SAN ANTONIO — Museums reopened their doors, theaters welcomed back patrons and melodies filled San Antonio’s concert venues once again in 2021 as the city adjusted to the pandemic’s later stages while turning to the arts to help them move forward.
The opportunities for Alamo City families and art enthusiasts look to be even more robust in the new year, thanks to the efforts of local groups big and small. With the caveat that this is merely a sprinkling of how the next 12 months looks right now, here are 22 arts and entertainment happenings scheduled over that time that you should mark on your own 2022 calendar.
1.
Now’s your shot to catch one of Broadway’s hottest acts! The Majestic kicks off 2022 by welcoming back the smash hit “Hamilton” on its stage in January.
Running now through Jan. 16 at the Majestic Theatre (105 South Saint Mary's St.).
2.
San Antonio’s children’s museum, The DoSeum, is kicking off 2022 with a campaign focused on building greater understanding of those who make up the mosaic of the Alamo City community. “Uniquely Us: Understanding Race and Building Unity” kicks off Jan. 15 and was built “in response to families asking The DoSeum for childhood-age resources on race and racism.”
Opens Jan. 15 at The DoSeum (2800 Broadway St.).
3.
A new education series tailored to visitors of all ages will bring hands-on experiences to the Briscoe when Full STEAM Ahead kicks off later this month. A variety of programs will focus on everything from transportation and weather to animals and astronomy to provide a kaleidoscopic view of life in the American West.
Series begins Jan. 15 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum (210 West Market St., with events held on the third Saturday of each month.
4.
World-renowned astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson will speak at the Tobin in January, more than two years after he was originally scheduled to visit San Antonio. If you bought a ticket to that December, 2019 show, the Tobin is honoring your voucher for admission.
Scheduled for Jan. 19 at the Tobin Center’s H-E-B Performance Hall (100 Auditorium Circle).
5.
In March, Magik Theatre will hold the Texas premiere of a new children’s show inspired by Selena Quintanilla’s legacy. “Selena Maria Sings,” which explores the singer’s cultural impact through another young artist, also features a personal touch: The playwright, Miriam Gonzales, is from Corpus Christi and had a front-row seat to Quintanilla’s ascendance before her tragic death.
Opens March 4 at the Magik Theatre.
6.
The Blue Star Contemporary is continuing to recommend mask usage as it prepares for the 2022 premiere of First Friday this week, but it also has new exhibits in the works. Among them is “Threads Bare,” which will examine cultural identities via the “intersections of art and fashion.” It will run for several weeks this spring.
Opens Feb. 4 at Blue Star.
7.
As part of its upcoming exhibit on “Georgia O’Keeffe and American Modernism,” the McNay is organizing a virtual chat focused on the art legend’s lesser-known sister, Ida, herself a gifted painter. The discussion will be led by Dallas-based curator Sue Canterbury.
Scheduled for Feb. 8; exhibit opens Jan. 21 at the McNay Art Museum (6000 North New Braunfels Ave.).
8.
The Witte Museum’s ongoing “Black Cowboys: An American Story” exhibit runs through April, and curators have planned a handful of events for the coming weeks to further expand visitors’ understanding on the lives and work of Black families. In the first, scheduled for Jan. 18, a panel will discuss the details of those very lives and traditions.
Exhibit ongoing through April, events scheduled for Jan. 18, Feb. 15 and March 28 at the Witte (3801 Broadway St.).
9.
The current iteration of Woodlawn Theatre, geared towards live stage productions and educational programs, will celebrate its 10 anniversary in 2022. Among the shows planned for this year: “Hairspray,” “The Little Mermaid” and “The Color Purple.”
Woodlawn Theatre’s 2022 season kicks off March 4 with “Hairspray.”
10.
A San Antonio-born artist known for his exploration of timeless themes through a multimedia lens, Donald Moffett has yet to have had a museum exhibition focused on his work in his hometown. That changes in March when “Donald Moffett / Nature Cult” opens at the McNay, placing a renewed spotlight on the Texan’s work.
Opens March 17 at the McNay Art Museum (6000 North New Braunfels Ave.).
11.
Agarita, the local chamber ensemble which prioritizes community access to the arts, will team up with San Antonio-based electronic music composer Nadia Botello in May for a free public concert.
Scheduled for May 6, location TBD.
12.
The Tejano Conjunto Festival is set to celebrate 40 years of bringing together conjunto music fans when it returns in May.
The festival is set for May 15 to May 22, at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (723 South Brazos Street).
13.
While the surge in omicron cases has postponed it until further notice, Artpace is preparing its “Mystic Toolkit exhibit,” a collection featuring artistic depictions of “daily rituals of coping, healing and grieving that have become indispensable in recent times.” Originally scheduled to open this week, keep an eye on Artpace’s social media channels for the latest on an opening-night date.
Opening night date TBD at Artpace (445 N. Main Ave.).
14.
Santikos’s takeover of the former Alamo Drafthouse Westlakes location will be complete sometime this spring when the San Antonio-based theater company reveals a makeover complete with all-new seats, an arcade, and refined sound and projection. Later in the year, movie lovers can look forward to checking out Santikos’s renovated Silverado theater on the northwest side.
15.
You don’t get many opportunities in life to observe a Picasso in person. McNay visitors will have that very chance come May, when “Picasso & Braque: Radicals” will showcase masters of the Cubism movement (Georges Braque along with the aforementioned Pablo Picasso), along with other artists inspired by their work.
Opens May 25 at the McNay Art Museum (6000 North New Braunfels Ave.).
16.
2022 will be the first full year of movie screenings for Art House at Blue Star, Slab Cinema’s indoor component that kicked into gear this summer. Film aficionados can grab their popcorn and come by for modern classics or, for those daring to go high-brow, Cinephile Sundays showcase films from innovators like Jean-Luc Godard and Pedro Almodovar.
Find tickets and showtimes here.
17.
Featuring artwork dating back to the waning years of the 19th century from various private and institutional collections, “The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America” is an upcoming Briscoe exhibit expected to showcase the wide-ranging evolution of Western art.
Opens May 27 at the Briscoe Western Art Museum (210 West Market St.).
18.
In June the Carver Community Cultural Center will shine a spotlight on Sterling Houston, the San Antonian who penned over a dozen plays before he passed away in 2006. The Sterling Houston Festival will showcase productions, concerts and discussions exploring the artist's work.
Scheduled for June at the Carver Community Cultural Center (226 North Hackberry).
19.
Centro Cultural Aztlan will showcase Latino history and myth through figures like La Llorona and Quetzalcoatl, depicted with a lucha-libre spin. The intent is for the exhibit, dubbed “The Return of Quetzalcoatl: Heroes, Villains and Monsters,” to pay homage to both lucha libre films as well as Chicano stories. And all the art on display will be created by Xavier Garza.
Scheduled for July at Centro Cultural Aztlan (1800 Fredericksburg Rd., Unit 103).
20.
Ruby City visitors will be treated to the biggest overhaul of its main galleries since the SoFlo arts center opened in 2019, with various new works curated by Director Elyse Gonzales. Expect to see new art from national, international and local artists.
New installation opens Sept. 8 at Ruby City (150 Camp St.).
21.
Also at the Witte this year will be a thoroughly detailed showcase of “Monster Fish.” No, not Bruce the great white shark, but rather the fish who live in river basins around the world and help sustain the lives of people who live near them. “Monster Fish” will feature maps, sculptures and custom illustrations.
Opens Oct. 7 at the Witte (3801 Broadway St.).
22.
The Rocket Man himself, Elton John, will stop by San Antonio in October on his prolonged “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour, serving up some of the greatest pop-rock hits of the last half-century to fans at what’s sure to be a rocking Alamodome.
Concert scheduled for Oct. 29 at the Alamodome (100 Montana St.).