Exhibit Overview
April 2018 marks the launch of San Antonio’s modern era and the city most San Antonians recognize today. On April 6, 1968, San Antonio opened HemisFair ’68, a World’s Fair that redefined the city’s landscape.
The UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures looks back at the event in “Viva HemisFair!: 50 Years of HemisFair ’68 Memories” an exhibit looking back at the event, the social climate of the 1960s, the steps required to bring the fair to San Antonio, experiences on the fairgrounds, and the events the fair set in motion.
Through historical photos, personal anecdotes, HemisFair memorabilia, archive film footage and more, the exhibit reveals what it took to put on the fair, and how it impacted San Antonio and the surrounding area.
In preparation for the HemisFair exhibit, ITC graduate intern Garrett Bader generated a HemisFair Journal StoryMap. For a more comprehensive look into the HemisFair park area, the old neighborhood, the Polish Quarter, the historic homes, St. Michael’s Church and more, access the journal here.
The exhibit closes with two walls inviting guests to leave their thoughts on how they remember HemisFair, and what guests hope to see on the fairgrounds in another 50 years. Viva HemisFair! remains open through December 2018.
