A new studio tour is coming to San Antonio’s Southside. The River Artes District, formed as part of a City of San Antonio neighborhood revitalization program, will launch its first River Artes District Studio Tour on Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free.
A studio in the River Artes District
More than a dozen studios and creative spaces will participate, including the Burnt Nopal Creative Studio of artist partners Olivia and Cruz Ortiz, the studio of mosaic tile sculptor Oscar Alvarado, Caliente Hot Glass, Stonehaven Knifeworks, Breva Creative Makerspace & Gallery, and Urban-15 Group. Poetic Republic Coffee Roasters will also join in, along with artisan booths set up under the Roosevelt Street bridge throughout the day.
Event organizers Ruth Bushman and Gabby Gast recently completed the City’s RevitalizeSA: Corridor Leadership Program, an intensive nine-month program focused on cultivating community leaders to focus on specific commercial corridors. Each program participant was eligible to receive up to $10,000 in Commercial Hub Advancement for Neighborhood Growth grant funding for the project they envisioned, drawn from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
The River Artes District runs between South Presa Street and South Roosevelt Avenue from Roosevelt Park to Fair Avenue, east of the San Antonio River and the city’s historic Missions district.
One feature of the River Artes District Studio Tour is The River Thread, a gesture meant to connect participants and commemorate community. Each participating studio or venue will offer visitors a strip of colored ribbon to be collected throughout the morning. At 1 p.m., visitors are invited to gather under the Roosevelt Bridge for the Puente Vivo celebration, where ribbons will be woven together into one continuous thread.
“Each visitor is weaving their own path through the district,” Ms. Bushman said. “Stop by stop, ribbon by ribbon, their story comes together. … It’s a way to see and feel how connected this community really is.”
For more information, visit the River Artes District website.
