San Antonio Airport showcasing lowrider culture for Hispanic Heritage Month
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A 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood and a 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Photo: Madalyn Mendoza/Axios
Travelers arriving at the San Antonio International Airport will get a glimpse of the city's deep-rooted lowrider culture when they pick up their luggage at baggage claim.
What they did: The airport dedicated space inside the lower level of Terminal B to park three lowriders and bikes for a Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit called "Cruising into History — A Celebration of Lowriders in San Antonio."
- The vehicles are on loan from their owners. They will be on display until Oct. 26.
- Click here for a quick tour.
Context: Lowrider culture is embedded in generations of Latinos throughout the U.S. It's a bouncy, glittering expression of craftsmanship, tradition, and community involvement that started in Los Angeles in the 1940s.
- "A lowrider is an extension of a person, of their style, of their hard work and dedication. It's an expression of someone's pride, someone's joy. It's West Side style — we don't have much, but what we do have, we make it shine," Clint Westwood, exhibit curator and self-described lowrider liaison, tells Axios.
Between the lines: Matt Evans, who manages art and culture at the airport, said the goal of the exhibit is to show that San Antonio is a diverse city where we celebrate each other.
- The airport highlighted the Unseen Artists Bench Project during Black History Month.
What they're saying: Westwood is proud that the lowrider community is being showcased on a larger platform.
- "I hope (travelers) will get a glimpse of the true history — some of the early car clubs started here in San Antonio. I hope they take away our rich, vibrant, flavorful, stylish cultura," he says.