Over the past six years, Spare Parts has emerged in San Antonio as the leading resource for all things creatively reused or repurposed. Spare Parts activities extend from educational workshops & activities to innovative projects such as the MINI ART MUSEUM and Moving Painting, an artistic expression for Luminaria 2015. Spare Parts & the MINI ART MUSEUM has been in demand at city-wide events, schools & a collaborator in a plethora of projects addressing the environment, education & the art of creative reuse.
It’s time to make Spare Parts a full-time effort in San Antonio & we need your financial support TODAY.
What We Need & What You Get
Our goal is to raise $6,000 by December 31, 2024 to kick off a campaign to create a community retail & education center that serves teachers, artists, creative families & supporters of reuse year round.
This campaign brings you special thank-you gifts from a hand-crafted note to your name emblazoned on one of our Spare Parts workshop tables we’ll use to educate & inspire others to reuse through the arts. Check out our perks!
What if we don’t raise $6,000? We will continue to fundraise for 6 months rent & expenses to open a permanent space ($40,000 total).
What’s the leading creative reuse arts organization in San Antonio? You only need one guess. The efforts of spare parts-to educate and demonstrate to the community the path of artistic expression through creative reuse-is unprecedented in our city. Founder and Director Mary Elizabeth Cantú, the charismatic force driving spare parts, continually challenges and inspires people of all ages to re-think the connection between environmental impact and making art.
Throughout the years, Cantú has been given media recognition, kudos and awards from such publication as San Antonio Magazine and Texas Public Radio. The MINI ART MUSEUM, a project created by Cantú and Gabriela Santiago, won Contemporary Art Month awards two years in a row. Acombination of multi-faceted programs blending cultural arts, materials accessibility and environmental activism, spare parts, now in its fifth year, is reaching a pivotal point of growth and influence.
On February 17, 2025 in conjunction with St. Mary’s University’s Conference on Justice and Social Concerns, Cantú was awarded the Art of Peace award. This prestigious award was presented by the President of St. Mary’s University Tom Mengler. President Mengler describing the award, said “The artist chosen must be worthy both as an artist, in terms of quality, as determined by reputation in the artistic community and one who, through art, works for peace, as determined by reputation.”
St. Mary’s University President Tom Mengler, Mary Elizabeth Cantu, Dr. Winston Ervelles
This year’s conference theme was “stewardship in science” which invoked this quote by Pope Francis, “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing and it human roots, concerns and affect us all.” President Mengler prefaced the award presentation by describing the work of spare parts as dedicated to “…community education and creativity, green-style.”
“Imagine being asked to promote the arts without any resources, which was my situation several years ago,” Cantú explaining the beginning of the spare parts. “After some research and meeting a local business owner, I realized there were tons of free materials and supplies out there for creative opportunities. These materials were no longer needed but too valuable to be thrown away. I went to this business who filled my car with all sorts of cool stuff and they asked me to come back with a U-Haul.”
2015 Annual Fine Arts Fair and Teacher Giveaway at Wonderland of the Americas
The annual material giveaway for teachers was born, when Cantú realized she could divert perfectly amazing materials from the landfill and put these supplies in the hands of teachers who could use them in their art, science, math and history curriculum. Because, a class lesson is so much more interesting when it’s not taught with worksheet after worksheet.
After the presentation, students attended a workshop where Cantú detailed various spare parts projects. “Truth is: there is no such thing as throwing something away,” she said, challenging the students to give a second and even third look before tossing stuff in that trash can. Students were asked to decorate a sign reminding them that “Trash is the failure of imagination (Aaron Kramer).” All materials used in spare parts workshops and projects are donated ‘leftovers’ from businesses and individuals.
spare parts various projects include community outreach workshops with arts organizations such as the McNay and Southwest School of Art, Bexar County Juvenile Detention Center and many different schools and educator groups. spare parts hands-on art tables pop up at many San Antonio City events where children and adults enjoy participating in a creative reuse art project or viewing the MINI ART MUSEUM.
Upcoming spare parts events include participation in the following events:
Saturday, March 5, 2016, 27th Annual Earthwise Living Day at Leon Valley Community and Conference Center
Saturday, March 5, 7 PM - 9 PM, Opening Reception & Performance: MINI ART MUSEUM:”That Thing on the Side of the Road, Period Modern Gallery
Friday, March 25, 2016, 6 pm, Closing Reception: That Thing on the Side of the Road, ChrisPark
Saturday, March 26, 2016, Mini Maker Faire at the San Antonio Public Library
Saturday, April 2, 2016, San Antonio Book Festival at the San Antonio Library
Friday, April 15, 2016, Bohnam Academy Spring Art Festival
Interested in volunteering? Please contact [email protected] for details.
After the presentation, students attended a workshop where Cantú detailed various spare parts projects. “Truth is: there is no such thing as throwing something away,” she said, challenging the students to give a second and even third look before tossing stuff in that trash can. Students were asked to decorate a sign reminding them that “Trash is the failure of imagination (Aaron Kramer).” All materials used in spare parts workshops and projects are donated ‘leftovers’ from businesses and individuals.
