A Nest in Every Corner

The Beacon at Midtown Gallery's September Closing Reception and Artist Talk features emerging artist Alex Bow and moderator/mentor Kim Bishop. Join us and the conversation as we learn about the inspiration and processes behind what Alex creates. Saturday, August 29, 3-6PM. The conversation begins at 4PM.

The Beacon at Midtown Gallery is located at 1136 W. Woodlawn Ave. in San Antonio, Texas.

Artist Statement

The intersection of memory and identity is what drives my current practice. Objects can store feelings and memory in a way that feels layered, accessible through empathizing with past versions of myself. Who I am today feels very different than who I was yesterday, but painting old objects makes it feel easier to communicate with the past. The histories embedded into these subjects have a permanent quality. In using the still life as a vehicle, I combine different objects from different eras and contexts to exchange stories. The narratives sampled from these objects range from familial grief, to the everyday domestic, to the complex feelings of growing up in the deep south. As a lifelong painter, I feel that working within the medium allows me to document stories through visuals that fit within my own mental framework. In overlapping,warping, and stretching objects, I play with hierarchy of information, building new pathways and narratives with familiar nodes.

About the Artist

Alex Bow is a multidisciplinary artist working out of San Antonio, Texas. Originally from Woodworth, Louisiana, she plays with imagery that references her childhood compared to her present life. She uses catfish, fried food, domesticity, and intimacy to create a dialogue between the deep south and personal identity. After earning her BA in 2018, she worked as a high school art teacher for two years in Louisiana. In 2021, she moved to San Antonio to pursue her Master’s of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), completing it in 2024. While in graduate school, she focused on painting, large scale papier mache installation, animation, and ceramics. She currently instructs studio art courses at UTSA, digital courses with Northwest Vista College (NVC), and works with high school artists through UTSA’s Teen Studio Intensive.

About the Moderator:

Kim Bishop is a nationally exhibited artist based in San Antonio, Texas, with over 35 years of art education experience. She holds an MFA in Contemporary Drawing and Painting from the University of Texas at San Antonio and advanced degrees from Texas State University. Her work appears in the collections of UTSA, Texas A&M Kingsville, the San Antonio Public Library, and the Pearl Brewery, as well as in public murals, bus stop installations, and 2020 U.S. Census Bureau billboards across Texas. Her latest public work, Poet's Pointe, a pocket park co-designed with Luis Valderas, debuted in San Antonio in October 2022. A co-founder of A3 street press and 3rd Space Art Gallery, Bishop also mentors artists through the New York Foundation for the Arts Immigrant Artist program. She currently serves as Teen Programs Coordinator for UTSA Professional and Continuing Education and as an adjunct Drawing professor at UTSA.

About The Beacon at Midtown

The Beacon at Midtown is a contemporary art gallery and studio space in the heart of San Antonio’s vibrant cultural corridor. Dedicated to celebrating diverse forms of artistic expression, The Beacon fosters a dynamic environment where artists and audiences come together through exhibitions, performances, and community-centered events. The Beacon at Midtown Gallery & Studios is open during public events or by appointment. Follow us on Facebook or Instagram @thebeaconatmidtown for updates on upcoming exhibitions, programs, and opportunities. The gallery is also available to host private events. For booking inquiries or more information, please contact Ron Felix at 210.313.2563 or  [email protected].