of the Revolucion: How the Mexican Revolution Changed America. The latter combines excellent historical accounts written by Dr. Naftali Garcia, with stories told by descendants of the Mexican refugees who sought a new life in Texas in the first decades of the 20th century. Among them are Henry Cisneros, UTSA president Ricardo Romo, former city manager Alex Briseno and Sosa himself.

It is in connection with the latter that we interviewed him at his San Antonio pied-a-terre that he shares with wife and fellow painter Kathy Sosa when they are in town. Below are excerpts from our conversation.

JW: Please tell us about the genesis of the TV series and later the book. What compelled you to undertake this project?

LS: About five years ago, my wife observed that the 100th anniversary of the start of the Mexican Revolution was approaching, and how it would be a grand time to do something about how that historical event affected families here in San Antonio. This idea came to her because for years I’ve been telling her the stories of my two grandmothers, both of whom came here from Mexico to escape the revolution. And they came without husbands and with children in tow. Kathy said, ‘I wonder how many more people have stories like yours.’ So I began asking my contemporaries, and most of them had similar stories about their grandparents who came here in the period between 1910 and going all the way to the early 1930s. Even after the revolution was over, life in Mexico was still in chaos. People no longer felt comfortable or safe there. The stories (of

the refugees) had never been recorded as part of history. So I thought it would be a good idea to make a TV documentary. If we didn’t tell these stories, pretty soon, they might be forgotten.

JW: Producing a TV series could not have been cheap. Were you in charge of raising the money?

LS: I went to my friend (former KLRN CEO) Bill Moll to ask if he thought this would be a good idea. He said, “Of course I like the idea, and I’ll run the programs but you have to find the funding.” I was able to raise $125,000 from the Texas Dow Employees Credit Union from Houston. (TDECU’s director) Edward Speed thought it would be a good thing to sponsor because it was going to be shown on the Houston PBS station as well. So we were able to produce the first six episodes with that money but we couldn’t stop at that. The production company we were using, My Story (founded by Jesus Ramirez), and I got so engrossed in the project that we just kept going and funding it out of our own pockets. We completed 20 episodes that included not only family stories but historical footage, too, and we told little-known aspects of the revolution, like the role of women soldiers, the soldaderas, also known as Adelitas. All the PBS stations in Texas broadcast the series, except Dallas.

JW: Why did you want to do a book as well?

LS: When the series was completed, I got a call from the University of Texas Press, a young lady by the name of Celeste Mendoza, who said, “This has to become a book.” She told me that they would distribute it if I would publish it. So, again, it was a matter of not being able to stop.

JW: What did you personally learn from this project?

LS: I certainly learned about Mexican history. I am not a historian nor pretend to be one. And I got insights into the heroisms of the families who came to a new country and had to learn a new language and a new way of being. Despite that, they were able to provide a good life for themselves and their children. One of my grandmothers, for instance, started washing and ironing clothes for the neighbors. My other grandmother came with her brothers, who were good carpenters and masons. They helped build some of the buildings that are still standing today. That’s something immigrants have always done in this country – they



have contributed to the community. But, amazingly, the newest immigrant is never welcomed. Right now, it’s the Latino but it looks like we are finally about to find a solution to the immigration problem.

JW: How many Mexicans came to the United States following the revolution?

LS: It is estimated that about a million came between 1910 and 1930. Most settled in Texas in the beginning but then a lot of them left for California, Arizona, a few for New Mexico and Nevada. They started the Latinization of the Southwest.

JW: San Antonio played a big role in this story, right?

LS: San Antonio was always a popular place for Mexicans to visit. They didn’t look at the Rio Grande as a border. People went back and forth. Restrictions became a little more strict in the 1920s and even more so in the 1930s and ’40s, but you could still come across fairly freely. When the revolution was in the planning stages, the leaders moved here for a while. Francisco Madero, who became the first revolutionary president of Mexico, wrote the Mexican version of the Declaration of Independence, the Plan de San Luis, while living in San Antonio. (It was printed later in San Luis Potosi.) It was from here that he and his followers announced it, and then marched into Mexico to gather support.

JW: How did you choose which family stories to include in the book?

LS: We picked the most complete stories that had a beginning, middle and an end, the fullest stories. Some people had better records of their family histories than others, like the families of Henry Cisneros and Ricardo Romo, for example.

JW: What do the stories of the families featured in the book have in common?

LS: The tenacity of the refugees that helped them prosper despite the obstacles. Often, the women held the family together when their men left or were killed. A lot of them thought they would go back to Mexico some day. But the turmoil (in Mexico) continued while life here was getting better. The Mexican Revolution did not really stop until 1920; it may be the longest



revolution in world history.

JW: How and where did you grow up?

LS: Most Mexicans lived in these vecindarios, which were temporary housing communities consisting of two-room huts without running water and electricity. I remember them well because I visited my aunts and uncles there. Everybody gathered on front porches to talk and tell stories. But my father (the laundress’ son) had learned the laundry and dry cleaning business, and opened his own business in Prospect Hill, which at the time was all Germans and Anglos. He opened it at age 21 and closed it at 65. So that’s where we grew up. He provided a good life for us. Still, Spanish was my first language. I entered first grade not knowing English.

JW: You became very successful and a role model. Would you say you have embraced the values of the American culture?

LS: I think my values are really conservative values: take care of the family, work hard, do more than you are being paid for, take advantage of every opportunity. It’s a combination of my parents’ teaching and what this country teaches you, a combination of Mexican and American values. American values are based on the independence of the individual, so hard work, personal responsibility and giving value for the money you receive are embraced. Mexican values are more interdependent. You look at family first. You think more of sacrificing than paying your dues. An American would say, “I am paying my dues right now but one day it will be better.” In the Mexican culture, you can sacrifice your entire life and still be a respected person.JW: Today, 100 years after the revolution, Mexico still has huge economic and social problems.

LS: The same Mexico! Mexico’s culture is I-better-take-it-from-you-before-you-take-it-from-me. There’s incredible mistrust. Everybody is out looking over their shoulder wondering who is going to take what. That’s the culture of Mexico.

JW: Why do you think Mexico and the United States, both New World countries, followed such different paths?

LS: I think it had to do with the English mindset that started with the American Revolution, the idea of complete freedom: We are not going to pay attention

to the king of England anymore, we are our own people. (The influence of that concept) became more powerful than the influence of suppression that came from Spain. And, of course, another obvious influence was that of the Catholic Church versus the Protestant Church in the United States. The Catholic Church teaches you to be subservient.

JW: How good are your family’s records? Are you tempted now to write a more complete family biography?

LS: As a matter of fact, I did a video with my family. That encouraged a lot of my family members – myself included – to dig further. I never knew anybody beyond my grandmother. Now, through Ancestry.com and the help of my daughter, who has really gotten involved in this, I know who my great-grandmother was. We are now eight generations of Sosas since I have great-grandchildren and they know who I am. And pretty soon I’ll have great-great-grandchildren. Then, along the way, you find additional things. For example, my mother’s father had abandoned the family and joined the U.S. Army as a clarinetist during the Mexican revolution. My mother always wandered where her father was and if he was even alive. It turned out that for a lot of my mother’s life her father was alive but he never contacted her or any other of his kids. We found out that he made a couple of other families; married somebody in Oklahoma without divorcing, and then went on to marry yet another woman in California, again without divorcing the previous one. He had other children. In fact, tomorrow is the funeral of my mother’s half-brother who she never knew she had. Also, we are gathering stories between us cousins. Everyone has different stories.

JW: Would you like to add any other comment about The Children of the Revolucion?

LS: The thing that turned out to be a pleasant surprise was its many aspects. Not only is it a history of the Mexican revolution and the history of the people who came here, but the book also looks at different issues, like immigration and education and at the turmoil that continues to this day. It’s a multi-layered book.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Children of the Revolucion: How the Mexican Revolution Changed America is available at the Twig Book Shop, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com.



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May/June 2013 Issue

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