In Dallas, using art to activate empty storefronts is something that has managed to get developers, artists, museums, and city boosters all excited about art. There was the Dallas Contemporary’s Neiman Marcus Pop-up a few years ago, and current Deep Ellum Windows
Now San Antonio has gotten in on the game. The University of Texas San Antonio and Public Art San Antonio have teamed-up to take over vacant San Antonio storefronts with art installations, in a project called “X Marks the Art,” Texas Public Radio reports.
“We’re bringing art out of the museums and galleries from local artists,” [Public Art San Antonio’s Marissa] Laubscher explained, “and we’re placing them into the streets. So people who might not necessarily go to a museum or go to a gallery can experience local artists just by walking downtown.” The entire program is funded through the city’s hotel/motel tax.
The the first installation, called Shorelines, is by UTSA Architecture Professor and artist Taeg Nishimoto.
1 comment
Thanks for the mention, Lucia! If you’re interested, we have posted a press release about the installation of Shorelines 2 and the X Marks the Art program on the UTSA College of Architecture’s website, here: http://architecture.utsa.edu/news/utsa-faculty-students-and-alumni-transform-vacant-storefronts/
Included in the release is a link to a YouTube video of Shorelines 2. Feel free to contact me if you need more info or are interested in interviewing Taeg Nishimoto.
Enjoy!
Nicole