Day: February 9, 2023

Celebrate Black History Month at the Briscoe Museum

February events at the Briscoe include stories of Black Cowboys, Buffalo Soldiers, and more. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

The stories of the Western United States are as diverse and far-ranging as the landscape that inspires the cowboy in us all. To share that history, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is showcasing those stories during a day focused on the Black history of the West, including two programs to help children and families understand the roles that Black Americans played in the West. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2023)

Did you know that you can tip your hat to President’s Day at the Briscoe? When you visit, do not miss the bronze bust of President Lincoln sculpted by Gutzom Borglum, the artist who carved Mount Rushmore, in the museum’s lobby. The bust was crafted before Borglum began carving the likenesses of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in the Black Hills of South Dakota, so stop by to wish President Lincoln happy birthday (February 12) or drop in for President’s Day (February 20).

All programs are included with museum admission. Admission is free for children 12 and under, making the museum a terrific destination for families. Active duty members of the military also receive free admission, while active duty family members and retired members of the military receive discounted admission. The museum also is proud to participate in Museums For All, Blue Star Museums and Bank of America Museums on Us.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18: Full STEAM Ahead: Gather Around the Campfire 11a.m. – 1p.m.
Families are invited to join the Briscoe and learn about the history of Black Cowboys in the West. After listening to a short presentation about Black Cowboys and their life on the cattle drives, families will be able to design and make their own musical instrument to play around the campfire. This is a family friendly program.

The Briscoe’s education series “Full STEAM Ahead” helps learners of all ages understand more about the American West by engaging in hands-on, STEAM learning experiences. Sharing the American West through STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics – each of the activities ties back to the Briscoe’s art and artifacts, bringing the West to life in a new way. Each program explores an aspect of life in the West to engage and inspire learning and is included with museum admission. Children 12 and under receive free admission to the Briscoe.

Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers 2p.m. – 4:30p.m.
Learn the history of Buffalo soldiers from the Bexar County Buffalo Soldiers Association (BCBSA) members through a short presentation at 2p.m., followed by members sharing stories and artifacts as they interact with visitors through 4:30p.m. The Buffalo Soldiers were members of the all-Black U.S. Army units formed by Congress in 1866 after the end of the Civil War, giving former slaves, freedmen and Black Civil War veterans an opportunity to serve.

Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Cheatom will lead the 2p.m. presentation as Trooper Cheatom of the BCBSA. Dressed in replica blue union Army uniforms worn by the Buffalo soldiers in the late 1800s, members will share the stories of an 1800s trail driver and the only recorded female Buffalo soldier, Cathay Williams. Since women were not allowed to serve then, Williams disguised herself as a man to enlist in the army, serving from 1866-68.

The Briscoe is open Thursday through Monday, 10a.m. – 5p.m. and closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The Briscoe is located on the south end of the River Walk, near the Arneson River Theatre and La Villita, with convenient parking at the Riverbend Garage directly adjacent to the museum or one of many downtown surface lots. 

New book release: ‘The four lives of Robinson Appleson’ by Véronique Iswery Pasquet

‘The four lives of Robinson Appleson’ is the new paranormal and fantasy novel by Véronique Iswery Pasquet. Photo: Amazon

Véronique Iswery Pasquet is a French author of Indian descent. A voracious reader, she prefers horror, thriller, romance, and biographies of actors and writers. Her fascination for plot twists in scary books and movies are her go-to entertainment choices. Twisted plots and bizarre endings pique her curiosity. That is exactly what she offers her readers in her new book “The four lives of Robinson Appleson.” It plunges into cannibalism and weaves a love story around it and she has taken the challenge of making readers fall in love with the cruel protagonist. “The four lives of Robinson Appleson” sounds like an interesting read for readers who enjoy paranormal and dark themes; it is available on Amazon and Rakuten. (Véronique Iswery Pasquet, 2023)

“The four lives of Robinson Appleson” – Can a killer turn a new leaf? Robinson Appleson is one lucky bastard. We get only one life. He has had four so far and it is not like he deserved them, either.

In his first life, he was a Porcian prince who was known to devour humans. His obsession with eternal youth and beauty made him addicted to the taste of human flesh, much to the dismay and terror of his kingdom’s subjects.

Reborn as a rich kid in Beverly Hills, California, he has no recollection of his past life and thinks of himself as a blessing to mankind. He holds no respect or feelings for women and treats them like objects. It leads to everyone avoiding him like the plague.

His third life is different, as he is born as a jaguar in the African savannah. Filled with new wisdom, he fights against his instinct to hunt while the smell of prey drives him mad with hunger.

His last life lands him in the body of a beautiful but poverty-stricken Black woman who was also unfaithful.

Each of his lives has been different from the last, except that it looked as if he was doomed to make the same mistakes. The woman he loves dies in his arms in all of his lives, because of a curse placed on his family. Having been selfish and cruel in his previous lives, he attempts to change this forever. Using a range of tricks learned from Oscar, his mentor, he hopes to suppress and destroy the evil lurking inside him. Would he manage to escape from his fate?

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