Advanced Civilization

One of the hallmarks of civilization is an appreciation for the arts. Based on this measuring stick, San Antonio is a highly advanced civilization. Here, the arts are celebrated, and artists are nurtured.

New work by Sabra Booth, an award-winning Alamo City artist, is currently on display at Palo Alto College‘s Ozuna Learning Center (second floor) through August 9, 2024.

Herbal Traces

Booth, an adjunct faculty member at Palo Alto who also teaches at Northwest Vista College, UTSA and The Meadows at Morningside Ministries, works in a variety of mediums: drawing, painting, printmaking, mixed media and stop-motion animation.

The common denominator throughout her varied work is an all-in focus on nature and the complex ecological issues surrounding nature. The exhibit at Palo Alto, “Herbal Traces: Medicinal Plants of South-Central Texas,” highlights the healing properties our regional flora and the importance of their preservation. Be sure to pick up an exhibit flier, where the medicinal properties of each plant are highlighted.

Japanese influence

Using translucent kozo paper and techniques that she learned while in Japan, Booth created large-scale paintings of native plants that are displayed in the library’s massive windows, allowing natural light to filter through their lush colors. According to Booth, the paintings look different at different times of the day because of the filtered light.

“My intent with the “Herbal Traces” art exhibition is to find uncommon value with common plants in South-Central Texas,” said Booth, who encourages visitors to tour the college’s Botanical Gardens on the south (410) side of Ozuna to see many of the featured plants up close.

Snow Shadows

Several of Booth’s paintings from “Snow Shadows,” a documentation of Winter Storm Uri that were featured at artpace in 2022, are also on display. In these, she replicated shadows from dying plants that were irreparably frozen during significant snowfall and week-long freezing temperatures. These paintings, also on kozo paper, are backlit with color-changing LED lights rather than natural light, giving off a cooler visual sensation.

To stay in the loop on Booth’s upcoming shows and work, follow her on Instagram. This exhibition was funded by the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation and the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture Individual Artist Grants 2024.

The Ozuna Library and Learning Center, 1400 W. Villaret, is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.; Fridays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.; and Sundays from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. It is closed on Saturdays.

Bonus art

Two other exhibits you should not miss before they go down in July are at the Centro de Artes in Market Square and the Culture Commons Gallery behind City Hall.

Millennial Loteria: The LatinXperience, Permanencia Voluntaria, and Resilient and Responsive: Artists and The Environment will make you laugh and think.

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!