Apr 21, 20222 min read

Artist Date: San Antonio Museum of Art

I was meeting with one of my yoga clients yesterday and found myself recommending an artist date. For those of you not familiar with "artist date", this is a phrase from Julia Cameron's The Artist Way. Ms. Cameron recommends...no, commands her readers to take themselves on a solo date at least once a week - an artist date. As I heard myself recommending this to my client, I realized that I should probably follow my (and Ms. Cameron's) advice and take myself on an artist date as well.

I was planning on spending some time at the Pearl Brewery, a wonderful enclave of shops and cafes and public spaces located on the river walk, but it was raining on and off. Why not go to the museum? The San Antonio Museum of Art is about an eight minute walk via the River Walk from the Pearl, where I had parked, so I found myself at the gates of the museum right at opening. I ended up purchasing a membership. Drop in rates are $20 and memberships are $50...it just seemed like a no brainer. Masks were recommended, so I felt comfortable donning my N-95 in the mostly empty galleries.

I spent about 90 minutes at the museum - making sure I at least walked through every floor and gallery. I spent some time with El Retablo de Maria, one my mom's favorite pieces. Visited my Yogini statue and Sand Mandala, spent some time enjoying the special exhibit, Wendy Red Star: A Scratch on the Earth, a beautiful selection of feminist art, Native American tribal pride, and history, and perused the Chinese pottery and screens.

Clockwise from top: El Retablo de Maria (artist unknown), Sand Mandala, Apsaalooke Feminist #1 by Wendy Red Star, Statue of Guanyin from the Qing Dynasty, Five Piece Garniture from the Qing Dynasty, and Yogini from Uttar Pradesh, India.

I ended my artist date with a lovely lunch al fresco at Tre Trattoria - right outside the museum, where I could watch the rain fall on the river while eating copious amounts of cheese.