SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART

Programs

1. The only global-facing art museum in South-Central Texas, SAMA houses more than 30,000 works spanning six continents and more than 5,000 years of human creative expression. The collection includes the foremost assemblage of art of the ancient Mediterranean world in the state and the US South, with important ancient Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Etruscan, and Near Eastern objects; the largest concentration of Asian art in Texas, with a particular strength in Chinese ceramics; and an unparalleled collection of Latin American art, with more than 10,000 works comprising pre-1500 Indigenous cultures of the region, Colonial, popular art, and modern and contemporary-in fact, SAMA opened the first center devoted to Latin American art in the country. American, contemporary, photography, African, Islamic, and aboriginal Australian art are also well-represented at the Museum. SAMA acquired 275 artworks in 2025, strengthening its vast collection and influence. Each year, the Museum presents temporary exhibitions, longer-range focus presentations, collection-based installations, and approximately 600 programs to meet the needs of its diverse, ever-growing audience.

   $6,565,715 spent$903,211 earned by the program
   91% of program spending

2. SAMA's 2025 exhibitions included: Envisioning the Hindu Divine: Expanding Darshan and Manjari Sharma, SAMA's first major Indian/Southeast Asian art exhibition, with photographs of deities and their ongoing relevance in art and faith by contemporary artist Manjari Sharma in dialogue with ancient devotional works from Birmingham Museum of Art; and Larry Bell: Improvisations, showcasing the achievements of the renowned "light and space" artist and his innovative use of industrial materials, including the installation [The] Dilemma of Griffin's Cat, commissioned for the Museum's grand opening in 1981. SAMA also produced a number of more intimately-scaled exhibitions, many drawn from its permanent collection: these included Readymade Remix: New Approaches to Familiar Objects; The Exquisite Art of Shibata Zeshin: Lacquerwares and Paintings; Maya Blue: Ancient Color, New Visions; Kingship and Power in Assyria; Canvas to Clay: Georgia O'Keeffe & Maria Martinez to Mata Ortiz and Tonalá; and a new Gateway installation TIPSY, by artist Marisa Morán Jahn, designed as a "gateway" to SAMA's collections upon arrival in the Museum's Great Hall.

   $129,236 spent
   2% of program spending

3. SAMA creates and delivers meaningful interpretive programs that connect people to art, ideas, and each other through a dynamic exhibition calendar, comprehensive encyclopedic collection, and other mission-driven offerings. With a variety of year-round initiatives for adult, family, children, university/college, patron, and other audiences, the 600+ engagements carried out encompassed: a suite of docent-led tours for preK-12, collegiate, and adult audiences, including an "off the wall" series that provides unique, often unexpected connections to SAMA's collection with themes such as Dog Days & Timeless Tails, The Foodie Tour, Texas Chicks: Don't Mess With Them, Science: There's No Art Without It, and even The Swiftie's Guide to SAMA; artist talks; artmaking experiences; lectures and panel discussions; music, dance, theatre, and other cultural performances; educator workshops; film screenings; a Kids' Studio early childhood learning initiative; immersive Family Days and other intergenerational programs; ReCollections, a creative aging initiative for people living with Alzheimer's and dementia, as well as their families and caregivers; and Haven for Hope hands-on art workshops for…

   $251,741 spent
   3% of program spending

4. In 2025, on-site visitation was ~151,000, with many more visitors engaging in artworks and programming virtually. Based on annual Museum data, 85% of visitors to SAMA reside in Texas, with 44% from Greater San Antonio; and 15% were from other US locales or abroad. Approximately 68% of Museum visitors are racially/ethnically diverse, with 44% identifying as Hispanic/Latino or Indigenous, 35% as Caucasian, and 14% as African American, Asian, and other, and 7% as multiracial. Eight percent (8%) identify as military with increases each year. Data from recent exhibitions indicate that 40% of Museum visitors have household incomes of $100,000 or above, and 46% have a college education. While attracting all age groups, SAMA draws most strongly from the 25-44 age group, including family households with children. The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am-5pm, except Tuesday and Friday when it remains open until 7 pm. In line with SAMA's "access for all" mission, Bexar County residents receive free general admission during weekly Free Hours on Tuesdays 4-7pm and second Sundays 10am-12pm. Children aged 12 and under always receive free admission. Complimentary admission opportunities are…

   $257,392 spent
   4% of program spending

The 4 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $7,204,084.