New UTSA Arts Unit Will Support Community Arts Growth and Engagement | UTSA today | UTSA
Through UTSA Arts’ focus on community engagement, teaching and outreach opportunities with local arts organizations, students of all ages in UTSA Arts programs will grow as artists and make their own unique contributions to San Antonio’s vibrant arts environment.
Dean COLFA Glenn Martinez is considering UTSA Arts as an important step towards a more complete and inclusive environment for the flourishing of the visual and performing arts.
“UTSA Arts is part of UTSA’s bold recommitment to arts education. It will be a space for collaboration and co-creation that will meaningfully engage artists, performers, funding agencies, school districts, donors, arts institutions, and all of the aesthetically rich and historically grounded arts communities of San Antonio,” he said. “Over the next few years, the term “UTSA Arts” will become synonymous with public exhibitions and performances, community arts education and artistic patronage of the highest caliber.
UTSA Arts seeks to strengthen arts programming and community education, both of which have been impacted by COVID-19. The pandemic, Martínez noted, has widened the gap between accessible arts programming and the communities that benefit from the arts.
“San Antonio’s arts ecosystem has been deeply impacted by the pandemic,” Martínez said. “Rebounding from these effects will require a holistic approach that brings together multiple stakeholders from the Southwest School of Art and across the South Texas region. As a community-oriented organization, UTSA Arts will direct the university’s activities in this endeavor.
UTSA Arts contribute to the university’s model of strategic innovation and growth by amplifying existing artistic programming and developing new programs. He will accomplish these goals by planning strategic growth in UTSA Southwest’s strong community-based visual arts classes, symposia, and workshops for adults, children, and teens, expanding the reach of the School of Music’s music camps and workshops. and supporting research efforts that demonstrate the benefits of the visual and performing arts as fundamental facets of the San Antonio community.
” We throw UTSA Arts with the slogan Explore creativity, inspire the community to underscore our goal of highlighting creative arts and cultural expression as focal points for our San Antonio community,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, provost of UTSA and senior vice president for academic affairs. “At a time, UTSA Arts will facilitate the engagement of UTSA faculty and students in our city’s vibrant arts scene, as well as arts activities throughout San Antonio.
UTSA Arts plans to showcase the work of regional, national and international visual artists and curators and performers. As part of this effort, UTSA is hosting an exhibition for renowned Peruvian sculptor and painter, Kukuli Velardeuntil November 5 at the UTSA Southwest campus.
UTSA will launch a national search for the Executive Director of UTSA Arts/COLFA, Associate Dean for Community Engagement and the Arts in 2023 with support from an executive search firm Koya Partners and Koya General Manager Naree WS Viner. Acting Special Assistant to the Dean for Community Engagement and the Arts Tracy Cowden will launch the effort.
