More work from Yanaguana Garden, now celebrating 10 years of Play at Hemisfair Park.
Each of the 6 artists commissioned for the project interpreted the theme of PLAY in their own way. Karen Mahaffy’s PLAYhouse is inspired by the “saltbox” style homes that stood prior to the ‘68 World’s Fair. The steel walls are perforated with period wall patterns and a scaled floorplan is etched into the concrete slab. Jennifer Khoshbin’s Sideshow, sited adjacent to the Magik Theater, invites visitors to improvise and create their own theatrical play. The surface of Stuart Allen’s Kite Table is etched with traditional kite designs from Japan, Guatemala, Korea and the U.S., all countries that were present for the World’s Fair.
For more: /portfolio/alex-rubio/
Interview with Karen Mahaffy: /watch?v=O0KUSC0uJd8
Photos:
- Karen Mahaffy: PLAYhouse
- Lasercut wall paper patterns, PLAYhouse
- Installing Mahaffy’s work
- Installing Khoshbin’s Sideshow
- Jennifer Khoshbin: Sideshow
- Jennifer Khoshbin
- Fabrication at River City Industries: Allen’s Kite Table
- Stuart Allen: Kite Table
- Etched kite designs on the galvanized surface of Allen’s Kite Table
The site of the 1968 World’s Fair sat underutilized for decades. In 2009, the City of San Antonio established the non-profit organization Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation (HPARC) to reimagine the space for public use. Today, Hemisfair is a 96-acre district that includes three connected parks, streets, revitalized historic structures with businesses, and public-private developments that activate the parks in the heart of downtown.
The first of the 3 parks, Yanaguana Garden, opened in 2015. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, this family friendly space is one of San Antonio’s most loved public spaces.
The city of San Antonio contracted Stuart Allen of Bridge Projects to curate and project manage 6 public art installations in the Park. Collectively, artists Joey Fauerso, Karen Mahaffy, Justin Boyd, Alex Rubio, Jennifer Khoshbin, and Allen settled on the theme PLAY.
For more: /portfolio/alex-rubio/
Photos:
Alex Rubio: Yanaguana
Rubio and team installing at Hemisfair
Alex Rubio
Justin Boyd capturing sound with kids at Yanaguana, 2015
An historic acequia runs through the park, the site of Justin Boyd’s sound installation: Sound Scout.
Sound Scout was audible along the Park’s central promenade. The piece has since been re-installed in Civic Park, just north of the original site.
Lighting “field test” for Joey Fauerso’s Sky Camp.
Installing Sky Camp
Joey Faureso: Sky Camp
Network, an immersive art installation by Chris Sauter speaks to the multilayered connections of the natural world. Take a peek inside the Schumacher Hiuse at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. In this work, connections are made between networks and processes within our bodies, to those under our feet, inside our structures, and far into space - ranging from microscopic to colossal in scale.
Origenes is a monumental pair of murals at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. Artist Lucas Aoki brings to life two ethereal beings El Sembrador (The Sower) and Progenitora (The Ancestor/Parent). These beings embody nature’s creation and protection as they steward the natural world.
Lightwoven (Architecture Meets Nature) is an installation by Rhys Munro at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. This work engages directly with the light flowing into the Emilio Ambasz designed conservatories. Here, Rhys connects nature and architecture in seamless harmony.
Tabria Williford created Form Takes Shape Beneath the Leaves for the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. 5 sculptural forms with matching sunshades grace the Family Adventure Garden. The work abstracts foundational garden elements: rocks, water, flowers, wildlife, and human-made features. Come and enjoy!
Welcome to this magical place! Kathy Sosa’s Mujer Mariposa / Butterfly Woman stands sentinel at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. Welcoming visitors to the formal gardens, Sosa’s eminent figure is a goddess of sorts. She protects, brings life, and welcomes visitors to the sanctuary of her garden.
Chasing the Purple Martin by Christin Apodaca is a series of murals placed throughout the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. Assembled together like a flip book, the individual bird shapes create an animation of a bird in flight.
Rooted, by Jennifer Khoshbin at The San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition, is a functional artwork bringing 2D “wall art” to an interactive 3D form. The work encourages visitors to sit, stay, and connect with others in this shaded quiet site. Text by Naomi Shihab Nye. Exhibition curated and managed by Bridge Projects.
Water Music is an art installation by Steve Parker at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. An artist, musician and curator working from Austin Texas, Steve’s work is delightfully fun. Plants grow from the bells of brass instruments, and create an evolving musical staff. The composition funnels water down to a claw foot tub at the base of the sculpture.
Edmond Albius and the Vanilla Orchid is a mural by Kat Cadena at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. Collaborating with the garden’s magnificent horticulture staff, the artist’s palette is extended into the surrounding plant material! Look at it glow!
Lost Thicket, by Holly Veselka, is an interactive art installation at the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s Reflections of Nature exhibition. A massive forest once stretched from Texas to Florida. Lost to development, the forest is preserved in part at the Big Thicket National Preserve. Using generative AI, Holly’s installation explores the flora and fauna that might have been.
