AMEC Grand Opening Juneteenth Weekend
About this Event
Join us for the grand opening weekend of the St. James AMEC Culture Crossing, a historic new public art and cultural site in downtown San Antonio honoring Black history and the enduring stories, culture, and contributions that continue to shape our community along San Pedro Creek.
Discovered unexpectedly during the restoration of San Pedro Creek in 2020, the original foundations of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church revealed a powerful chapter of San Antonio’s Reconstruction-era history. Founded in 1867, St. James AME Church was the first AME church in San Antonio and became a center for worship, education, civil rights, political participation, and community leadership for generations of Black San Antonians.
Now transformed into the St. James AMEC Culture Crossing, the site features “Presence of the Past,” a large-scale public art installation by internationally recognized artist Gordon Huether, alongside the Community Engagement Pavilion featuring poetry and community storytelling by San Antonio Poet Laureate Emeritus Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson. Together, these works create a space for reflection, gathering, and celebration rooted in the voices and histories of the community.
This Juneteenth weekend series invites the public to experience the site through conversation, music, spirituality, history, and celebration.
EVENTS INCLUDE:
Thursday, June 18 – 10:00 AM
Press Event & Public Gathering
A commemorative opening event celebrating the completion of the St. James AMEC Culture Crossing Design Enhancements Project.
Friday, June 19 – 7:00 PM
Texas Public Radio Panel Conversation
An evening discussion exploring the history, cultural significance, and continuing impact of St. James AME Church and the San Pedro Creek site. See list of speakers below.
Panelists for Friday June 19:
Gordon Huether, Lead Artist
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson, Poet Laureate Emeritus of San Antonio
Steve Tompka of Raba Kistner, Archeologist
Pastor Cynthia Ladson, St. James AME Church
Lon Taylor, St. James AME Church
Everett Fly, SAAACAM Historian
Katherine Kuehler Walters, PhD, Historian, archivist, editor, and research consultant
Sunday, June 21 – 10:00 AM
Make Music Gospel Celebration & Sermon
A community gathering featuring gospel music, sermon programming, and celebration honoring the spiritual traditions and enduring legacy of St. James AME Church.
Advance registration is encouraged. Reserve your tickets today and be part of this important moment in San Antonio history. See Musician and Artist below.
About the Artists
Gordon Huether was born in Rochester, NY in 1959, to German immigrant parents. Having dual citizenship in Germany and the U.S., Huether has spent much time traveling between both countries. Huether learned art composition and appreciation at an early age from his father. In the course of his initial artistic explorations, Huether was resolved to create a lasting impact on the world around him through the creation of large-scale works of art. Projects have included art installations for private corporations, airports, transportation centers, parking garages, hotels, universities, hospitals, recreation centers, civic buildings, libraries, and museums. Huether began to concentrate on the intellectual and emotional message one can deliver through an artistic creation. His work became about communicating a story, not just creating objects of beauty. Until this day, much of his work is inspired by the effects nature has on man-made materials such as the rusty patterns present in deteriorating metal. These materials, translated into works of art, serve as a reminder of the temporal character of man’s achievements and the awe-inspiring forces of nature. Huether’s work has been exhibited at museums and galleries, and collected across the United States, in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York. He has received more than 70 public art commissions and more than 175 private commissions. For more information, please visit gordonhuether.com.
Andrea “Vocab” Sanderson is a San Antonio native and Poet Laureate Emeritus of San Antonio. Her dynamic style’s a fusion of: poetry, hip hop and R&B. She is a teaching artist that enjoys facilitating workshops all over the nation. She has had the distinct honor of writing commissioned poetry and opening up for: Angela Davis, Dr. Cornel West, and Phylicia Rashad. Her awards include: The Arts and Letters Award, 2020. Best Local Poet 2023 and 2021, by the San Antonio Current. In 2021, she received an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship for her legacy work on The Echo Project, which was featured on KLRN. Vocab’s debut book, She Lives In Music, was published on Flower Song Press and all of her albums are available for streaming on all music platforms. In 2022 & 2023, she received Creation Fund grants from National Performance Network for her forthcoming theater production with Lubana Al-Quntar entitled, The Seasoned Woman, a production that’s co-commissioned by The Carver and Art2Action. Vocab has collaborated with Centro San Antonio with the public art pieces featuring her poetry: Elevated Melanin, a tribute to that piece is located in Peacock Alley and more recently Permission to Play, a multidisciplinary mural featuring the art of Barbara Felix located on Commerce Street, in downtown San Antonio. For more information, please visit andreavocabsanderson.com.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
