Luminaria may go to 10-day festival

Luminaria is held in downtown San Antonio on March 9, 2013. Luminaria is held in downtown San Antonio on March 9, 2013. Photo: TOM REEL, San Antonio Express-News Photo: TOM REEL, San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 147 Caption Close Luminaria may go to 10-day festival 1 / 147 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — The board for Luminaria is considering a five-year strategic plan that could transform the annual downtown arts night into a 10-day, citywide event.

Dissident Industries, a New York-based firm, developed the plan at the request of Luminaria treasurer Liz Tullis. The guiding idea, as stated in its opening pages, is to “transform Luminaria into a globally renowned festival that energizes the city with bold, exciting new art.” A copy of the report was obtained by the Express-News through an open records request.

If the board pursues the plan, and the event takes shape precisely as it's mapped out in the document, by 2018 Luminaria would take place in early November and would incorporate “performances, installations and events in HemisFair (Park), partner institutions and satellite sites.”

Most of the $50,000 tab for the report was covered by the 80/20 Foundation, a group founded by Graham Weston to award nonprofit grants, and about a third of the cost was covered by the city, which helps fund Luminaria each year. Luminaria also is funded by corporate donors and individuals.

“It's just a plan,” said Felix Padrón, director of the city's Department of Culture and Creative Development. “A plan is a guidance tool, not an implementation tool. There's still a lot of work on how we are going to proceed. We recognize it is a bold plan.”

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dlmartin@express-news.net

Twitter: @DeborahMartinEN