On the second Saturday of the month, this is the spot to be at…read more The galleries stay open late, the DJs come out to play, and you can find some awesome art and cold beers! There's a bunch of galleries throughout the space. Each has a different theme to them with unique art. It's right by the train tracks on S Flores. Make sure you park on the south side of the tracks, because otherwise you could be waiting for a while to get your car! There are restrooms inside, but they're not really that clearly marked! I really appreciate the outdoor public art on the street corner of the motorcycle!

Really cool place to check out each second Saturday of the month. They display really unique and…read moreawesome art. Thankfully there is always at least one piece involving Selena, which I am always thankful for. Outside there is usually some live music, along with food trucks if you get hungry. I really like that there are plenty of loungy spots to sit down to hang out and enjoy the music. Not as many people as first friday which can be a good thing. Definitely a cool part of San Antonio's art scene.

My favorite place to buy art in San Antonio. Been visiting it for over 30 years. Lots to view…read more Great gifts and art for you own home.

Wonderful little shop with a nice variety of local art and different mediums - that you can buy and…read morefeel good about supporting a good cause. The other reviewers have already spoken to said cause, but you're basically supporting the local church and helping people in need. Nice. Some of it may be "typical" San Antonio touristy stuff, but most of it has the touch and feel of real art created by local artisans. Ceramics, paintings, prints, jewelry, other miscellaneous... You're likely to come across something of interest in this homey little nook of a shop. I really like their variety of pottery and ceramics. Nice stuff. Well made and good selection. See my pics for a few examples. We always stop in here to browse whenever we visit La Villita. Sometimes you find something you can't live without, sometimes you don't. But you always kind of feel compelled to leave with *something* since you know you're funding good works by dropping a few bucks here. No credit or debit cards accepted - heads up. Happy hunting!

We came by on a Wednesday and there was a sign on the front door saying they were open Thursdays…read moreand Fridays from 10 am to 5 pm. We came back on Thursday after 10 am and they were not open and no sign explaining why. The outside of the building had lots of op art Frida statues staged around the structure so I did get to photograph them. I've enjoyed visiting in the past but the last two trips to S A this place has been closed.

What a hidden little gem! I am so glad I stumbled upon this while on my walk and checking out yelp!…read moreI was so impressed with this FREE museum! Mexican Culture is so prevalent in San Antonio and I think it is so important to really explore and appreciate it. There is so much rich history and this institute does a beautiful job showcasing it. I went and there was a school group and I stayed a little close to hear the explanations of the different rooms. If you plan to go to the Towers of Americas anyway, definitely make a stop here before or after you go!

This is a review of disappointment between what the institute of Texan cultures used to be and how…read moreit became now. My main disappointment is I used to volunteer for the Texas Folklife festival which used to be held at the old institute location. If you have been you know exactly what I am talking about. In this new location they have everything almost mixed up together in a very small space. The entrance is $10 for a moment we thought the whole building is the institute... no! It is just one upstairs. I truly felt so disappointed when we went back down my friend joked with the girls at the register wanting a refund. They took her seriously and promised a refund. They tried to do it which it didn't go through then said the manager will... I looked at my bank statement and the charge was there... I let it go! I will never return

"Just getting started" is how one of the attendants put it while we were here- great start!…read more Good mix of modern and classic antiquities that make Texas everything that it is cracked up to be. After all, it is the diverse background of the people that settled here that created the uniqueness that we take for granted as Texan culture. So many influences.... Worth learning how things evolve! The staff here mentioned many things yet to come. We are really looking forward to seeing more of the items that we were all introduced to in childhood if you grew up in San Antonio.

NALAC is a national organization that advocates for Latino arts and culture. They offer a week-long…read moreworkshop that brings artists and art administrators to San Antonio every year. I was lucky to be selected for this in 2012 and followed up with an arts advocacy training in Washington DC in 2013. It is amazing that this small Westside non-profit can accomplish so much across the country. I've met amazing and inspiring people because of the NALAC network. They also offer various grants for organizations and artists. They also have a membership program in place for anyone that wishes to support their mission.

Awesome complex! We visited on a quiet Sunday and were able to grab lunch (pizza) and step into the…read moreContemporary Art Gallery (free admission), and walk around the complex. Several galleries, restaurants and a wine bar here. The buildings are painted different colors and are adorable! Worth a visit for a couple of hours if you're looking for a fun date spot!

Awesome place so much fun, the food is excellent and the venues are great, the little shops are so…read morecute loved it Its an off beaten path that a lot of tourists don't know about, more local inspired and I enjoy it

Randomly walked into this gallery at La Cantera. The atmosphere was eerily silent, with no music…read more At this gallery, we were told that all artwork shown here are created by local artists, and that shipping is free. The majority of works are priced between $1k and $7k. A large variety of styles are available. What caught our eye was work using a particularly interesting color palette, located on the righthand wall. Basically, bright rainbow colors within very dark blue outlines and a dark background. Very eye catching and interesting to look at. The artist for those paintings happened to notice us admiring them and proceeded to explain why he decided to start painting them in this particular style and showed us some of his prior work in this style. Overall, pretty chill (if a bit quiet) and informative, with artwork from local artists.

La Cantera art gallery! This gallery showcases a bunch of…read moretalented local artists who mainly work in oil and acrylic paintings. They have a bunch of paintings all around a central theme: San Antonio, Texas. They've got wonderful paintings of the Riverwalk, so many paintings of the Alamo, and longhorn cattle. Windmills, and blue bonnet flowers. All of the things that you love about Texas. When we went, they had an artist in the corner who was vibing out and doing some live painting while we browsed! The paintings went from small scale, that'd you'd hang in a bathroom, to large scale that'd be at home in the centerpiece of any Texas ranch! The staff was there and made sure we knew that the artists were all local and that they ship to the lower 48 states, no matter how big the painting. The gallery was inviting and well lit, and they offered plenty of room to be able to take in all the art. There's a wide variety of artists, all doing cool stuff. It really is inspirational to see how artists see our beautiful city! They have counters set up that look like they could host events with some wine and cheese while you check out the art. Nom!

Parking: street parking all around or park at the public parking garages and walk over. $10max for…read more3+hours Awesome event! Probably took us 1.5 hrs to walk through the streets. HEB did a great job passing out samples. Very beautiful works of arts. Will be back supporting in years to come!!!

(Preface: I got up early and noticed torrential rain, before the actual Chalk It Up event had even…read morebegun and wondered if it would be a complete wash out. Chalk is such a difficult medium to work with in the first place, how would it translate to wet sidewalk surfaces?) Fast Forward a few hours and much better weather later: Chalk It Up is a yearly event that happens downtown, typically during the fall. It is thrown together by ArtPace, a local youth center that promotes the arts and other visual mediums. Artists of all sorts to include: established painters, schools, academies, afterschool programs etc. use this event to showcase their talent. All along Houston Street artists of varying degrees of skill level draw small to elaborate works, using chalk. High end buildings where the downtown culture congregate become canvases to convey visions. Seemingly every nook and cranny was filled with drawings of some sort, for example I spotted a Sesame Street collage. Not too far away a lady was drawing a portrait of Frida Kahlo. In addition a group of college students were creating an epic sized etching of a head that was mind blowing. Certainly not to be outdone a gentleman dressed as a tree was dancing about near the interior of the River walk. Last year, when I attended art was swirling everywhere you looked, but it appeared as though there were more patrons than actual art. Since the featured artists works were closely together it created traffic and made it difficult to make your way through, much less see any pieces. Families take their children to this event mainly since participation is encouraged; as they can draw on the sidewalks alongside artists. There is music and food, but certainly not enough of it. In the past they had more bands and entertainers all throughout the event. This year the selection was not as diverse and I left with the impression something was missing. In my opinion I think the weather had a huge impact on the initial outcome of the event. It probably kept away some artists or forced others to rethink their various projects. I believe that featured artists' works should be spread out more evenly throughout the event. It would be helpful to have a designated area where kids can draw on and not have people maneuver around them. I do like Chalk It Up. It is always interesting to see what schools, academies and artists will come up with each year. Having said that I think it fell a bit short, in my opinion by artistic scope and due to weather. I have seen a better representation of it in the times I went before. Still I definitely will be back next year. Chalk it Up has the potential to introduce the arts to families. And reintroduce downtown to the city. And what other event gives you the license to scrawl on sidewalks and not be ticketed or grounded for life.