I've Had An Out Of Body Experience by Ann Enziminger (Artist Talk + Community Art Making)

In 1968, San Antonio welcomed the world.

Hemisfair ’68 promised a vision of the future: monumental architecture, technological innovation, international spectacle, and a city transformed by progress.

But before the gates opened, something had to disappear. To make way for the fair, the City of San Antonio acquired a 92-acre neighborhood southeast of downtown. Homes, businesses, churches, streets, and community structures were demolished, displacing more than 1,600 residents. Nearly 60 years later, San Antonio is still living with both the successes and consequences of that transformation.

My exhibition, I’ve Had an Out of Body Experience: Ephemeral Structures and The Human Displacement of Hemisfair ’68, looks at Hemisfair from the perspective of the neighborhood that came before it.

Through painting, fiber, mapping, archival research, and handmade World’s Fair-inspired objects, I’m exploring what happens to people and places when a city decides to build its future—and what gets remembered, forgotten, or erased…