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San Antonio’s public art program continues to build, now numbering several hundred pieces all around the city.
Krystal Jones is director of the city’s Department of Arts and Culture, and she said creating a video about the public art was inspiring.
“National Poetry Month this year timed out with the 30th anniversary of our public art program here in San Antonio,” Jones said. “We thought it would be a perfect fit to blend poetry with our public art program.”
And who better to collaborate with than Poet Laureate Eddie Vega?
“Using Eddie Vega as our poet laureate to have him create an original poem about public art, how it tells San Antonio's story, and then pairing him with local filmmaker Sam Lerma of Screenville Films,” she said.
Public art isn’t locked up in museums. It’s on display 24 hours a day, and there’s no admittance fee. Krystal Jones said public art is one of the city’s greatest treasures.
“You get to learn more about your city through public art because each piece is so unique to the particular neighborhood it's installed in, and it helps build community because it brings people together,” she said.
Before public art is created, the artist selected meets with people from the neighborhood to develop the project with that neighborhood’s unique history in mind.
This collaboration between the city and its poet laureate has created a fast-paced, inspiring video highlighting dozens of the city’s art installations.
Jones said the pieces featured in the video are actually just a small sample of what’s out there.
“That's just 50 of 800 pieces that we have in total throughout the city, whether it's in a city building or whether in a park or built as a part of the building,” she said. “So there's certainly a lot to explore in San Antonio when it comes to our public art.”
Jones notes that if you want to see art in the city, the department’s map with public art plotted on it is very handy.
“We have all of the installations available on our new public art map. You can find the pieces by search terms,” she said. “You can find them by ZIP code. You can also pull up a map function, find your neighborhood, and see all of the locations where there (is) public art, so that you can help discover them.”
