Tag: art museum

Spring Break activities at the Briscoe Western Art Museum

Spring into the West for extra hours and hands-on programming during Spring Break Round Up at the Briscoe. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Spring into the west without ever leaving the River Walk at the Briscoe Western Art Museum. Normally closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, extended hours during spring break mean the Briscoe will be open 10a.m. – 5p.m. each day March 7 – 18, giving everyone the opportunity to lasso some western fun this spring. With the museum’s location in the heart of the River Walk, it’s the perfect stop for families exploring downtown – and anyone enjoying the St. Patrick’s Day parades and festivities March 16-17. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2024)

The Briscoe is also hosting its annual Spring Break Roundup March 11-16. Art and craft activities, building with LEGOs, stories and fun capture the excitement and adventure of the West for all ages, while adults can get in on the fun with an evening painting session served with a side of margaritas. The come-and-go family programs includes activities that celebrate the heritage and culture of the American West. Different activities will be available each day, bringing the West to life in a variety of hands-on ways.

Spring Break Roundup is included in museum admission, with no charge for craft supplies and no reservations required. The adults-only painting session is a ticketed event for those 21 and up. Children 12 and under and active duty military members always receive free admission to the Briscoe, making it a wonderful destination for family fun. Caregivers must accompany participating children for each activity.

Spring Break Roundup scheduled programming includes:

Monday – Friday, March 11 – 16: Hands-on Arts & Crafts, 10a.m. – 5p.m.

Head West for hands-on fun any time during the day to make and take fun crafts that tie to the pillars of Western art – cowboys, Native Americans, wildlife and vaqueros, all themes celebrated by the Briscoe’s popular Community Days. Stop in and make bison masks, a fun balancing cowboy or weave your own basket. Families can choose and create one – or all! – of the crafts using the free supplies provided. This is a drop-in event included with museum admission.

Thursday, March 14:  Building the West: Native American Homes, 11a.m. – 2p.m.

Drop by the Briscoe to explore the museum’s collection of Native American paintings and sculptures, then create your own Native American home or village. Honor the environment and the native beauty of the West by using recyclable and found materials to build a tipi, longhouse, wigwam or other type of traditional Native American shelters. Decorate it and take your creation home.

Thursday, March 14: Painting with DiZurita!, 5:30p.m. – 8p.m., $45, $35 for museum members

Kick back and enjoy your Spring Break during a painting session with energetic and charismatic international artist DiZurita. Based in San Antonio, DiZurita tells stories through her art, an everlasting transformation of life experiences. Enjoy a relaxing evening sipping margaritas while painting an agave plant – a Western plant and the source of tequila. Create your own agave acrylic painting on an 11 x 14 canvas in a hands-on session as DiZurita guides guests in creating their own work of art. Registration for this 21+ event is per person and includes drinks and all supplies. Class size is limited, so register today to secure your spot.

Friday, March 15:  Building the West: Stop Motion LEGOs, 11a.m. – 2p.m.

Explore the West at the Briscoe, then create a short stop-motion video with LEGOs featuring the Alamo, a train station or other western scenes found in the museum’s collection. Get imaginative at the LEGO creation station and build your own scenes, then create a video using your own phone or device.

Saturday, March 16: Storytime Stampede: Cowboys, 10:30a.m. – 11a.m.

Families and caregivers of young children can enjoy western fun and stories each month at the Briscoe’s Storytime Stampede. Featuring 30-minute programs designed for young children ages 18 months to 5 years, each event includes stories told and acted out, books read aloud, movement activities, songs and art fun.

The spring break story is “Cowboys”  by Lucille Recht Penner. Learn all about the day-to-day life of a cowboy in the Old West, from round-ups and trail drives to meals around the campfire and nights under the stars. Then make a cowboy hat you can wear home.

Adults bringing children to the Storytime Stampede receive half-off general museum admission and children 12 and under always receive free admission at the Briscoe, turning Storytime Stampede into affordable family fun.

Building the West: Stop motion LEGOs. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

SAMA partners with UNAM San Antonio to present altar honoring Juan O’Gorman

Ofrenda: Juan O’Gorman and a Legacy of Muralism will be on view through November 30, 2023. Photo: UNAM San Antonio.

In celebration of Día de los Muertos, the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) is delighted to announce a special collaboration with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México San Antonio (UNAM San Antonio) to present Ofrenda: Juan O’Gorman and a Legacy of Muralism. The ofrenda, or altar, will pay homage to the remarkable Mexican artist and architect known for Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas, the iconic mosaic mural he created for Hemisfair ’68. (San Antonio Museum of Art, 2023)

The ofrenda will be on view in SAMA’s Great Hall from Thursday, October 26 to Thursday, November 30.

Five UNAM students—Jhosep Bonillas, Rodrigo Gael Martínez, Pabel Erubey Medina, Diana Valeria Nápoles, and Mariana Tovar de Alba—were part of the team that submitted the winning proposal to build an altar at the UNAM San Antonio campus in a competition at the School of Architecture at UNAM in Mexico City. SAMA then invited them to build a complementary altar at the Museum. The altar will be placed next to Carlos Rosales-Silva’s mural Pase Usted, as his practice is greatly influenced by Mexican Muralism and O’Gorman.

The students built the altar with assistance from the Museum’s staff using traditional flowers such as cempashúchil (marigolds) and incorporate beer bottles as a nod to SAMA’s history as the old Lone Star Brewery. They also created an elaborate tapete (tapestry) using traditional materials.

Juan O’Gorman’s artistic contributions have left an indelible mark on the world of muralism and architecture. In his mural work, O’Gorman depicted various pre-Hispanic and Mesoamerican cultures, as well as elements of popular culture and everyday life in Mexico. A masterpiece, Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas celebrated the historical and cultural ties between Mexico and the United States. Today, the 2,600 square foot mural adorns the façade of the Lila Cockrell Theatre at the Henry B. González Convention Center.

The UNAM San Antonio will host a series of programs to commemorate O’Gorman’s legacy, including the Altar de Muertos dedicado a la vida de Juan O’Gorman on view from October 26 to November 30 at UNAM San Antonio: 600 Hemisfair Park. San Antonio, TX 78205 (210) 222-8626.

The San Antonio Museum of Art serves as a forum to explore and connect with art that spans the world’s geographies, artistic periods, genres, and cultures. Its collection contains nearly 30,000 works representing 5,000 years of history. Housed in the historic Lone Star Brewery on the Museum Reach of San Antonio’s River Walk, the San Antonio Museum of Art is committed to promoting the rich cultural heritage and life of the city. The Museum hosts hundreds of events and public programs each year, including concerts, performances, tours, lectures, symposia, and interactive experiences. As an active civic leader, the Museum is dedicated to enriching the cultural life of the city and the region, and to supporting its creative community.

Storytime Stampede and Full STEAM Ahead fall themes

Briscoe Storytime Stampede offers young children a FREE fun way to learn about the west. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

Families and caregivers of young children can enjoy Western fun and stories each month at the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s new Storytime Stampede. Featuring 30 minute programs designed for young children ages 18 months to 5 years, Storytime Stampede will include stories told and acted out, books read aloud, movement activities, songs and art fun. The new program series kicks off Saturday, September 16 and will be held 10:30a.m. – 11a.m. the third Saturday of each month. Adults bringing children to the Storytime Stampede will receive half-off general museum admission and children 12 and under always receive free admission at the Briscoe, turning Storytime Stampede into affordable family fun.

Storytime Stampede is designed to foster art awareness, fine motor development, language and literacy, cognitive development and social-emotional growth. Providing an excellent opportunity for families to unplug and practice their social skills, children can also work on language development and listening skills. Listening to stories provides children with a chance to be introduced to new words. As they learn new words their vocabulary will build – all while they’re having fun.

Stories and topics for the series include:

  • September 16: Hear “Bertie the Buffalo,” by Wendy H. Jones and make bison masks so you can play buffalo at home.
  • October 21: Enjoy “The Three Little Javelinas,” by Susan Lowell and make maracas to enjoy the sounds of the West.
  • November 18: Listen to “Shaped by Her Hands: Potter Maria Martinez,” by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales, then make Native American pinch pots to celebrate National Native American Heritage Month.
  • December 16: Mark the holiday season with “The Gingerbread Cowboy,” by Janet Squires, then craft gingerbread cowboys from paper.
  • January 20: Hear “Fry Bread,” by Kevin Noble Maillard, then make drums to start the new year off on a musical note.
  • February 17: Learn the story of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, the groundbreaking Black tap dancer through “Rap a Tap Tap: Here’s Bojangles – Think of That!” and craft rhythm instruments to mark Black History Month.
  • March 16: Squeeze some learning fun into Spring Break with special programming.
  • April 20: Enjoy a Western twist on a classic story with “There Was a Coyote Who Swallowed a Flea,” by Jennifer Ward and Steve Gray, followed by coloring and creativity.
  • May 18: Get prickly with “Cactus Hotel,” by Brenda Z. Guiberson and have fun crafting cactus art as you learn about the desert.
  • June 15: Giddy up for “Cowboy Camp,” by Tammi Sauer and decorate a cowboy boot together.
  • July 20: Add some sweet to your summer with “Rio Ruby Invents the Pecan Pie,” by Robin Davis, then have fun coloring the official small mammal of Texas, an armadillo.
  • August 17: Meet the coolest coyote around with “Way Out West Lived a Coyote Named Frank,” by Jillian Lund, then stay cool with some bandana art.

Full STEAM Ahead on the First Sunday: Free Education Series Offers Hands-on Fun
The Briscoe also offers “Full STEAM Ahead,” a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) learning experience to educate and entertain families about the West. Full STEAM Ahead is paired with the museum’s monthly Locals Day on the first the Sunday of every month, giving locals free admission to the museum and free hands-on educational opportunities. Learners of all ages work together and learn about the American West, with each activity tying back to the Briscoe’s art and artifacts to bring the West to life in a new way.

From transportation and weather to animals, astronomy and engineering, each program explores an aspect of life in the West to engage and inspire learning. Full STEAM Ahead is designed for all ages to enjoy, making it a terrific family activity. Enjoy STEAMing with your family 1p.m. – 3p.m. on the first Sunday of every month at the Briscoe.

Upcoming programs include:

  • September 3: Full STEAM Ahead – Art in the Sky – Study the night sky through Kim Wiggins’ “Colonel Crockett’s Return to Cibolo Creek”. After a short study of the painting, everyone will create a bedroom planetarium to take home.
  • October 8: Full STEAM Ahead – Pottery of the Southwest – Learn more about the pottery made by Native Americans in the southwest, including the techniques they used to craft their pieces. Use those techniques to create a piece of pottery of your own.
  • November 5: Full STEAM Ahead – Native American Homes – Native Americans lived in a variety of homes. The type of home they built fit their culture and lifestyle. While learning about these different homes, put your engineering skills to the test and use materials provided to try to build a tipi, longhouse, wigwam or other types of Native American shelters.
  • December 3: Cowboy Christmas – Join the Briscoe to celebrate the holidays and meet Cowboy Claus as he makes a stop at the Briscoe to hear what all of the cowpokes want for Christmas.  Cowboy Christmas at the Briscoe is free holiday fun, making the Briscoe the perfect way to make holiday memories with your family.