Tue, Aug 11
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

ARTifacts
(notes on culture)

addthis_pub = ‘thill’;

By Sarah Fisch

The small traffic island at the intersection of Josephine and North St. Mary’s Streets, directly outside the Josephine Street Theater, hosts three abstracted, angular, yet weirdly anthropomorphic metal sculptures, a family of sorts entitled “Cor-Linche Triad.” Welded and donated by sculptor Michael Bigger back in 1989, they honor the memory of San Anto’s real-estate arts visionary, Arthur “Hap” Veltman — River Walk developer, Bonham Exchange founder, Blue Star fairy godfather, and San Anto-urban lifestyle and gay-rights pioneer [see “The Visionary,” November 25, 2008.] In the 20 years since Hap fell to AIDS, Bigger’s triad has fallen victim, at least three times, to collisions with automobiles. Their most recent re-installation was spearheaded in no small part due to Gene Elder, art- and LGBT activist, bon vivant, Archivist of the HAPPY Foundation LGBT Archives, occasional Current on-the-street correspondent, and Veltman’s best friend.

This Tuesday, at 10 a.m., the City of San Antonio Parks and Rec Department and the San Antonio Conservation Society will host a dedication ceremony for the Arthur Veltman Urban Art Island. Ray Palmer, the director of nearby High Wire Arts, will serve coffee. Happy’s legacy will be finally made into official San Anto arts history. And, hopefully, nobody will get run over.

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