Ruby City is honored to welcome New York-based artist Melissa Joseph for a special artist talk during her return to San Antonio for conservation work on her monumental textile piece, Indian Dirty Dancing (2024). Realized while she was in Artpace’s International Artist-in-Residence program, this deeply personal work is Joseph’s most significant to date—measuring 12 x 9 ft and based on a family photograph of her parents rehearsing an Indian dance.
Drawing on her father’s Indian heritage, her mother’s Pennsylvanian roots, and the iconic 1987 film Dirty Dancing, the artwork captures a powerful, joy-filled moment from her youth and family’s history—one the artist did not witness but has reimagined with vibrancy and affection. In this conversation, Joseph will reflect on the layered influences and emotional resonance of Indian Dirty Dancing, which blends elements of memory, diasporic experience, and cultural hybridity.
Attendees will also learn about the conversation Joseph undertook and hear insights into her broader practice, which explores the labors of women, the complexities of immigrant life, and the tactile language of textiles.
Join City of San Antonio Poet Laureate Eddie Vega for a reflective workshop exploring the art of slow looking – a mindful practice of deeply observing artwork to discover meaning, memory, and personal connection. Guided by Vega’s poetic prompts and storytelling, participants will slow down, notice more, and respond creatively to artworks currently on view at Ruby City.
This event is free and open to all, with materials provided. No previous writing or art experience is necessary—just bring your curiosity. Space is limited, reserve your spot today.
Eddie Vega is a poet, spoken word artist, storyteller, and educator. He is the author of Chicharra Chorus and Somos Nopales. His poetry appears on a downtown San Antonio building, Poets Pointe, and along the newly opened San Pedro Creek Culture Park.
Join the Ruby City Visitor Services Associates for a drop-in hands-on art-making experience inspired by Arturo Herrera’s That Very Day (2000), a suite of five photogravure prints rooted in the logic (and illogic) of collage. Though no physical paper is glued or cut in the final prints, collage is at the core of Herrera’s process. Beginning with imagery from a Disney coloring book, the artist cut, rearranged, and reconstructed the pieces into a new visual language, which he then translated into print.
In this drop-in program, visitors can explore Herrera’s remixing methods by cutting and collaging pages from coloring books to generate their own abstract source material. Through the acts of tracing, cutting, and assembling, participants are invited to engage with the intuitive, emotional, and playful aspects of artmaking.
This program is free and open to the public. No registration is required, just drop in and make something new.
Join Synthesis & Subversion Redux artist Jenelle Esparza for a hands-on weaving workshop exploring memory, labor, and cultural identity through fiber art. Participants will learn fundamental weaving techniques using handheld looms and create their own small woven piece to take home.
Rooted in Esparza’s interdisciplinary practice, this workshop invites reflection on the lesser-known histories of cotton production and generational labor in South Texas. As a textile artist whose work interweaves personal narrative with regional histories, Esparza will guide participants through the tactile process of weaving as a meditative act and a form of storytelling.
This workshop is free, but space is limited, and registration is required. All materials will be provided. No prior weaving experience necessary.
Meditation in Chris Park returns for this session. Every third Sunday of the month throughout the year, join seasoned meditation practitioner Pamela Martinez for a restorative one-hour meditation experience that includes a variety of mindfulness meditation techniques. Each session begins with an introduction to meditation practices, making this perfect for a first-time meditator.
Make sure to dress comfortably for being outdoors and bring a mat or cushion for sitting. Registration is recommended but not required.
Join Ruby City Director, Elyse Gonzales, and artist Joey Fauerso for a walkthrough and celebration of Bedroom Paintings, the latest exhibition on view at Ruby City.
San Antonio–based multidisciplinary artist Joey Fauerso explores the surreal, often restless state of insomnia in Bedroom Paintings (2024), a video-centered installation that transforms painting into a three-dimensional, performative experience. Drawing from her own sleepless nights, Fauerso reimagines domestic spaces as dynamic canvases, layering humor, anxiety, and art history into dreamlike visual narratives.
The walkthrough will be followed by a reception with light bites and refreshments.
SAT 8.23.2025
2–3PM Walkthrough | 3–5 PM Reception
Ruby City (150 Camp Street)
Free and open to all.
To celebrate the dreaming life of our founder, Linda Pace, Ruby City will host its third quarterly introduction to creative dreamwork series with writer and creativity coach, Leigh Baldwin. In each 90-minute session, participants discuss how and why to work with dreams, how to improve recall and recording of dream messages, and methods of interpreting dream symbols. Sessions will conclude by offering up dreams from our participants for group discussion and interpretation. All materials for workshop will be provided.
Space is limited. Registration is required.
Past Events
