Free and open to the public. Thursday to Sunday, 10AM—6PM.
150 Camp St, San Antonio, TX
Free and open to the public. Thursday to Sunday, 10AM—6PM.
150 Camp St, San Antonio, TX
“These works are not just about the image you see but really are about the time spent with the artist and sitter. The conversation with Jesse was the art and for me when I see this painting I’m not only thinking about every brush stroke and the decisions that allowed to exist on the canvas but also the experience of looking directly at Jesse and hearing him talk. It was badass.” —Cruz Ortiz for Glasstire
To read the entire article click here.
A red concrete arts centre in Texas designed by David Adjaye https://t.co/xiPNBufwuj pic.twitter.com/pGzhppGTqc
— Wallpaper* (@wallpapermag) April 8, 2019
Image by Dror Baldinger
We’re excited to introduce Ruby City, our new building inspired by the late Linda Pace‘s dream and designed by Adjaye Associates that will open to the public in October 2019. Below are 5 cool facts about the new building. We can’t wait for you to see it in person!
1. It all started with a dream
Ruby City is the vision and mandate of our founder and dedicated art collector Linda Pace (1945-2007), who sketched the initial inspiration for the ruby structure after waking from a dream. A sparkling crimson building appeared to Linda in her sleep and then using colored pencil, she sketched the fanciful image and shared it with world-renowned architect Sir David Adjaye OBE. The rest is history.
2. The Collection includes more than 900 paintings, sculptures, installations, and video works
Home to the growing Linda Pace Foundation permanent collection, Ruby City is dedicated to providing a space for the city’s thriving creative community to experience works by both local and internationally-acclaimed artists. Start browsing and find your favorite artists now!
3. The design is inspired by the Spanish Missions
The 14,472 square-foot building is inspired, in part, by the Spanish Missions found throughout the Southwest, constructed by the Spanish Empire during the 16th to 19th centuries. The exterior skin consists of a precast concrete fabricated in Mexico City, which has been imbued with a rich red giving the building its ruby glow. For the first ten feet up, the concrete has a polished finish inviting passersby to touch the surface; the concrete panels above the ten foot line are rough, sharp, and encrusted with varying shades of red glass.
4. Ruby City will be free and open to the public year round
That’s it. Ruby City is free and open to the public year round.
5. But wait, there’s more!
The new building is part of a growing campus, which also includes Chris Park, a one-acre public green space named in memoriam to Pace’s son, as well as Studio, an auxiliary exhibition space which presents curated shows and programming throughout the year.
Want to know more? We’re proud to share some recent press: San Antonio Current took a look at “Looking for Langston,” our exhibition currently on view at Studio; Galerie Magazine included Ruby City in the “11 Amazing Art Spaces Opening in 2019;” and WSJ Magazine published a gorgeous piece featuring Ruby City in the March issue. Whether you’ve already seen some pictures, or hearing about Ruby City for the first time, we hope you’ll find something meaningful.
Joyce J. Scott, Breathe, 2014. Hand-blown Murano glass, beads and thread. © Joyce J. Scott. Linda Pace Foundation Collection, Ruby City, San Antonio, Texas.
Ruby City is pleased to announce the acquisition of renowned contemporary artist, Joyce J. Scott’s 2014 sculpture, Breathe. Depicting a red Buddha giving birth, Breathe speaks to the incredible bond between a mother and child while showcasing the artist’s remarkable technical skill. A former McArthur Genius Fellow, Scott has worked since the 1970s in a variety of media, including quilting, performance, jewelry and sculpture, continually testing the limits of craft-based materials, and combining classical notions of beauty with a larger social commentary.
Breathe features Murano-blown glass and beadwork in the form of a seated female figure. A beaded snake coils around the woman’s neck and head like a crown and glass frit darkens the face of the otherwise translucent object. The red woman sits with crossed legs in reference to the seated Buddha, a key figure in Scott’s practice. The faces of both mother and child are constructed with vague detail communicating themes of sanctity and distance, like those of ancient fertility figures.
Scott was among the first Artpace residents (December 1996-Janaury 1997) along with several others including Paula Santiago and Alejandro Diaz whose work is included in the Linda Pace Foundation permanent collection. Throughout her career, Scott has created work that addresses issues surrounding race, social justice, gender, class and violence. Often citing historical figures and events, Scott uses these examples within her work to help viewers better understand our contemporary society. Premised within a familial lineage of storytelling, Scott embeds narrative into her work, communicating stories in part through her material palette. Pristinely crafted, Scott’s objects imbue complex and occasionally-problematic themes with light materials, such as glass, creating a compelling dialogue between darkness and light.
Breath joins the formidable range of feminist and female-focused works of art in the Linda Pace Foundation permanent collection. When presented, Breathe will complement works by artists including Wangechi Mutu, Xu Bing and Sarah Charlesworth, whose practices explore and reflect upon similar themes of spirituality, gender and the body.
Themes of femininity, diversity and the body are central to the artworks on view in our current exhibition titled, Reclaimed. Hair is a reoccurring theme that reveals diverse qualities, both culturally and generationally. This common thread is seen in the exhibition’s works by Lorraine O’Grady, Annette Messager, Kiki Smith, Judy Dater and Tracey Rose.
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