T H E W I D E W O R L D O F C R A F T
E x p lo re S an A n to n io !
V isit am erican craftm ag .
org fo r even m ore infor-
e
m ation an d p h o to s. C lick
on o u r W id e W o rld
o f C ra ft in teractiv e m ap
to find reco m m en d e d
places to v isit, sh o p , eat
an d play!
San Antonio,
Texas:
Remember
the Arts!
S T O R Y B Y
S h a n n o n S h a r p e
P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y
M i s t y K e a s l e r
W h e th e r ex p lo rin g th e
so o n -to -b e ex p a n d ed
R iv e r W a lk , reflectin g
u p o n h is to ry a t th e
A lam o o r ab so rb in g th e
c u ltu re, cu rio u sity seek -
ers h av e m u ch to see
and do in San A n to n io .
N
“ I h a v e a t h e o r y t h a t r a n c h e r s ’ d a u g h t e r s
h a v e a r t in t h e ir b lo o d fr o m lo o k in g a t th e
T e x a s h o r iz o n lin e fo r s o m a n y y e a r s ,” s a y s
B e t t ie W a r d , a fib e r a r t is t a n d t h e “ c o w g ir l
d a u g h t e r o f a n o ld - w o r ld r a n c h e r .” T h a t
m a y b e tr u e o f r a n c h e r s ’ s o n s a s w e l l , o r s im -
p ly n a t iv e T e x a n s a c r o s s t h e b o a r d . A n d
i f y o u ’r e lo o k in g t o fin d t h e s e a r t is t s in th e
L o n e S t a r S t a t e , y o u r b e s t b e t m a y b e to
h e a d to S a n A n t o n i o , w h e r e W a r d liv e s in
a n e c l e c t i c h o u s e t h a t is a n a r t s h o w c a s e
in i t s e lf . L i k e h e r e m b r o id e r e d w o r k ,
W a r d ’s h o m e in th e I r is h F la t s s e c t io n o f
th e c i t y is b o t h s e n s u a l a n d in t e n s e , fille d
w i t h b r ig h t c o lo r s a n d s o f t fa b r ic s . A s i f to
c o n fir m h o w S a n A n t o n ia n s ’ liv e s a n d a r t
in t e r m in g le , th e h o m e a n d s tu d io o f F r a n c o
M o n d in i- R u iz , a m ix e d -m e d ia a r t is t (a n d
f o r m e r l a w y e r w h o g a v e u p h is c a r e e r to
p u r s u e h is t r u e p a s s io n ) a r e a n o th e r s e n s o r y
e x p e r ie n c e fille d w i t h h is b o ld p a in t in g s ,
s t o r y t e l l i n g p a p e r “ c a k e s ” a n d ir o n ic a lly
k i t s c h y p ie c e s c r e a t e d w i t h fo u n d o b je c t s .
“ T h e r e ’ s a t r a d it io n h e r e c a lle d ‘r a s q u a c h e ,’
w h ic h h a s t o d o w i t h w o r k i n g w i t h w h a t
y o u h a v e ,” e x p la in s M o n d in i- R u iz . “ T h i s
a tt it u d e p e r m e a t e s t h e lo c a l a e s t h e t ic .”
B u t it is n o t j u s t t h o s e b o r n a n d r a is e d
in t h e c i t y w h o fin d S a n A n t o n i o s u c h a
g o o d p la c e f o r a r t is t s . S o m e d is c o v e r e d th e
a p p e a l m u c h la t e r in l i f e , s u c h a s L u c ia
L a V i l l a - H a v e l i n , a f ib e r a r t i s t o r i g i n a lly
fr o m R o c h e s t e r , N e w Y o r k . S h e fo u n d S a n
A n t o n i o t o b e t h e p e r f e c t p la c e t o p u r s u e
h e r c r a f t —n e e d le p o in t , e m b r o i d e r y a n d
b e a d in g t h a t e x p lo r e s s c ie n c e a n d n a t u r e .
“ M o v i n g t o S a n A n t o n i o a n d h a v in g a c c e s s
t o a m a z i n g l y b e a u t if u l p la c e s h a s g iv e n m e
a r e la tio n s h ip to n a tu r e th a t I n e v e r f e lt b e -
f o r e ,” L a V illa - H a v e lin s a y s . C o m p o u n d in g
t h is t h r ill w a s t h e t h r iv i n g fib e r c o m m u n it y
s h e d is c o v e r e d . “ I t o ld a ll m y f r ie n d s s t ill
in t h e n o r t h e a s t t h a t I h a d d ie d a n d g o n e t o
fib e r h e a v e n ! ”
“ S a n A n t o n io h a s a t t r a c t e d p e o p le fr o m
a ll o v e r t h e w o r l d , ” o b s e r v e s O v i d i o G ib -
e r g a , a c e r a m is t a n d a s s is t a n t p r o f e s s o r a t
th e U n iv e r s it y o f T e x a s a t S a n A n t o n io w h o
m o v e d to th e c i t y fr o m M ia m i a f t e r s p e n d in g
h e r c h ild h o o d in M a d r id , S p a in , a n d B o g o t a ,
C o lo m b ia . “ I t p r o v id e s a r ic h m ix o f c u l -
t u r a l in f lu e n c e s . U n li k e m a n y n e w e r la r g e
c i t i e s , S a n A n t o n i o h a s p r e s e r v e d m a n y
o f it s o ld e r b u ild in g s a n d c a p i t a li z e s o n its
c u lt u r a l h e r it a g e .”
I t ’ s n o t s u r p r is in g t h a t s o m a n y a r t is t s
a r e d r a w n t o t h e c i t y . T h e r e h a v e b e e n >
066
american craft ju n /ju lo
9
