Semmes Gallery
Semmes Gallery, located in the Kelso Art Center, is one of three gallery spaces at the University of the 
Incarnate Word. Frequently hosting students, guest artists, and solo and collective exhibitions, it is a dynamic gallery featuring works as diverse as the artists themselves. At any given time, guests may find paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, photography, digital art and more.
FALL 2026 Art Exhibitions:
Into The Woods Presented by Phuong Thao Baker
Exhibit on Display: Monday, Aug. 24 – Friday, Sept. 25, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, 6 - 8 p.m.
Artist Note:
My work and inspiration have evolved over a long professional career. The journey has included both the process of mastering skills and techniques, as well as a lifelong devotion to learning and adaptation. The inspiration has been held together by a thread that follows a path through history and traditional artists. This is the path of Georgia O’Keeffe, Nicolai Fechin, Claude Monet and other realists who found our natural environment a thing of beauty that could be loved without the need for a deeper understanding. The work doesn’t need interpretation. I find my happy place outdoors observing and capturing the changes in the quality of light as the day progresses with a and nearly magical effect on vision and interpretation. The art is in how I paint a painting.
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Kelso Art Center / Semmes and Condos Galleries
(Broadway and Hildebrand on UIW campus)
Free and Open to the Public
Wardell Picquet: Across Time Presented by Wardell Picquet
Exhibit on Display: Monday, Oct. 5 – Friday, Oct. 30, 2026
Opening Reception: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, 6 - 8 p.m.
Wardell Picquet: Across Time presents more than four decades of work by New Orleans–born visual artist, designer, educator, and arts professional Wardell Picquet. A graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, where he studied Drawing, Graphic Design, and Printmaking under acclaimed artist and MacArthur Fellow John T. Scott, Picquet developed an artistic foundation rooted in observation, experimentation and an ongoing effort to understand the human experience. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he relocated to San Antonio, where his creative practice has continued to evolve alongside his work in arts education, design, curation and community engagement.
Throughout Picquet’s work, color, pattern, texture, layering and the human form serve as tools for looking, questioning, making and discovering. Moving between abstraction and representation, his practice spans drawing, printmaking, painting, mixed media, collage and design. Wardell Picquet: Across Time brings together works from New Orleans and San Antonio as one continuous artistic journey, revealing how materials and processes may change while the underlying desire to observe, combine, question, organize and understand remains consistent.
Refreshments for the opening reception are generously sponsored by Bihl Haus Arts.
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Kelso Art Center / Semmes and Condos Galleries
(Broadway and Hildebrand on UIW campus)
Free and Open to the Public
Viriditas Presented by the Fiber Artists of San Antonio
Exhibit on Display: Monday, Nov. 9 – Friday, Dec. 11, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, 2 - 4 p.m.
Viriditas—drawn from the writings of the 12th-century mystic Hildegard von Bingen—is a Latin word meaning “greening power” or the life force that animates all living things. This year’s exhibition explores themes of vitality, renewal, and the sacred energy of the natural world through fiber and textile-based art. The 2026 exhibition is juried by Jane Dunnewold who has taught and lectured internationally. She is widely recognized for her contributions to contemporary fiber art and surface design.
The Fiber Artists of San Antonio (FASA) organization owes its founding to Mary Heickman, who was originally from Houston. Mary was one of the original Texas fiber artists. She was also a teacher and taught fiber techniques to the wives of the Astronauts who were living in Houston at the time.
In 1971, she moved to San Antonio and began teaching fiber arts here at the Southwest School of Arts and Crafts. Mary’s work inspired the original San Antonio group, which came together in 1972 with eleven members. Two of those original 11 fiber artists — Jean Peffers and Barbara Friedson — are still active members in FASA today.
Fiber Artists of San Antonio (FASA)
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Kelso Art Center / Semmes and Condos Galleries
(Broadway and Hildebrand on UIW campus)
Free and Open to the Public
SPRING 2027 Art Exhibitions:
Emerging Visions: A Juried Exhibition of High School Artists 2027
Exhibit on Display: Monday, April 5 - Friday, April 16, 2027
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 3, 2027, 5 - 7 p.m.
The University of the Incarnate Word Department of Art proudly presents Emerging Visions, the inaugural exhibition of a new juried exhibition series showcasing the creativity and artistic achievement of high school students from across Bexar County. Open to current juniors and seniors, this exhibition serves as a bridge between secondary and higher education, providing young artists with the opportunity to exhibit their work in a professional gallery setting while exploring future pathways in the visual arts.
Selected artworks represent a diverse range of artistic perspectives, techniques, and media, highlighting the talent and innovation of the next generation of artists. Through this exhibition, the Department of Art seeks to foster meaningful connections with prospective students, support artistic growth, and celebrate the important role of the arts within our community.
Light refreshments are provided.
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Kelso Art Center / Semmes and Condos Galleries
(Broadway and Hildebrand on UIW campus)
Free and Open to the Public
Senior Capstone Exhibition 2027
Exhibit on Display: Monday, April 26 - Friday, May 21, 2027
Opening Reception: Thursday, April 22, 2027, 6 - 8 p.m.
In the spring semester of their senior year, Art students have the opportunity to display their work in an exhibit. The Senior Capstone exhibit showcases the art that students have been able to develop and hone during their time at UIW. The exhibit allows students the opportunity to have their work on display in a fully operating gallery before graduating. The experience prepares them for future exhibitions that may interest them to spread their work to a larger audience. The Capstone includes works in various media, such as painting, drawing, photography and ceramics.
Light refreshments are provided.
Gallery hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Kelso Art Center / Semmes and Condos Galleries
(Broadway and Hildebrand on UIW campus)
Free and Open to the Public