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Southwest School of Art and Craft, San Antonio
At the Southwest School of Art and Craft (formerly
known as the Southwest Craft Center), you'll find a good overview
of the San Antonio arts and crafts scene. The Center is housed in
the former Ursuline Academy, which in 1851 became the first girls'
school in the city. The long halls of the once busy dormitory are
now filled with photography, jewelry, fibers, paper making, painting,
and the like. The Ursuline Gift Shop sells hand-crafted items, including
silver Southwestern jewelry, hand-painted plates, and wooden Christmas
ornaments. Grab a sandwich or salad at the Craft Center's Copper
Kitchen. The school is open to visitors Monday through Friday, 10
AM to 5 PM. Admission is free.
Southwest School of Art and Craft was organized
by a group of citizens who felt that there was a void in San Antonio
that could be filled by the teaching of handcrafts and arts. The
1968 Worlds Fair in San Antonio provided the opportunity for the
school to show a gallery, and the enrollment grew quickly. The San
Antonio Conservation Society offered the use of the Old Ursuline
Academy to the school, and the Southwest School of Art and Craft
moved in in 1971. Massive renovation was needed for the buildings,
and the School and the Conservation Society both worked hard to
raise money for the restoration, which lasted for 12 years.
Today, there are two campuses at the School. The original Ursuline
Campus and an adjacent Navarro Campus which was opened in 1998.
The schools offer programs for all age groups from adults to children
with classes taught by local, regional, and national artists. More
than 120 classes and workshops are offered, and enrollment is around
2,000 adults and 1,600 children and teenagers every year.
There are two galleries at the school that visitors can enjoy. The
Ursuline Hallway Gallery shows pieces by up and coming artists,
while the Russell Hill Rogers Gallery, found on the Navarro Campus,
displays pieces by more well-known regional, national, and international
artists.
History: The building
that now houses the Southwest School of Art and Craft has a history
that is possibly as extensive as that of the city of San Antonio
itself. In the 1840s Bishop Jean-Marie Odin bought 10 acres of land
for $1,000 with the intent of starting an Ursuline girls school
in San Antonio. The first group of teachers were brought to San
Antonio from Galveston in 1851 and the school was opened. By 1900,
there were 300 students enrolled in the Old Ursuline Academy. In
1965 the school moved to northwest San Antonio and the property
was abandoned. That same year the San Antonio Conservation Society
bought the building from the nuns.
Location: 300 Augusta,
San Antonio
Phone: (210) 224-1848
Website: www.swschool.org
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