Step into the ‘Calavera Collection’ at La Villita Historic Arts Village this October! 🌺✨ Featuring over 40 giant skulls intricately hand-painted by San Antonio artists, this free exhibit will be on display during the Day of the Dead festival in Maverick Plaza, along the River Walk, and at Chef Johnny Hernandez’s restaurants.
Curated by renowned artist Rubio, this vibrant collection celebrates the beauty of the sugar skull and our rich cultural heritage. Special thanks to sponsors CPS Energy, Noble Texas Builders, Frost Bank, and Chef Johnny Hernandez for making this possible. 🎨💀✨
This year, ten, giant, new skulls have been created for San Antonio’s popular Calavera Collection, featuring 40 stunning calaveras hand-painted by local artists. They’re now on display in Maverick Plaza, throughout La Villita, and along the River Walk. These colorful and intricately painted calaveras may also be found at Chef Johnny Hernandez’ popular restaurants throughout the city, including La Gloria, Burgerteca, Casa Hernan, and others.
Can’t deport us all
By Chino Chris Martinez
This art installation is designed and dedicated to all the fallen Chicano Lowrider painters who have inspired my creation and my full-time workflow.
Memories en el desierto
By Eva Calderon
Through vibrant colors and symbolic imagery, I reflect on our Mexican heritage , the resilience passed down through generations, and the beauty of growing up in the desert.
Alebrije de vision unificada
By Paco Garcia
The Jaguar represents powerful divine instinct and perseverance amidst transformation. The Ollin represents a symbol of vision that remains stable, even in times of movement.
Chula Dair
By Mother Death on the Horizon
“Mother Death on the Horizon” depicts a futuristic landscape of life constantly persisting.
Rachel Kamata
By Mail to the Afterlife
Reflects on how societies forget—how repetition replaces reflection as attention spans shorten and our capacity for long-term thinking erodes.
Amor Y Luto
By Vicente Apolinar
The sentiment with this piece is rather straight forward. Its about cherishing the strongest form of love.
JARDIN DE MUERTOS
BY DANI TORAL
An interdisciplinary artist, Toral explores her Hispanic heritage through vibrant botanical and culinary visuals, drawing from her upbringing in Mexico City
MEMENTO BY JAGWIRED ART
Works that delve into culture and symbology, using vibrant colors to explore the connections between humans and nature, transporting viewers into fantastical realms.
BLOOSOM OF BONES BY CHANEL AVILA
Progressing to the back of the skull I pay great homage to my grandparents.
DEATH’S DISCERNMENT BY ELIJAH & ELLIYAH POSADA
Twin sibling artists from San Antonio, the Posadas have cultivated their love for art through collaborative projects and community engagement.
ST MICHAEL ARCHANGEL BY CAROLINA FLORES
With a BFA and MFA in painting, Flores’ expressive brushstrokes and vibrant colors have garnered her recognition, including pieces in the Smithsonian archives.
FOREVER YOURS BY LOOT ACHRIS
Based in San Antonio, Achris earned her BFA from the Southwest School of Art in 2018.
THERMAL GRAPHICS
BY ROMA SANDOVAL
Born in San Antonio, Sandoval is a Mexican and Native American painter with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design.
CELEBRATION
BY CONNIE CHAPA
A prominent “Low Brow” artist, Chapa blends kitsch with a contemporary edge. Often crafted on deep black velvet, draw from vintage pin-up and whimsical cartoons.
EL PASO BY ENRIQUE MARTINEZ
My skull, “El Paso” represents the passage of the dead, into our mortal realm on the Day of the Dead.
MY 90 WESTSIDE STORY BY ANGELICA GOMEZ MAYORGA
Progressing to the back of the skull I pay great homage to my grandparents.
VECINO BY PHIL LANE
The idea and theme were inspired by a message posted on a church billboard, “Love your neighbor. No exceptions.“
COMO LA CHICHARRA BY ARIEL LUNA ANAIS
In glimmering song, the insects gently lead the sunset procession like spiritual guides for those departed.
LIFE / DEATH BY EVA MARENGO SANCHEZ
My calavera is about how close life and death are to each other.
RESILIENT LOVE BY GABRIEL GARCIA
Growing up in San Antonio, nopales had mostly existed in the periphery of my daily life.
FLOWER POWER BY MICHELLE LOVE
Flower Power was inspired by the cycle of Life. Flowers symbolize the beauty of Life and celebration of the joyful moments that make Life worth living.
LEGENDS NEVER DIE BY CRYSTAL ARIAS
My calavera is paying tribute to Riley Gale from Power Trip and Wade Allison from Iron Age.
DE LAS ESTRELLAS, HASTA LA TIERRA BY GERARDO Q GARCIA
We, as humans, are made of star dust & upon death, we feed the earth with our physical remains.
SMILE NOW, FLY LATER
BY SHEK VEGA AND NIK SOUP
In the world we find ourselves in it can be difficult to find a reason to smile.
PEPSI BY RUBIO
Rubio is a Contemporary Chicano Artist, San Antonio born and raised in the West Side.
CRYSTAL VISIONS BY CELESTE DE LUNA
CRYSTAL VISIONS WAS INSPIRED BY MIGRATION OF THREATENED ANIMALS IN TEXAS
DISSENTER’S HOPE BY ANABEL TORIBIO-MARTINEZ
Dissenter’s Hope is a homage to the honorable Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
WABI SABI
Wabi Sabi, a Japanese philosophy which can be translated to the idea of embracing the beauty of the imperfect, or in simple terms, perfectly imperfect.
POR MIS HUEVOS
Inspired by different ranch animals capable of much more than meets the eye, much like the women who they are inspired by.
PARA MI FAMILIA
When creating my artwork I am heavily influenced by my Latinx culture. Honduras is the country where my parents were born in and where most of my family still remains.
SOLTAR
The purple heart or the wandering jew plant is repeated throughout this piece.
POR MIS HUEVOS
Inspired by different ranch animals capable of much more than meets the eye, much like the women who they are inspired by.
PARA MI FAMILIA
The rich history & culture of my family & Raza holds a significant place in my life & art.
ORBITING LUPITA DOLLS
Elizabeth Rodriguez was born in San Antonio Texas and is a full-time artist. She began her career as a self-taught artist and later apprenticed with world renowned artist Jesse Trevino for fifteen years.
THE UNINVITED GUEST
Delightfully macabre characters with bulbous eyeballs rolling back in their skulls or popping out of their craniums.
NACIMIENTO LEVE
The skull’s title is: Nacimiento Leve, which is Spanish for “Mild Birth”. This pieceemphasizes the birth of life and the struggles encountered.
THE LIGHT
The cempasuchil is a symbol for the sun’s light in Mexican tradition, and is used to help lead the souls of loved ones from their resting place to the altars families make on the Day of the Dead.
SPECIAL THANK YOU TO RUBIO
ZARAPE
Rubio is a Contemporary Chicano Artist, born and raised in the West Side of San Antonio. Rubio has instructed community-based public art programming through non-profit arts organizations.
📍FIND IT AT THE PEARL
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