Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival Set For This Month

The 2024 Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival will feature several groups that include youth from around the city including Cirque Aria, La Techxicana Studio, and Fresh Ink Youth Poetry Slam.

“At Luminaria, we don’t separate young artists from adults,” said Yadhira Lozano, Executive Director, Luminaria. “We encourage youth to create art and participate along with adults to explore themes, concepts, and composition and know that their voice and point of view are valid and worthy of presentation.”

For Cirque Aria, Stella will be performing an Aerial Sling solo. She has had a passion for music since birth and has a year and a half of training under her belt. This will be her fourth aerial performance with Cirque Aria. Additionally, Cirque Aria has a dynamic duo silks act featuring talented teens, Emilia and Hailey, who beautifully mirror each other as they soar. This is their second performance with Cirque Aria. Despite being new to the aerial world, these girls have formed a unique bond, continually encouraging one another throughout their practices.

Luminaria highlights art that is regional, national, and international, and the climate change and material consumption addressed in The Atlantean Series: Play +Rest Installation highlights environmental issues, material connection to place, and human displacement issues that are both local and global. As a City of San Antonio Individual Artist Grant recipient, Sarah Gonzales Busse will premier her individual textile works and collaborative project with Begochutx at Young Women’s Leadership Academy art students. The collaboration seeks to guide students in engaging artistically with local, natural resources. It passes on natural dyeing textile knowledge that promotes connection to local flora, and both historical and culturally connected dyes like cochineal, and acknowledges our specific geographic and socio-economic challenges in community and sheltering. These collaborative explorations will be shared to the broader San Antonio community and Luminaria audience in this collective, intergenerational, and playful installation.

As an artist collective deeply committed to fostering creativity and expression among the youth of San Antonio, Fresh Ink Youth Poetry Slam will showcase their Finals at the 2024 Luminaria Contemporary Arts Fest. Founded in 2010 by Anthony Flores, Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, and a group of passionate teenagers from John Jay, Oliver Holmes, and Karen Wagner High School, Fresh Ink Youth Slam has been a beacon of artistic empowerment for young poets across Texas. The collaboration, which includes the Fresh Ink Youth Poetry Slam, Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, Anthony “DJ Mr. G” Gordon, and Write Art Out, embodies a collective mission to revitalize the youth slam scene and provide aspiring poets with the tools and platforms they need to flourish. Through bimonthly creative writing workshops, open mics, slams, and visual arts workshops, they aim to cultivate a community of fearless artists capable of competing on a national stage. The Luminaria Poetry Slam will serve as the culmination of their efforts, offering a high-stakes live performance competition where young poets can shine brightly against the backdrop of one of our region's most celebrated arts festivals. 

The annual festival is free to the public and features over 100 artists representing a wide array of artistic genres. This year’s festival will illuminate a new location with historic roots. St. Paul Square is located on the eastside of Downtown San Antonio and will be transformed into an immersive nighttime display of lights and art from Commerce Street to the Alamodome on Saturday, October 19, 2024, from 6:00pm to midnight.

The Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival celebrates the arts by bringing artists from various disciplines to exhibit and perform in a vibrant outdoor setting. Attendees can expect to experience diverse artistic expressions including visual arts, live music, dance, large art installations, theatre, poetry, and performance art. This year's festival promises to be a truly immersive and interactive experience as artists were challenged to reimagine the historic venue and create art that adapts to the location’s buildings, railroad, balconies, courtyards, and public spaces. Visitors can engage directly with the artists and witness the creative process.

In addition to the artist showcases, attendees can enjoy a variety of local food vendors and a curated array of local arts vendors adding to the event's festive atmosphere. The Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival is free and open to the public, welcoming art enthusiasts of all ages and making art accessible to everyone. VIP badges will be made available to the public for sale in limited quantities. This inclusive approach ensures that everyone, from seasoned art lovers to those new to the scene, can come and experience the magic of creativity.

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