Southwest School of Art

Specialties

The Southwest School of Art is a leader in arts education, offering studio programs for more than 4000 adults, children and teens annually. Classes & workshops are taught by local, regional and national artists in state-​of-​the-​art facilities; the school will offer a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree starting in the fall of 2013.

The school also organizes contemporary art exhibitions, lectures, and concerts, as well as houses a history-​based Visitors Center Museum, a Gallery Shop, and a lunch café. During a typical year, more than 225,000 people attend events, view exhibits, take classes or visit historic site.

The Ursuline Campus is the former home of the Ursuline Academy & Convent, originally founded in 1851 as the first school for girls in San Antonio. On this campus are the school’s extensive ceramics & weaving studios, Young Artist Program area, the tranquil gardens, arching pecan trees, & historic buildings that make the school San Antonio’s «downtown oasis.»

History

Established in 1965.

The San Antonio Conservation Society purchased most of the property in 1965. In 1971, they offered it to a fledgling art school serving the San Antonio community. Over the next ten years, with the help of many benefactors, the art school purchased the property and restored the buildings and grounds, a process which continues today.

In 2006, the school was given a National Honor Award for Preservation by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in recognition of its work to protect the historic site. «The Southwest School of Art is an inspiring example of adaptive use and good stewardship,» said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. «What was once a vacant campus surrounded by parking lots has been transformed into a dynamic education center that has catalyzed the redevelopment of a once-​blighted section of downtown San Antonio.»

Meet the Manager

Paula O.

Manager

Southwest School of Art President, Paula Owen, (MFA, MS Ed, BA) has served on numerous national and regional boards and panels, including the Visual Arts Panel for the NEA, co-​edited the book of essays, Objects and Meaning: New Perspectives on Art and Craft and has written for several art periodicals. Her work is included in public and private collections throughout the U.S. and she continues to work in her studio.