SAN ANTONIO, TX.- Ruby City’s upcoming winter/spring season offers a dynamic slate of free, community centered programs followed by new fall exhibitions that invite visitors of all ages to engage with contemporary art in meaningful ways. Highlights include a special screening of ASCO: Without Permission, presented with MonteVideo at Slab Cinema Arthouse, followed by a conversation with artist Kathy Vargas and scholar Dr. Ellen Riojas Clark moderated by Ruby City Director, Elyse A. Gonzales. Monthly meditation sessions led by Pamela Martinez will also continue, offering a restorative start to each third Sunday.
Artist-focused programming includes a walkthrough and reception for Bedroom Paintings on view at Ruby City through May, 10, 2026, with artist Joey Fauerso and Director Elyse A. Gonzales, alongside creative workshops such as dreamwork sessions with Leigh Baldwin and a Slow Looking + writing program led by poet Violeta Garza. From February 4, through March 6, Ruby City will participate in San Antonio’s Ekphrastic Poetry Competition, inviting writers to respond to Daniel Rios Rodriguez’s painting Norma, on view in Studio at Ruby City, as part of his exhibition Open This Wall on view through October 4, 2026.
For the first time, Ruby City will also participate in a weekend of art journalism and literary programming connected to the 2026 San Antonio Book Festival in April. Ruby City will host Ben Luke, an internationally respected art journalist, broadcaster, and author known for making contemporary art accessible through thoughtful conversation. As host of The Art Newspaper’s podcasts A brush with… and The Week in Art, and author of What Is Art For?, he explores artists’ creative processes, cultural influences, and lived experiences. His work closely aligns with Ruby City’s mission to welcome broad audiences into meaningful engagement with contemporary art and the ideas that shape our world. The spring season will close with Music in the Park in partnership with KRTU, in May spotlighting contemporary jazz.
In the summer, (June) Ruby City will present a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed Johannesburg-based artist Tracey Rose who is known for her fearless explorations of race, gender and power. The exhibition will feature 50 drawings by the artist.
The fall season will continue to offer free and engaging programs and events along with the opening of a major group exhibition in Ruby City’s architecturally striking galleries. This large-scale group show will feature works by female artists who explore, and counter tropes associated with what has historically been defined as the feminine experience. Works will include loans and those from the Linda Pace Foundation Collection, Ruby City. Rooted in Linda Pace’s commitment to championing women artists, the exhibition brings together drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, installation, and video .
The 2026 year concludes with Christmas Trees (2005–2006) by beloved now deceased San Antonio artist Chuck Ramirez, installed in Studio at Ruby City.
Commissioned by Linda Pace with the directive to make them excessive, stating, “More is more!” Ramirez’s exuberant artificial Christmas trees are decorated using lights, paint, beads, ornaments and unexpected found materials such as feather boas or artificial plants. They blur the line between decoration and fine art, offering a joyful, humorous and thought-provoking reflection on transformation, excess, and the beauty of the everyday.
