November 7, 2013 | SharkAdmin Northwest Vista College Humanities instructor Craig Coroneos will be screening his new documentary, “South Texas Shaman,” free-to-the public at the Northwest Vista College Palmetto Performing Arts Center Recital Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 19. There will be an opening reception from 5-5:30pm, followed by the screening and a Q&A session with Craig from 5:30-7 pm. “South Texas Shaman” traces a 4,000-year old ritual centered around the hallucinogenic peyote cactus from its beginnings in ancient rock art along the Rio Grande River to its contemporary manifestations among Native American church members living in San Antonio as well as within the annual Huichol peyote hunt in Mexico. “Many Texans aren’t aware that some of the oldest and most impressive ancient artwork in the hemisphere is just a couple of hours drive away at Seminole Canyon State Historical Park,” Craig said. “New research suggests that the culture that painted these pictographs may have influenced later historic groups in Mexico, including the Huichol, and possibly even the Aztec.” Craig first learned how to edit video in Ron Wojnar’s NVC Intro to Video Editing class while serving as the Alamo Colleges Public Relations Web Developer. In that position, he produced a multimedia video CD-ROM which was recognized by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations. He later worked with NVC Mass Communications teacher Linda Cuellar on “Gaining Ground,” a documentary covering poverty alleviation efforts in San Antonio. Cuellar is an associate producer for “South Texas Shaman” as well. Plans are for the documentary to eventually air on KLRN, San Antonio PBS Channel 9. The project has received support from Humanities Texas, the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, KLRN Public Television and the Southwest Alternate Media Project. The screening on the NVC campus is sponsored by the NVC International Education & Diversity committees, as well as the NVC Library.
