'Open Heart” part of the city wide exhibit “Mind Windows” at the Walkers’ Gallery.
By Roberto Rios —San Antonio.
“Family Quartet”, oil on canvas, by Mikiko Kudo, Dripping Springs. The young man on the right is Adrian Fisher, who will perform at the reception , her son. The painting is exhibited in the “Everything is Connected” exhibit.
“Patchwork-Envision” by Angeles Salinas, San Antonio,
representing Mexico.
“San Martian Thanksgiving” by San Marcos artist Melanie Stelter.
New exhibits astound at Walkers’ Gallery
The Walkers’ Gallery started 2023 with an unprecedented two astonishing exhibits. Activity Center attendees expressed their appreciation —“I feel like I am in a real museum,” one said. The quality of work was undeniable.
As one of six local venues celebrating a retrospective of the art of Roberto Rios, the Walkers’ displays ten of his large paintings representing several decades of his prolific career and filling one side of the hall.
Rios, a native of San Antonio, was a founding member of Con Safo, a group of artists that pushed beyond the mainstream dismissive invisibility of Chicano culture to bring attention to their distinctive artwork.
Rios’ work is uniquely symbolic, philosophic and spiritual. This city-wide exhibit is titled “Mind Windows,” derived from one of his quotes: “I imagine the brain as having rooms, where images and dreams come to stay. There are doors to each room and in them there are windows. Opened windows invite imagination in, allowing us to dream. Through windows of the mind life can change.”
Artwork on the other side of the hall represents work of multiple artists in response to an open call related to the theme “Everything is Connected: Celebrating Our Unique Cultural Identities through the Universal Language of Art.”
Multicultural outreach was assisted by locally known artist/poet and educator, Debangana Banerjee. From India, she and her family have been in San Marcos for years. Artists were challenged to either represent their country of origin or heritage, or a culture with which they feel a strong affinity.
Through social media connections, international artists shipped or digitally transferred their work representative of Argentina, England, Bangladesh and India. Numerous area artists brought work representative of their countries of origin or affiliation including Peru, Venezuela, China, Japan, Mexico, Italy and more.
The public is invited to the artists’ reception on Saturday, Feb. 11, 3 - 5 pm. Along with light refreshments, there will be a multicultural program. Featured will a classical solo cello performance by award winning 14 year- old Adrian Fisher of Dripping Springs; projected presentations of ‘visual storytelling’ using shadow puppets and dolls, by Debangana, Suparno, and Irabati Banerjee; and Irish music by Gene Milligan and Virginia Davis, principal members of San Marcos’ O’Malarkey’s Irish band.
Between 3:30-4:30, Sandhya Rao will sign copies of her freshly published book, “Circles of Light” — a delightful memoir of her travels to 60 countries around the world. Dr. Rao has taught at Texas State as a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and honorary professor of International Studies since 1993. Copies of her book will be available for purchase at the event. To find out more https://www.universitystar.com/ life_and_arts/circles-of-light-txst-professor-publishes- travel-memoir/article_83ddd7d8-8f92-11ed-a141ff8a0784a04c.html.
