On Tuesday, faculty and staff assembled at Texas A&M-San Antonio’s weekly War Room, a weekly meeting to update faculty and staff on University business, to hear details of the University’s plan to begin a downtown cultural arts center.
Marilu Reyna, associate vice president for institutional advancement and university communications, and President Maria Hernandez Ferrier provided an overview of the 5-year lease agreement to take over the financially troubled Museo Alameda located at 101 S. Santa Rosa St.
Under a new agreement unanimously approved by City Council Aug. 30, the City of San Antonio’s office of cultural affairs will lease A&M-San Antonio the Smithsonian-affiliated museum.
Reyna said the University intends to create a downtown presence and continue its educational mission.
“We want to continue to tell the story of the Latino experience with a focus on San Antonio through local art, regional art history and culture with a very strong educational component that will expand on our current vision as a University,” Reyna said.
Ferrier said, “This is really exciting for us and we will seek to keep its Smithsonian affiliation.
“It is just an amazing place,” Ferrier added, noting its central downtown location.
Major initiatives at a glance
- Produce excellent educational and artistic cultural programs;
- Secure private foundation partnerships for funding opportunities to fund facility;
- Hold recruiting events and establish a downtown presence for A&M-San Antonio and;
- Offer large-scale special events to generate income through event rental (weddings, office parties and conference rental).
Partnership Initiatives
- Expand the partnership with Cafe College;
- Continue partnership with Henry Ford Academy, Alameda School for Art & Design Academy and;
- Be a good neighbor/tenant and work alongside Market Square tenants, including the Cortez family, owners of Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia.
The Agreement
In the first three years of the lease, the City of San Antonio will invest $305,000 for security, utilities, repairs and electrical costs. Read the ordinance for details on the agreement.
The city will also invest $150,000 for exhibit programming. The University will lease the facility from the office of cultural affairs for $1 per year, the same rent paid by Centro Alameda Inc., the nonprofit organization formed to run Museo Alameda.
Under the agreement, A&M-San Antonio agreed to invest $200,000 in education programs and $100,000 for in-kind salaries for personnel.
Museo Alameda has been open since 1949 and became affiliated with Smithsonian in 1996. In 1997 Centro Alameda, Inc., a nonprofit organization, signed a twenty-five year lease. In 2010, they were asked to end the contract and vacate the premises due to low attendance and increasing debt.
However, the City Council gave the organization another chance with a $450,000 bailout while also taking over security, maintenance, and utilities. This plan is due to expire Sept. 30.
The council had plans to shutdown the institution until a permanent solution could be made.
Best kept secret on campus
Until Tuesday, many staff and administrators were aware that a proposal had been submitted to City Council, but were hazy on the details. Approached last week, a University school head and a member of the university relations team said they knew little and it was “kept on the down-low.”
The close-lipped negotiations were necessary, Reyna said, because “they did not want to jeopardize negotiations.”
Reyna said writing of the proposal began about six months ago.
Reached Wednesday, Felix Padron, the City of San Antonio’s director of cultural affairs, said that they began talking to various entities, including A&M-San Antonio about taking over Museo Alameda to prevent temporary closure.
“I think once A&M-San Antonio took a look at the facility, they realized what a wonderful addition it would be to the University,” Padron said.
He said the University submitted a proposal and negotiated details with the council until an agreement could be made.
“With the steady flow of finances from the City Council and A&M-San Antonio, we can make the facility a success,” Padron said.
Fine arts program
Reyna said the University will work closely with the office of cultural affairs to determine arts programming and finding a curator to design permanent exhibits.
“We want to do it right, so it will take some time to develop a strategic plan and timeline,” Reyna said.
She said: “With the City of San Antonio, we’re going to be dedicated to discovering and sharing the transnational experience of Latinos in America.”
She added that substantial educational programming can’t begin until after the University’s accreditation process is complete, but other plans could begin sooner including “a wonderful exhibit of local artists” and rotating exhibits of local talent.
Reyna said one of the goals of the education and cultural arts center is to help A&M-San Antonio launch a fine arts program for the University and a kindergarten-to-12th-grade fine arts summer academy to take place in the facility.
“We do not have a fine arts program at the University yet, but we thought it might serve as a catalyst for bringing in visiting instructors from the fine arts departments from area colleges to help us start this summer institute,” Reyna said.
These plans are in the years to come, she said, but again no classes will be offered until the University is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Other potential partnerships include bringing in School of Education to develop an arts curriculum.
Reyna said the University received support from A&M System Chancellor John Sharp. She said the University plans to “tap into system resources” to strategize how the facility is used.
She listed personnel who helped plan the George Bush Library and faculty from A&M-Corpus Christi’s fine arts department as resources that may help them plan.
Special events coordinator first staff person to transfer
Special events Coordinator Miki Rubio will be the first staff member to relocate to the facility in early October. Rubio said the top priority once they have moved into the building is to setup networking and plan for space use.
Reyna said that “some University staff will be housed there,” but at the current time no new positions will be created. Any positions that are filled will be staffed with current employees.
“Right now there are no set plans,” Rubio said. “As time passes we’ll begin making those decisions.”
Rubio said that this building will now give the University presence downtown and help the University become part of the community.
“We want to keep the Smithsonian aspect the building was based upon,” Rubio said. “We saw this opportunity as a good foot in the door,” she added.
Padron said that downtown San Antonio is already a cultural destination and with A&M-San Antonio becoming part of Museo Alameda, the education program will further enhance the exhibit and the exhibit will further enhance the education program.
“We are doing this for the students,” Rubio said. “We want this to be something they can be proud of.”
