Dale discovered that The SAMA currently has a special exhibit featuring Harry Bertoia, the mid-century artist, furniture designer and sculptor. This exhibit has been curated by his daughter Celia Bertoia, and the link is to a lecture where she provides much background on her father.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hIF5WPDCoYw
Harry Bertoia is best known to designers for his iconic ‘Bertoia’ chairs, and most people would probably recognize them as well, just possibly not be able to put a name to them. What an exciting surprise for Dale that we happened to be here the same time it is on at the gallery.
The museum also has extensive collections of Egypian, Roman, and Greek art, as well as an Oceanic collection featuring sculptures and artifacts from Papua New Guinea and other countries in that geographic region. Naturally, there is an extensive collection of Mexican and Texan art.
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| Dale's fave... |
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| quite interesting...carved in relief |
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| We figured that our friend Lee, who is a falconer, would enjoy this one. |
The Pearl
This neighbourhood is frequently mentioned as the coolest neighbourhood to visit in San Antonio, and all the better that it is a short walking distance from both the SAMA and the Witte Museum, a nature & science museum. Our time was limited, so we went directly from the gallery to The Pearl.
The Pearl District is named for the Pearl Brewery, which operated from 1883 to 2001, and for years afterwards, was left vacant...an empty stretch of land with decaying brewery plant buildings left behind. Then an entrepreneur had the brilliant idea of converting it to a vibrant neighbourhood, sensitively repurposing the buildings into a hotel, chef run restaurants, and unique independant shops. The designers and planners were mandated by the owner to maintain tight design control over preserving all the historic buidings, and not allowing the heritage to be compromised in any way. The vintage brewery equipment has been retained and incorporated into the design within the repurposed buildings, including as visual art in the public spaces.
The Hotel Emma, which was formerly the brewery’s engine room is a must see as the brewery’s machinery is now is an integral part of the design of the lobby and bar.
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| small cozy rooms cut into the huge tanks |
There is plenty of outdoor spaces to enjoy your coffee or lunch, and soak up the historical ambiance. The Pearl is a remarkable success story and quickly has become the city’s most desirable place to hang out.
We had a great burger at a spot called Cured. As the name implies these guys are all about the meat. It is housed in the former administration building, which has a very bank like design, including a sizeable vault, and equally large glass wall curing fridge. The burger and fries lunch was simply outstanding.
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