SAN ANTONIO – Inside the San Antonio Museum of Art is an extensive collection of artifacts and vibrant pieces of art from all over the world.
Mary Burch, chief cevelopment Officer of SAMA, recently shared with KSAT how the building itself, is also rich in history.
”The Lone Star Brewery is an iconic brand, of course. It was started here in San Antonio in this very place,” Burch said. “Our building was built in the late 1800′s.”
In addition to being a brewery, the complex was also home to blacksmith shops, bottling facilities, and stables.
When Prohibition happened, the brewery closed and the building reopened several times as a cotton mill, ice factory, and auto repair shop.
”When the Lone Star Brewery moved out, the sign was sold and went away,” Burch said.
The building officially became SAMA in 1981.
“When the owner of this sign got word that this was now a museum, he donated it back to the museum,” Burch said.
Forty years later, the Lone Star Brewery sign and other art installations from SAMA are going to be used as backdrops for a virtual gala supporting the arts in San Antonio.
Celebration will feature performances by The Ballet San Antonio, The San Antonio Chamber Choir, The Public Theater of San Antonio, and the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio.
”We five organizations got together and decided that we’re stronger together than we are individually,” Burch said. “The museum was fortunate because we could open our doors after a closure of nine weeks, but the performers couldn’t perform. They couldn’t have an audience and they couldn’t be together.”
With an increase in COVID-19 cases, the gala has been shifted to a virtual format.
“This is a really special time to get all of these groups together,” Burch said.
Find out more information about the event, click here.
You can support SAMA by clicking here.
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