Luminaria Receives NEA Grant for Military Veteran Artists

Luminaria is the recipient of a $10,000 emerging grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to feature an artistic showcase by active military and veterans at the upcoming Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival scheduled for Saturday, October 18, 2025. The NEA, in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance have selected forty-eight organizations to award totaling more than $886,000.

The Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival is a free public experience and celebration of creativity that has grown to be the most significant and diverse arts event in Texas. Between 100-250 individual artists participate each year, presenting fine art, film, poetry, sculpture, dance, digital art, and live music. This experiential festival draws thousands of people each year to the downtown area of San Antonio, which is also called “Military City USA”, as it is home to one of the largest concentrations of military bases in the United States.

The grant supports the creation of the Luminaria Urban Military Innovation Network for Art (LUMINA), a special program fostering artistic expression where participants will learn how to conceptualize and prepare their original interdisciplinary talent in a theatrical presentation at this year's festival. The cohort will be led by USMC veteran Isaac "Papa Bear" Cardenas. Cardenas is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps; Military Police K-9; Corporal at Twenty-Nine Palms Air Ground Combat Base; a playwright; and culture bearer for the Tap Pilam Coahuiltecan Nation. He has recently retired as Director of Programs for the American Indians in Texas at the Spanish Colonial Mission’s “Rites of Passage Program", and will be producing his play "100% NDN" in August.

"I am humbled and honored to have received this national recognition for the inclusion of military veterans in the Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival," said Yadhira Lozano, Luminaria Executive Director. "While we have showcased artists with military affiliations and experience in the past, this is an opportunity to formalize our intention by pairing a professional curator, such as Isaac Cardenas, with emerging veteran artists and their families to produce a live theatre production for the festival."

The objectives of this program are to build new and enduring partnerships between Luminaria and local veterans and military family organizations, to create a pathway for artists to become involved in the LUMINA program, and to help both the civilian and military communities understand the significance and impact of contemporary arts program for community and individual wellbeing. A major objective is for more military and veteran artists to be included in the vibrant San Antonio artistic community and to highlight military artists in our local community. This effort will increase Luminaria’s institutional capacity to engage veteran artists while elevating public understanding of how military service and experiences inform artistic practice.

“As our nation commemorates the 250th birthdays of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps this year, the National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to continue our support of arts engagement projects that enrich the lives of those who have served our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, senior advisor for the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Through the Creative Forces Community Engagement grants, hundreds of thousands of veterans, active military members, and caregivers have developed creative skills, tapped into their personal resolve, and deepened their resilience,” says Todd Stein, president and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance. “These grants and their projects underscore the essential role of the arts in strengthening people and the communities they call home."

The primary aim of the National Creative Forces® Community Engagement grant program is to enhance the health, well-being, and quality of life for military-connected individuals who have experienced trauma. The program achieves this by funding arts initiatives that encourage creativity, build social connections, improve resilience, and help smooth the transition to civilian life.Arts engagement and non-clinical arts programming can help improve the well-being and resilience of military-connected people and support successful life transitions. View the list of recipients and projects on maaa.org/CreativeForces.

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