San Antonio River Foundation

Last year, you helped us build something extraordinary. This year, Presence of the Past and the Culture Crossing Pavilion are open to the public at the St. James AME Culture Crossing along San Pedro Creek Culture Park in downtown San Antonio. Now we're asking you to help make sure this space stays alive, cared for, and full of voices for generations to come.

The San Antonio River Foundation's mission is to preserve, enhance, and transform the San Antonio River Basin into a vibrant cultural, educational, ecological, and recreational experience. We achieve this by funding and creating parks, public art, educational programs, and recreational opportunities throughout the river basin. Join us in giving back to the river that nourishes and sustains our community.

A story rediscovered, now shared

The site is the historic home of the St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1867. It was hidden for generations until it was rediscovered during the 2020 construction of San Pedro Creek Culture Park. Working alongside the River Authority, a citizens' stakeholder panel, and church and community members, the River Foundation brought artist Gordon Huether and poet Andrea "Vocab" Sanderson together to honor it.

Huether's Presence of the Past traces the façade of the original church in historic quilt patterns, anchored by the AME shield and an altar bearing the names of the church's founding members. Sanderson's Culture Crossing Pavilion carries that history forward. Quilt patterns inspired by the personal stories of parishioners hang above a raised platform, surrounded by her poem drawn from oral histories with church members.

Why a space like this needs you now

Public art is not finished when the ribbon is cut. A space like this stays meaningful only when people keep showing up to it, and when it is cared for well enough to welcome them. This Big Give, your gift helps us:

• Fill the pavilion with voices. The platform was built for future poets, musicians, and speakers. Your support helps fund readings, performances, open mics, and community gatherings that keep the space active.

• Teach the history. We want every student in San Antonio to know this story. Gifts support field trips, guided tours, and educational materials that connect young people to the St. James AME legacy and the civil rights, education, and public service it stands for.

• Care for the artwork. Outdoor art faces sun, heat, rain, and time. Ongoing maintenance, cleaning, lighting, and conservation keep the quilt panels, the shield, and the altar as powerful in fifty years as they are today.

• Keep collecting stories. The oral histories that shaped this work are living memory. Your support helps us continue listening to and preserving the voices of church and community members.

Join us

The River Foundation is proud to share this space with San Antonio. Now it belongs to all of us, and it is up to all of us to keep it alive. This Big Give, we invite you to become a steward of our shared history. On September 22, 2026, we host 24 hours of fundraising, and donations are welcome anytime through our website at https://www.thebiggive.org/organization/San-Antonio-River-Foundation 
Thank you!