SAN ANTONIO — A new art gallery is opening downtown that’s likely to show up in your Instagram feed.
Hopscotch is pegged as an “immersive and experiential art gallery” that encompasses a two-story, 20,000 square foot space adjacent to Travis Park. The colorful, larger than life displays lend themselves to selfies and impromptu photos. The gallery started in Austin in 2018 and is now permanently settling in its new San Antonio location.
It’s set to open Friday, October 2, with 14 uniquely curated installations from more than 40 local, national and international artists - the majority of them hail from the San Antonio area.
Hopscotch’s mission encompasses a realm of reality beyond its doors, as stated on the gallery’s website: “We believe art can be a vessel to tell stories and illuminate important messages of the past, present and future.”
"We wanted to touch on that childlike wonder that we have when we're younger and want adults to come in and feel like they can explore that way and just be curious," said Hopscotch co-founder, Nicole Jensen.
From various exhibits appropriately called the "Infinity Boxes" to the "Rainbow Cave" - brace yourself for a colorful palette of things to taken in. Back to the pink and purple image above - not to spoil it for you - but that's the one called the "Rainbow Cave" and it's made out of salvaged plastic bags and fishing nets. A description in a Facebook post says it "glamorizes our waste and invites us to reconsider our relationship with it by making the discarded precious." In total, 40,000 plastic bags were used - which is the same amount of bags used every 2.5 minutes in Texas, according to Hopscotch.
As for the "Infinity Boxes" installation, it uses color, light and mirrors - which create optical illusions that are said to "envelop the viewer" when they peer inside.
"We started working on this concept almost three years ago, so it's been a long, long road to get to this point, and it is an incredible amount of work," said Jensen.
If you are thinking of going, Hopscotch says it is best to buy your tickets in advance and to plan on spending about an hour. The gallery is open from Friday through Sunday to the general public and all ages are welcome - except for sessions starting at 7 p.m. that are reserved for adults only. Hopscotch is open Monday through Thursday for private events. Face masks are required.
Hopscotch's address is 711 Navarro Street, Suite 100, which is inside the Travis Park Plaza Building. The main entrance is located on the park side at the corner of Navarro Street and Travis Street, on the west side of Travis Park.
General admission tickets for adults are $23. There are discounts for students, seniors (65 and older), military, teachers and healthcare and first responders with ID - those tickets cost $20. Tickets for children ages 4-13 are $15 and children 3 and under are free. Parking is also validated for three hours if you use the Travis Park Plaza Garage.
There is a gift shop, which is open to the public and Hopscotch says it is “full of unique curiosities that we encourage you to explore.”
To learn more, visit their website (which has a comprehensive FAQ section), go to their Facebook page or check them out on Instagram.
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