Mission San José Artist-in-Residence Program,
Unesco World Heritage Site: San Antonio Missions National Historic Park
San Antonio, Texas, USA
In the exhibit, Portals of a People, Sabra Booth utilizes printmaking skills to create light works in the Soldier's Quarters exhibits area and granary in the north part of Mission San José. She also has directed a stop motion animation displayed in the Visitor’s Center. She has gathered an extensive collection of native plants from the San Antonio area to build collagraph plates. The title of the project refers to various openings, such as windows and doors in the exhibit area. Her work is printed on translucent Japanese kōzo paper attached to cedar frames. Designs are based on prehistoric artifacts excavated from the Missions area, which she studied at UTSA’s Center for Archaeological Research. The prints celebrate plants that were essential to the indigenous peoples lives, in terms of diet, spirituality, and personal expression. Visitors, of all ages, will be able to engage with the exhibit using an activity that involves identifying plants and their uses. Accompanying the exhibit, will be several special workshops in which participants can make prints. Portals of a People is a quiet intervention in the San José Mission which prompts reflection on the local flora and prehistoric peoples whose descendants are an important part of the cultural diversity in San Antonio today.
Go here to view the prints.
Go here to view the animation.