Past Exhibition: July 7, 2017 — July 30, 2017
Ojos Hacia El Futuro/ Eyes To The Future
Ojos Hacia El Futuro/ Eyes To The Future hopes to raise money in support of San Anto Cultural Arts youth arts and community mural program. The exhibition features the work of aspiring young artists between the ages of 8 and 19 who participated in San Anto’s youth programs from 2016 – 2017. The student work was selected by San Anto Cultural Arts staff, and community volunteers with the help of Presa House Gallery.
Exhibiting artists: Isaac Carrillo (9 yo), Jacob Carrillo (10 yo), Juan Carrillo (12 yo), Nathan Daniel Cazares (14 yo), Gabriel De La Garza (19 yo), Marisol De La Garza (18 yo), Novi De Leon (5 yo), Joaquin Delgado (10 yo), La’Niyah Drummer (8 yo), Aubry Flores (10 yo), Jacob Flores (12 yo), Landon Flores (7 yo), Lincoln Flores (9 yo), Carmine Freniz (9 yo), Jaxton Friday (2 yo), Jayden Galvan (8 yo), Dimitri Garza (6 yo), Matilda Gonzales (14 yo), Michael Lucio (13 yo), Ayema Macias (4 yo), Cancion Macias (7 yo), Marie Mata (9 yo), Jeremiah Naranjo (12 yo), Analisa Naranjo (13 yo), Ivy Perez (11 yo), Izabella Perez (13 yo), Elias Rafael (10 yo), Emilio Rafael (8 yo), Ivan Ramos (16 yo), Xavier Rangel (9 yo), Mia M. Reuter (4 yo), Penelope R. Reuter (6 yo), Emily Rodriguez (9 yo), Isaiah Salazar (12 yo), Isabella Santillan (9 yo), Salma Santillan (12 yo), Yarazhet Santoyo (9 yo), Nicolas Silva (11 yo), Zoey Silva (13 yo), Nathan Sutherland-Treviño (11 yo), Milena Tavira (10 yo), Tomek Tavira (12 yo), Joelee Tijerina (8 yo), Mando Torres (3), Feusebio Valentino (10), Scarlet Nicole Velazquez (9 yo), Lazarus Castillo (9 yo), Ava Beckett Zarazua (4 yo), Cheyenne Helwig-Valdez (14 yo), Maya Corbett (10), Daniel Altamira (13 yo), Alex Lucio (10 yo).
As a former San Anto Cultural Arts youth, it’s important that we make an effort to give back to the organization that built our foundation and appreciation of art, our culture and our community as well as instilling in us the work ethic needed to succeed in all facets of life. These students participating in these programs are seeds and they need the support to grow into tomorrows leaders.
– Presa House Co-Director, Rigoberto Luna,
About San Anto Cultural Arts:
Mission: To foster human + community development through community-based arts.
Vision: To build a community where people have the opportunity to realize their creative abilities, interpret their culture and heritage through there own vision, and to cultivate and showcase the talents among residents of San Antonio’s most economically impoverished communities.
San Anto Cultural Arts currently operates two core programs:
⦁ El Placazo Community Newspaper + Mentor Program
⦁ Community Mural + Public Art Program
History: San Anto Cultural Arts was originally established in 1993 by community youth and arts advocates Manuel Castillo, Cruz Ortiz and Juan Miguel Ramos as a project of Inner City Development. San Anto Cultural Arts became an independent nonprofit in 1997. We operate two programs: El Placazo Community Newspaper & Mentor Program, and Community Mural & Public Art Program. Our target demographic is inner city youth ages 9-19, but we impact the entire community and are an incubator for local artists. In our 23-year history we’ve created 54 murals, 2 public art installations, 1 youth poetry anthology, and published over 212 issues of El Placazo!
Through painting murals we have taught countless young people skills in design, drawing, and painting. Participants work alongside professional artists and learn problem-solving, the importance of creativity, and build self-confidence as they hone their skills and abilities. The murals produced by our program are public-art works. Many have become iconic symbols of the neighborhoods they represent.
Through our El Placazo Newspaper Program, community youth learn writing, photography, and journalism skills that contribute to their academic achievement, critical thinking skills, and personal success as responsible future stewards of our community.
Our participants have gone on to pursue higher education and many have developed successful art careers. We will continue to provide arts education to the youth of our community by offering meaningful opportunities for them to learn from passionate and innovative art professionals.
In 2016, we served 300 youth, completed painted three murals & published 6 issues of El Placazo. Currently, we have six full time staff members and 200+ volunteers; we commission 5 to 15 artists each year. Our long-term goals are to build stronger partnerships with the school system and local government to create systemic change in our community.