SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture presents a new exhibit in commemoration of San Antonio’s Tricentennial that is currently open and runs through April 25, 2019. “30 Poems for the Tricentennial: A Poetic Legacy” combines poetry with graphic design to commemorate the more than 300-year history of San Antonio. It features poems submitted by 30 San Antonio poets that have been interpreted by 19 locally-based visual and graphic artists into two-dimensional art installations. The free exhibit is on display at the Culture Commons Gallery, 115 Plaza de Armas, 78205.

“As the first major city in Texas to appoint a Poet Laureate, San Antonio has a deep respect and long-standing appreciation for poetry,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. “This year of our Tricentennial, it is more fitting than ever that San Antonio’s history and legacy are shared through the combined literary and visual works showcased in this exhibit.”

In 2017, the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, with support from Gemini Ink, sponsored a poetry contest in honor of San Antonio’s Tricentennial. More than 300 poems were submitted by the San Antonio community. Thirty poems were selected by a panel of nationally-recognized poets to be featured in the exhibit and in a chapbook also entitled, “Thirty Poems for the Tricentennial: A Poetic Legacy.” The chapbook will be available for free at the opening reception and available upon request.

Participating poets: Mariana Aitches, Dario Beniquez, Diane Bertrand, Ariana Brown, Jacinto Cardona, Carolyn Chatham, Irene Chavez, Joyce Henefield Coleman, Aaron Deutsch, Cyra Dumitru, Cassandra Farrin, Fernando Esteban Flores, Sofia Fortuna, John Fry, Lisha Adela García, Lucas Jacob, Seres Jaime Magaña, Pablo Miguel Martínez, Robert McGowan, Regina Moya, Maya Obregon, Kamala Platt, Anjela Ratliff, Bárbara Renaud González, Ravi Shankar, Linda Simone, Burgin Streetman, John Tribble, Eduardo Vega, and Mobi Warren

Participating visual and graphic artists: Isabel Ann Castro, Paloma Cortez, Danielle Cunningham, Coral Diaz, Kazim Fahim, Adriana Garcia, Ron Garcia, Rigoberto Luna, Gilbert Martinez, Martha Martinez, Erin McAndrew, John Medina, Sharon Milford, Regina Morales, Rolando Murillo, AnaBellePepper, Moe Profane, Ray Tattooed Boy, and Frank Trejo

Two free poetry readings are scheduled in April during National Poetry Month to accompany the exhibit. Both events are open to the public and take place at Culture Commons Gallery, 115 Plaza de Armas.

· Thursday, April 4, 2019, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

· Thursday, April 11, 2019, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Culture Commons Gallery is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and is free and open to the public. More information is available at GetCreativeSanAntonio.com.