Category: Education News

Texas Monthly LIVE at the Witte Museum

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Texas Monthly LIVE will take place this Wednesday December 4 at the Witte Museum. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Texas Monthly LIVE, presented by the 80|20 Foundation, is bringing the unique experience of a live issue of the magazine reimagined for a theatre audience to the Witte Museum on Wednesday, December 4 from 7p.m. to 8:45p.m. The first Texas Monthly LIVE performance premiered in Austin in the Spring of 2018 and has been performed in Austin, Houston, Brownsville and Dallas. San Antonio will be the fifth and final stop of the 2019 tour. This marks the first year that the magazine will bring the event to San Antonio audiences. (Texas Monthly, 2019)

Mixing music, video, narration, and live performances, this special 90-minute editorial production will take audience members on an unforgettable storytelling journey. Texas Monthly LIVE will feature stories and performances curated and performed by Texas Monthly editors, showcasing the breadth and depth of Texas. Hosted by Texas Monthly columnist David Courtney, this unique event will explore the sights, sounds and feelings of Texas and will have the audience laughing, reminiscing and dancing.

Ticket holders will have access to the exclusive after-party following the show where guests will have the opportunity to explore the first-floor exhibits of the Witte Museum after dark. After-party experiences will be custom-produced by the Witte’s curatorial staff and will bring the exhibits to life with special activations curated based on the stories from the Texas Monthly LIVE performance. Museum activations include: Chili Queens at the Alamo, Better Living through Botánicas, Water Runs Through It: San Antonio River as Lifeblood and How Beef Became BBQ. Light bites and beverages will be available for purchase. The after-party will take place until 11p.m. VIP tickets to the show are sold out but General Admission tickets are still available online until the day of the event for $20.

Performance highlights (subject to change)

  • Confessions of a Skinny Bitch / Executive editor Patricia Sharpe fondly reflects on her upbringing as a picky eater and how it led her on her journey to becoming Texas Monthly’s food editor.
  • Patient Observation / Executive Editor Skip Hollandsworth recounts his younger years in Wichita Falls, Texas when he stepped inside the gates of the local state hospital and realized that every town has another side.
  • Star Hunter / The Rio Grande Valley is steeped in lore. Senior Editor Carlos Sanchez tells the tale of one Brownsville resident that began 1.3 billion years ago.
  • Life, In Dog Years / Following the death of her father and the inheritance of his beloved corgi, Executive Editor Mimi Swartz explores the way her family expresses love through their pets.
  • The Biggest Wild Plant Catalog in the World / Executive Editor Katy Vine tells the story of one man in Austin who has been cataloguing all of the plants in Texas since 1971.
  • G-L-O-R-I-A / Executive Editor Michael Hall tells the story of the Gloriathon, when, in the summer of 1999, he and dozens of Austin’s finest musicians, performed Van Morrison’s song “Gloria” for 24 hours as a way to say goodbye to a beloved club — and a beloved era.

The Witte Museum
3801 Broadway St.
San Antonio, TX 78209

David Rogers’ Big Bugs exhibit coming to the San Antonio Botanical Garden

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David Rogers’ Big Bugs exhibit opens this weekend and will be on display through Sunday December 8. Photo: google

David Rogers’ Big Bugs larger-than-life sculptures is coming to the San Antonio Botanical Garden. The exhibition opens this Labor Day weekend, August 31 through September1, and will be on display through Sunday December 8. Exhibit viewing times are 9a.m to 5p.m. Regular admission rates apply. Tickets are $12 for adults; $10 for senior citizens aged 65 and older, military (active, retired, reserve) with current ID, dependents not included and students with current ID; $9 for children ages 3-13. Children under 3 and members get free admission. Museums for All rate – per person, up to four people, must show EBT or WIC card with valid ID – $3. (San Antonio Botanical Garden, 2019)

Opening weekend events:

  • Saturday, August 31 from 10a.m. to 2p.m.- Educational Children’s Activities: Children will have an opportunity to participate in an educational scavenger hunt and make insects using natural materials.
  • Saturday, August 31 – Sunday, September 1 from 9a.m. to 5p.m. – Social Bingo and Prizes: Take photos with 5 David Rogers’ Big Bugs and show them at the Gift Shop for a prize. Offer only valid during opening weekend, while supplies last. Use hashtags #DavidRogersBigBugs and #SABOTgarden.

They are big, really big. David Rogers’ Big Bugs stand as tall as 25 feet and have wingspans up to 17 feet wide. David Rogers’ Big Bugs exhibit includes 10 larger-than-life insect sculptures, all made from natural materials, positioned throughout the 38 acres of the Botanical Garden. The sculptures are created using various combinations of whole trees found standing or fallen dead, cut green saplings selectively harvested from the willow family, dry branches, and other forest materials. Guests can shop for bug merchandise and edible insects at the Garden Gift Shop.

For the past 25 years, David Rogers’ Big Bugs exhibition has educated the public about the importance of preservation and conservation on the planet by introducing them to the world of insects, the role they play in the plant world, and their interconnectedness to our lives. Bugs outnumber humans one million to one. Many live in communal groups working as one for the common good of all. Their ranks include engineers, soldiers, weightlifters, weavers, hunters, stalkers, gatherers and even royalty. When you take this remarkable and diverse group of hidden gardeners and recreate them on a gargantuan scale, you have David Rogers’ Big Bugs.

The artist was not a traditional learner. He was not good in school or sports like his siblings. Instead, David found peace in the woods near his home.  As he focused on his artwork, he understood it came from “not fitting a mold.” And it became something much bigger. His art now teaches others about the importance of caring for our natural world. David also finds that his personal story connects with other non-traditional learners.

This exhibit is made possible by the generosity of these sponsors: Dickson-Allen Foundation, Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation, Robert J. Kleberg, Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation and The USAA Foundation.

Pet Education Project headquartered in San Antonio

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Pet Education Project offers free humane education to San Antonio Schools. Courtesy photo, used with permission. 

Pet Education Project (PEP!) has chosen San Antonio as a new home, offering free humane education to San Antonio schools. The programs are innovative, entertaining and make it easy to educate children on important topics such as spaying and neutering, pet adoption and animal safety. Studies also show that teaching compassion and preventing animal abuse prevents human violence. (Pet Education Project, 2019)

“We are beyond thrilled to launch our humane education initiatives in San Antonio. Teaching kindness, empathy and responsibility will not only better the community, but will pave the way for a brighter future for families and their pets. San Antonio is an incredibly vibrant city and we cannot imagine a better place to bring our colorful programming and build our headquarters.” – Erica Falbaum, founder of Pet Education Project (PEP!).

PEP! Is a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to teaching kids empathy and compassion toward animals and core responsibilities of pet ownership, which in turn reduces euthanasia in animal shelters. Pet Education Project (PEP!) Pet Education Project is a humane education organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by educating children ages preschool through 6th grade. Our inspirational and positive programs focus on teaching kids compassion toward animals and empowering them with pet ownership responsibility skills. PEP! has educated over 1 million kids worldwide and has been featured on national TV such as the Hallmark Channel and in People Magazine.