New exhibit bolsters UTSA’s community arts and engagement mission

A screen print called "Witch" by Andy Warhol.

JULY 26, 2024 — One of the largest donations to the UTSA Libraries Art Collection includes 114 artworks by internationally renowned creatives such as Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe and Robert Longo.

Nearly half of this collection will be on display in a new exhibit titled, “Cultural Bounty: The Beckstead • Lerma • Annala Collection,” which is scheduled to run from Thursday, August 1 to Saturday, November 2, at the Russell Hill Rogers Galleries in the John L. Santikos building on the UTSA Southwest Campus.

The exhibit features selected works, including paintings, lithographs, sculptures, photography, woodblock prints and other art forms, from a generous donation by Alan Craig Beckstead, Daniel Lerma and Stephen Alexander Annala to the UTSA Art Collection and  the Arturo Infante Almeida UTSA Art Collection Endowment. The trio has been collecting art together since 1998. 

“This donation significantly enhances the university’s artistic holdings and provides invaluable resources for students, scholars and the public.”

Raul Rene Gonzalez’s “O’Banion’s Car Wash" is a pen-on-paper project.

"This donation significantly enhances the university’s artistic holdings and provides invaluable resources for students, scholars and the public,” said UTSA Art Collection Curator Arturo Infante Almeida. “The art displayed across the university’s four campuses brings vibrance and cultural enrichment to the buildings students use most often.”

Almeida continued, “For Alan, Danny and Steve, art collecting has been a journey fueled by a genuine passion for art. This exhibition not only showcases their remarkable gift to UTSA, but it also honors their enduring legacy and significant contributions to the arts.”

Cultural Bounty offers visitors a chance to experience a diverse array of powerful artistic expressions. Among the highlights are iconic creations such as Warhol’s screenprint “Electric Chair” and his silkscreen “Witch;” and Mapplethorpe’s “Ken Moody (Nude with Leaf),” a single-color photo with watercolor.

The three donors are featured in a painting by Sara Vanderbeek.

The exhibit also spotlights works from San Antonio’s vibrant arts community. Raul Rene Gonzalez’s “O’Banion’s Car Wash,” a pen-on-paper project; Fernando Andrade’s stone lithograph, “A Jugar La Pinche Guerrita;” “Nocturne Healer I,” a wood block print by UTSA alum Richard Armendariz ’95; Abraham Mojica’s “No Regrets,” an acrylic on canvas; and notably Sara Vanderbeek’s painting of the three donors, “Steve, Danny, and Alan.” This range of perspectives ensures that there is something for every art lover to appreciate.

The donors’ decades-long friendship with Almeida, and their appreciation of the UTSA Art Collection has spurred the trio’s desire to donate a large part of their collection to UTSA. It represents one of the largest gifts to the art collection in recent history.

Beckstead is a former Southwestern Bell Corporation executive. Lerma is a former hair stylist and salon owner, and Annala is a retired accountant. Over the years, they have built a network of other art collectors and friends who have influenced their collection. While all three are now retired, they donate their time to senior citizens, including driving them to doctor’s appointments, providing free haircuts and assisting with fundraising activities for senior centers.

The public is invited to celebrate the launch of the exhibit at an opening reception at 6 p.m. on Thursday, September 5, at the Russell Hill Rogers Galleries. All three donors will be there, enabling attendees to gain insights into the collection's creation and curation.

UTSA Arts, in partnership with the UTSA Libraries and the UTSA School of Art, is organizing the exhibit and the opening reception. 

"UTSA Arts is honored to present works from the Beckstead•Lerma•Annala Art Collection, chosen by curator Arturo Infante Almeida," said Scott Sherer, professor in the UTSA Department of Art History and director of Galleries. "This collection contains provocative works that explore social and cultural themes, identity, personal experiences and conceptual possibilities, inspiring the individual collectors and supporting artists in their creative endeavors."

UTSA Arts is dedicated to community arts education, public-facing performances and exhibitions and arts-based research and partnerships to enhance the accessibility of the arts for the public. Through UTSA Arts, the university community has had the opportunity to experience notable exhibitions of artists such as Kukuli Velarde and Delita Martin.

"‘Cultural Bounty: The Beckstead • Lerma • Annala Collection’ is more than an exhibition; it is a celebration of generosity and a showcase of artistic innovation that enriches our UTSA and San Antonio communities," said Dean Hendrix, UTSA vice provost and university librarian. "This event highlights the power of art to inspire, aspire, question, connect, provoke thought and bring communities together."

— Germaine Willams and Nick Ward