RUBY CITY
FIRST LOOK
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.