Well, anyways.
The Museum Reach of the River Re-Development project has FINALLY opened, and I am not disappointed in the least. It's amazing down there. It's got to be the best place for walking around south of...I don't even know where. Canada, maybe? And it was so much goddamn fun, after watching the art plans develop and researching the river's history and going to media previews and whatnot, to actually see live San Antonians wandering around enjoying themselves, and to see the artwork all lit up.
On Friday night, I went to the opening party for the San Antonio Museum of Art River Landing and for the associated show, “Waterflow,” in the Focus gallery. You can read Dan Goddard's review of “Waterflow” here.
The SAMA landing is beautiful. Even on a hot, humid night, it was very pleasant to sit on the terrace under the ceiling fans and stare across el rio at that amazing bunker encampment of quonset hut, trailer and Winnebago. I have many fantasies built up in my head about the people who live there.
As is tradition by now, here are some really awful phone photos.
Quonset hut and trailer view. Note beautiful trees and well-kept plantings (not just the River Redevlopment onesâ??there are signs of gardening in them thar yard). Man, I hope that when this lot is sold (I hear varying reports about the status of this), the Quonset hut is kept there, intact.
Trailer home-Winnebago view. I kept wishing the occupant of this little homestead would come out and wave. He or she has an incredible view.
Which, in case you've forgotten, looks like this:
I did note one dead fish floating by (the tiny white thing in this photo):
Perhaps (s)he swam all the way up back to her ancestral homeland here in San Anto, against the current, from the Gulf of Mexico, then waited til they put the water back in, and spawned the new crop of whatever kind of fish (s)he is. This fish may have passed on, but leaves a legacy. Goodnight, fish.
Artist Kelly O'Connor remained chipper, loving the landing party despite somewhat noticeable overrepresentation of sexy seniors, and resulting paucity of hors d'ouevres by about 7 pm. Wine pours were minimal, too. But whaddayagonnado. Don't get me wrong, I love the Greatest Generation and restricted wine and food intake on a Friday night.
Seriously, though, this is a beautiful place. Mil kudos to SAMA for opening itself so beautifully to the public in this way.
OH! And by the way, SAMA'S holding a Flickr photo contest of photos of the museum reach! Go find out about it here!
So then, on Saturday afternoon, I attended a roundtable discussion by all the artists who made public art for the Reach, which was great, and also at SAMA. Tomorrow I shall blog about that, and about the party at the VFW.
