With Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio, the city continues its tradition of spotlighting its artistic pedigree.
As the rosy-fingered dusk crept over Hemisfair Park, the gentle bustle of patrons turned into a bona fide frenzy as the final touches of Luminaria 2011 were underway.
The four year tradition of live entertainment, artistic displays, rows of food and international panache did not take long to hit its stride. The recently held Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio included nine stages and numerous artists from varying disciplines. Among the most vibrant was the collection of lanterns fashioned by master artists from Taiwan, which graced the main entrance of the park itself.
The carnival of culture was more than a chance to sample the local fare and hear up and coming music; it was also a chance to showcase the contemporary art which has become synonymous with the Alamo City.
“Luminaria is a great match for a creative company like Rackspace,” said Cara Nichols, Community Affairs director for Rackspace Hosting, the event’s primary sponsor. “We’re interested in elevating the city for the people who live here. It’s unique that these artists can reach a really broad community all in one night.”
While Rackspace joins a host of other high-profile sponsors, the most pertinent support comes from the San Antonio municipal government. With Mayor Julián Castro officially opening the festivities, it was clear that the flourishing community of artists who call San Antonio home had a stalwart advocate.
While Luminaria’s roots come from a “White Nights” festival from Paris, France in 2002, the mission was the same—to bring contemporary art to the masses in public spaces. Under former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, the cosmopolitan idea took American roots. It has since grown into one of the major city-wide celebrations on par with others like Fiesta.
For artists like Mizziw, his particular slant on motion art graced the rolling hillsides adjacent to the Tower of the Americas. Yet the awaiting public also got a look at its creation as well as the finished product.
“It’s really unusual for me to be able to come to an event like this where at least 200,000 people show up and it’s me in public. I think it’s a grand opportunity for the citizens of San Antonio because not many people have the chance to see this many different kinds of art,” Mizziw explained.
The concept of an arts night has so captivated the public that versions of the event have sprouted across the country and even overseas. Susanne Cooper and Richard Rosen, co-artistic directors for this year also put a twist on the usual expectations of art exhibits. By combining curated shows and open artist calls, typical gallery work mingles with outsider art. With Luminaria’s mission to open a city’s eyes to new work, it is cognizant of spurring new ideas.
“I’m grateful that I was chosen to be part of this festival,” said artist Elliot Pompa amid his work of internally lit boulder-like structures. “To me, Luminaria is a gathering of all the artists in the city and I think this is what San Antonio needs. This is what gives us life and passion [about art] to the next generation.”
The success of Luminaria in San Antonio has even precipitated a national reputation among artists and, in this case, musicians as well.
Ellen Cherry, a singer and shadow artist from Baltimore, Maryland, was one of many who put their talents on display during the nearly seven hour festival. Still, in between her infectiously charming songs and her stage performance, Cherry found time to proclaim more cities should follow San Antonio’s lead in investing in evenings like Luminaria.
As Hemisfair Park prepares for its own master plan revisions, Luminaria: Arts Night in San Antonio is just one its events poised to take advantage of its improvement. The continued success of municipal gatherings and that of its surrounding establishments like the Magik Children’s Theatre underscores its role as the true heart of downtown.
“It’s amazing to have art in the community like this because it brings people to a communal space for a good reason. It brings together all the socioeconomic classes. My show has a marriage of the visual and auditory together and it’s something people haven’t really seen,” said Cherry.
As the evening of art wrapped up with a closing ceremony lavished in light, it ended with a single promise—to meet again next year in the same spirit which led to its inception.
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