Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
The Ursuline Campus of the Southwest School of Art & Craft, on the National Register of Historic Places, is located on the edge of downtown San Antonio, on the scenic River Walk.
On this historic site, a convent was established in 1851, when seven Catholic nuns arrived in San Antonio to start San Antonio's first school for girls. The complex expanded throughout the 1800s under the architectural direction of Francois Giraud.
In 1965, the Sisters moved the academy because the historic buildings had fallen into serious disrepair, and the San Antonio Conservation Society purchased most of the property. 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.
What is your primary product or service?
The Southwest School of Art & Craft is a nationally-recognized leader in arts education, offering studio programs for more than 4000 adults, children and teens annually. Classes and workshops are taught by outstanding local, regional and national artists in state-of-the-art facilities; the school offers a certificate program for professional artists and craftspersons.
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 the historic site.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
Reflecting our long-standing role as a core San Antonio arts institution, our Mobile Arts Program disperses artist-teachers to more than 60 schools and social service agencies during the year, giving local children hands-on learning in fine art and traditional craft media; attendance in this program exceeds 40,000 annually.
How many locations do you have and do you have plans to expand?
Located on two adjacent campuses, the school’s 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 and weaving studios, its Young Artist Program area, the tranquil gardens, arching pecan trees and historic buildings that make the school San Antonio ’s “downtown oasis.” The Navarro Campus is the site of the school’s contemporary exhibition galleries and its high-tech classrooms and studios for photography, metals, printmaking, digital imaging, paper and book arts, as well as drawing and painting.
Provide detailed directions to your location
The Southwest School of Art & Craft is located on the edge of San Antonio ’s downtown, at the intersection of Augusta and Navarro Streets, across from the San Antonio Central Public Library. Parking is available at the Ursuline Campus, 300 Augusta.
What type of payments do you accept?
Cash, checks and credit cards (Visa/MasterCard/Discover/American Express) are accepted.
Contact Southwest School of Art:
