Episode 8: Interview With Chris Davila

When I met Chris Davila at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center the first thought that came to mind was, “Wow, she has some awesome hair.” However, it didn’t take long for me to discover there is much more to Davila than cool hair. She is currently living her dream of working in the arts in her hometown of San Antonio. She says she loves what she does because she has the opportunity to work in a career in which she feels fulfilled, working and giving back within her community. The story of how Chris realized this goal is interesting and inspiring. Faced with the opportunity to settle with mediocrity, she instead decided to take control of her life and follow her heart through several obstacles to find herself where she is today. Her journey continues to be one of self-discovery and growth.

Resources

• Chris on Twitter: @bigBROWNojos
• GCAC Website: http://guadalupeculturalarts.org
• GCAC on Twitter: @TheGuadalupe
• GCAC on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/guadalupeculturalartscenter

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Gowalla Trips: San Antonio Culture Crawl

I’m fairly new to the geo-tagging service provided by the folks over at Gowalla, but one of my favorite features thus far is “Trips.” Once exclusive to a select few, now every Gowalla member can create a trip (list of “spots” where a person must check-in in order to complete). When people check-in, they can leave comments, tips, pictures, etc., which makes these visits a little more exciting and engaging. There are several public trips available for historic spots, pubs, bars, and other venues. I decided to create one for cultural exploration here in San Antonio. The name of the trip is San Antonio Culture Crawl, and includes places such as the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, Witte Museum, Artpace, and others. If you find yourself in the area and are a Gowalla member, please feel free to check out the trip and tell me what you think. Please leave any comments below in this post or on Gowalla when you check in.

Los Lobos: Volunteering at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

This past Saturday was very busy for me. After attending the productive San Antonio visioning meeting (SA2020), I spent almost the rest of the day volunteering with the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. I worked the gala and the Los Lobos concert. It was a another rewarding day of hard work. As always, there were plenty of wonderful people to meet and plenty of art to appreciate.

Volunteer Opportunity: Pool Party @TheGuadalupe

I know it’s extremely short notice, but if you’re looking for something to do tonight, The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center is having a closing pool party reception tonight, and they need help setting up, running the event, and breaking it down. Below are the details:

Location:

Guadalupe Backyard
816 S. Brazos St.
San Antonio, TX 

Details from Facebook page

Chill out and enjoy refreshments poolside with San Antonio’s hottest artists. Join in the fun!

POOL PARTY CLOSING RECEPTION
THURSDAY, AUGUST 26 
6-9 PM | FREE
816 S. Brazos St. 

Enter the Wildest Sunglasses or Wackiest Sun Hat competitions. Play the Berries & Cream game, in which the first person to find and eat their strawberry wins. And wait till you see the Rubber Duck Race; artists from the exhibition and local reporters compete in a race around the pool using only their breath to move the rubber duck.

Plus kids’ crafts, beach music, fresh fruit kabobs, Hawaiian pizza, and more!

Also be sure to get your Folklórico Chanclas for sale by the Guadalupe Dance Company.

FYI: It’s your last chance to buy priority placement for engraved bricks & paving stones before the first installation next to “La Veladora” by Jesse Treviño.

Please come out and show your support. To see other opportunities that may interest you check out their page of events here.

Shout Out: The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center

Last night I was blown away by the performances of several teens in Insides Out, presented by the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. I can’t think of a better way to spend $5 on a Friday night. The production is a result of the Teen Arts Puentes Project. The description of the program, available on the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center website, is:

The Teen Arts Puentes Project uses the arts to nurture the growth of adolescents in a positive environment where they can build individual talents, develop social awareness, and attain critical life skills. Tuition: Full scholarship provided for all students accepted.

Boy did these young men and women deliver. Their performance covered everything from isolation and drugs, to sexuality and education. The emotion their performances portrayed was remarkable. Each of these individuals deserves a round of applause, and it’s always good to see young people put their time and energy into something productive. Their program director Vincent Toro is very enthusiastic, approachable, and his love of art and making positive impacts is made apparent in his demeanor and the performance that took place. GCAC has several other productions coming up, and I definitely plan to attend. If you’d like more information about GCAC, their programs, or how to get involved visit their website and support their events. They are a wonderful group of people.