More than six hundred guests gathered beneath the sapphire skies of the historic UT San Antonio Southwest Campus for Wings in the Mist, an evening that blended beauty, purpose, and community in support of UTSA Arts. Set within the riverfront gardens that have long served as a creative anchor for generations of San Antonio artists, the gala invited patrons, collectors, and civic leaders to experience a night centered on what matters most in this city, creativity, connection, and access.

The gala itself, co chaired by Kevin Matula and Blakely Fernandez, returned to the lush campus with an evening that unfolded with ease and elegance. Dinner, conversation, and a late night celebration themed Downtown in Flight offered guests a chance to gather within the gardens that have shaped the creative lives of so many. Yet even as the flowers, lights, and music created a sense of wonder, the purpose of the evening remained clear. Funds raised through Wings in the Mist sustain UTSA Arts community programs, making classes, workshops, and outreach programs available to adults, teens, and children who seek a place to explore their creative potential.

The celebration began the evening prior with the Community Art Sale and Artist Reception, which opened to the public for the first time. Guests were welcomed into the studios and galleries where fifty five local and regional artists presented new works. Many of these artists have pieces in major collections including MoMA, The Whitney, The Blanton, The McNay, and the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the response from the community was immediate. Nearly every artwork found a buyer, and record dollars were raised. The sale was designed with intention, allowing artists to determine how proceeds were shared, providing them with fair and satisfactory pay, and directing a portion of earnings to the programs that keep arts education accessible across San Antonio. The result was a model that uplifted both working artists and the mission they support.

In 2025, UTSA Arts served over 5,000 adult learners and hundreds of youth through free and low cost opportunities in painting, ceramics, printmaking, architecture, and multidisciplinary exploration. Signature programs such as Saturday Morning Discovery, Mobile Arts, and Teen Studio Intensive continue to nurture emerging artists and ensure that art remains within reach citywide.

As guests departed beneath the same sapphire skies that greeted their arrival, they carried with them more than memories of a beautiful evening. They carried a shared understanding that supporting UTSA Arts strengthens the cultural fabric of San Antonio, and that the creative spirit of this city flourishes when the community gathers with intention and purpose. Wings in the Mist was not only a celebration, it was a reaffirmation of the essential role the arts play in shaping San Antonio’s future.