An indoor pow wow at the Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at the Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival
San Antonio, TX — The Briscoe Western Art Museuminvites the community to honor Native American Heritage Month at the Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, November 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the museum’s beautiful campus along the San Antonio River Walk. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2025)
This annual celebration is free and open to the public, offering a full day of art, music, dance, storytelling, hands-on crafts, and cultural connections for all ages. Festival admission, museum access, and all activities are included at no cost. 👉 Free registration is available online.
A Day Full of Culture, Art, and Connection
Throughout the day, guests can:
Enjoy arts and crafts for all ages
Meet and learn from Native artists and performers
Experience music, storytelling, and dance rooted in Native traditions
Explore the Briscoe’s galleries for free
Festival Highlights
Opening Blessing and Drum Circle
A spiritual blessing by United San Antonio Pow Wow, Inc., an organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Native American traditions.
A Pow Wow-style drum circle and dance demonstration by United San Antonio Pow Wow and Enemy Horse Drumming, showcasing the meaning and movement behind pow wow styles.
Storytelling and Music
Joyous Windrider and Rosie Torres bring Native stories to life through storytelling and movement.
Enjoy live music from Tim Blueflint Ramel, an award-winning flute player and member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa. Ramel has shared the stage with Grammy Award–winner Mary Youngblood and will also demonstrate flute and jewelry making throughout the day.
Traditional Arts and Demonstrations
George Curtis Levi shares ledger art, a Cheyenne tradition dating back to the 1840s that uses repurposed record book pages to depict daily life. Levi, a member of the Southern Cheyenne, also has ties to the Arapaho and Oglala Lakota tribes.
Chase Kahwinhut Earles, a Caddo Nation artist, demonstrates traditional Caddo pottery techniques, reviving a centuries-old art form celebrated for its authenticity and cultural depth.
Shane Hendren, a Diné/Navajo jewelry maker and turquoise expert, showcases his intricate work and commitment to the integrity of Native craftsmanship.
Wayne TaySha Earles, a Caddo stone carver, presents cultural stonework and jewelry inspired by ancient Caddo artifacts from the Spiro Mounds in Oklahoma.
Hands-On Crafts and Family Fun
Festival guests can create their own:
Ledger art and mixed media collages
Leather medallions
Basket and loom weaving projects
Community weaving basket
Parfleche cases — traditional painted pouches made from rawhide, once used by Plains Indians for both beauty and practicality
Visitors can also browse and purchase Native artwork directly from the artists, including jewelry, pottery, beadwork, and textiles.
Honoring the Yanaguana Legacy
The festival’s name, “Yanaguana,” comes from the Payaya people, who were indigenous to the San Antonio area. It was their word for what we now know as the San Antonio River.
Held annually since the Briscoe’s opening, the Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival celebrates the vital role of Native Americans in shaping the West. It’s a day to learn, connect, and appreciate the vibrant living cultures that continue to inspire the region today.
📅 Date: Saturday, November 8 🕙 Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 📍 Location: Briscoe Western Art Museum, San Antonio River Walk 💲 Admission: Free (including museum entry and activities) 🔗 Register: [Free event registration available online]
Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
Celebrate the legacy of the West at the Briscoe Western Art Museum this Saturday July 27, 2024. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
It’s time to celebrate the legacy of the West – the cowgirls, the cowboys, and vaqueros at the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s National Day of the Cowboy celebration Saturday, July 27, 10a.m. – 4p.m. at the museum’s campus on the banks of the River Walk. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2024)
This free community event includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, as well as indoor and outdoor activities. This year’s event tips its hat to the role cowgirls play in the West while showcasing cowboy life, skills, art, and more. Cowboys and girls of all ages can enjoy live music, games, crafts, a chuck wagon with tasty cowboy treats straight from the trail, artist demonstrations, and hands-on fun. Pre-register in advance to enjoy the free Western fun.
One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy highlights and preserves America’s cowboy culture and pioneer heritage. The day began in 2005 to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the American cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in the United States. The state of Texas declared it a day of honor in 2015 and the Briscoe annually hosts a free community day marking the occasion, throwing open the doors of the museum to honor the cowgirl, cowboy, and vaquero in us all.
Free event and museum admission and activities for the whole family, including the museum’s 14 galleries and the McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Cowpoke games and crafts, where you can create your own cowboy hat and spurs, play horseshoes, make your own stick pony and try your hand at barrel racing. All arts and crafts are free and supplies are provided.
Cowboy music with The Barditch Hippies, playing live in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden, where the fantastic bronze sculptures and lush, shady greenery are the perfect backdrop for cowboy fun.
Authentic chuck wagon cooking with free samples of peach cobbler, along with food truck grub and tasty barbeque available from Cake ‘n Que to satisfy any hungry cowpokes.
Lassos and fun with local rodeo cowboys and the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo and watch roper Cowboy Doug dazzle and delight with roping demonstrations.
Western art brought to life through live demonstrations:
Watch acclaimed, award-winning cowgirl artist Mary Ross Buchholz demonstrate illustration techniques using charcoal to create realistic imagery, sharing how to artfully capture Western scenes.
Enjoy a live sculpting demonstration by Jason Scull, one of the Cowboy Artists of America working to authentically preserve the culture of Western life through fine art.
See Texas cowboy artist Mike Capron showcase how he authentically portrays ranching and cowboy scenes.
Special appearances by Miss Rodeo Texas 2024, Ashlyn Williams, San Antonio River Walk Princess Annette Flores and Marina the Turtle, visiting to remind everyone “stuff the boat” to support this year’s Communities In Schools supply drive. Bring school supplies to National Day of the Cowboy and help Marina stuff the boat to benefit local children.
A display of escaramuza attire – what the talented women who participate in charreadas wear as they perform – and a local rider answering questions about what it’s like to be an escaramuza.
Storyteller Antoinette Lakey bringing the story of Mary Fields, the first African American woman stagecoach driver, to life. For many years, Fields traveled the West with her pet eagle, never losing a single horse or package. Hear her story as Lakey reads from “Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver.” A community leader, researcher, and dramatist, Antoinette Lakey currently serves as Artistic Director for Teatro Anansi, an organization with a mission to connect, celebrate and commemorate African American theatre, performing arts and history within the greater San Antonio community.
Cowboy poetry with poet Don Mathis, sharing his original poetry about the National Day of the Cowboy.
A look back at what it was like to be a trail rider and a black cowboy with a storyteller dressed in period attire, sharing about life in the West in 1875.
Nature’s beauty and resilience on display during the museum’s summer exhibition, Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art. The exhibition’s title references Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, which had a revolutionary impact on how people from Western cultures envisioned our relationship with the other animals on Earth. A special mini-drawing lab also offers step-by-step instructions to draw animals and landscapes.
Briscoe Western Art Museum: Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Killers of the Flower Moon is one of the movies that will be featured in this summer’s Briscoe Summer Film Series. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
Stampede into the Briscoe Western Art Museumfor a wild summer of survival. From hands-on workshops and book signings, film screenings and conversations about wildlife and conservation to the museum’s beloved National Day of the Cowboy celebration, the Briscoe is the place to be to survive this summer. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2024)
The exhibition’s title references Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, which had a revolutionary impact on how people from Western cultures envisioned our relationship with the other animals on Earth. In the post-Darwin era, a group of classically trained painters now known as the “Big Four” emerged and helped establish a vision of wildlife and nature that remains with us today. German Richard Friese (1854–1918) is the Big Four’s elder, followed chronologically by Swede Bruno Liljefors (1860–1939), German Wilhelm Kuhnert (1865–1926), and German-American Carl Rungius (1869–1959).
The Rijksmuseum Twenthe in Enschede, Netherlands, and the National Museum of Wildlife Art are the only two museums in the world to hold masterpieces by each member of the group. Survival of the Fittest brings together the best paintings from these two esteemed institutions for the first time. Along with the 45 works featured in the exhibition, the Briscoe will feature eight works by Robert “Bob” Frederick Kuhn (1920-2007), on loan exclusively to the Briscoe to showcase how Kuhn – one of the most prolific American wildlife artists – was greatly influenced by the Big Four. Separately, the Briscoe’s permanent collection includes “Rainbow Rams” by Carl Rungius, giving everyone 54 wildlife works to explore.
The Briscoe is hosting a preview party to open the exhibition, followed by a series of events that feature the exhibition curator and other special guests. Opening events include:
• Survival of the Fittest – Exclusive Preview Party Thursday, June 13, 6p.m. – 8p.m.
The event includes complimentary valet, beer, wine, specialty cocktails, and light bites. Tickets are $25 for museum members and Contributing and President’s Society membership tiers receive two tickets. Museum members may upgrade their membership by calling 210.299.4499. Nonmembers may purchase tickets for $35. Tickets are available online.
• Survival of the Fittest: A Tour on the Wild Side Exhibition tour and book signing with curator Adam Duncan Harris Friday, June 14, 1p.m. – 2p.m., included with museum admission
Enjoy a tour of the exhibition with curator Adam Duncan Harris as he dives into the lasting impact of the Big Four and places their paintings in an international context – and how these paintings invite visitors to reflect on their relationship with the natural world. Harris will also sign copies of his book, “Survival of the Fittest: Envisioning Wildlife and Wilderness with the Big Four, Masterworks from the Rijksmuseum Twenthe and the National Museum of Wildlife Art,” available in the Briscoe’s Hendler Family Museum Store.
• Film Screening, Conversation and Tour: The Role of Artists in Wilderness Conservation – “There is a Place on Earth” Curator Adam Duncan Harris and filmmaker Ellen van den Honert Saturday, June 15, 1:30p.m., included with museum admission
Dive into the role artists play in wilderness conservation through “There is a Place on Earth,” Dutch filmmaker Ellen van den Honert’s beautiful and poetic journey around the world, meeting artists and conservationists who share extraordinarily creative work and a commitment to the environment. Following the screening, Harris and van den Honert will answer audience questions, then lead a tour of the exhibition.
• Watercolor Workshop: A Study of the Animal Form A hands-on session for all skill levels with artist Teal Blake Thursday, June 20, 6p.m. – 8p.m., $25 for members, $45 for non members
Award-winning artist and member of the Cowboy Artists of America Teal Blake returns to the Briscoe for a night of watercolor painting, guiding inspiring artists and providing instruction in how to portray the animal form with watercolor paint on paper. The workshop is for all skill levels and watercolor kits, brushes and paper are included. Pre-registration is required.
Following the Survival of the Fittest opening events, the Briscoe will be the place to be throughout the summer. Other activities on tap include:
Make this Summer One for the Books: Literary Cinema The Briscoe’s Summer Movie Series explores western movies based on popular novels on the third Sunday of June, July, and August. A short presentation begins at 1p.m., followed immediately by the screening. Each movie is included in general museum admission, with complimentary beer courtesy of Ranger Creek Brewery, wine and movie snacks. Pre-registrationwith an online museum admission ticket purchase is encouraged to save your seat. Museum members may enjoy the series for free as part of their Briscoe membership.
o Briscoe Summer Film Series: Giant (1956) Sunday, June 16, 1p.m. – 4p.m., included with museum admission
Spend a Giant Father’s Day at the Briscoe with dad enjoying this classic American epic brought to life with Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean. All attendees will be entered to win a trip to stay at the Hotel Paisano in Marfa, Texas, where Hudson, Taylor and Dean stayed during filming, and tickets to the Museum of the Big Bend in Alpine, Texas. Tickets may be purchased online.
o Briscoe Summer Film Series: News of the World (2020) Sunday, July 21, 1p.m. – 4p.m., included with museum admission
Based on the 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, Tom Hanks portrays an aging Civil War veteran who must return a young girl who was taken in by the Kiowa – and raised as one of them – to her last remaining family. Everyone who attends the screening will receive a free copy of the book. Tickets may be purchased online.
o Briscoe Summer Film Series: Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) Sunday, August 18, 1p.m. – 4p.m., included with museum admission
Directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the non-fiction book by David Grann, this Oscar-nominated film shares the story of a series of murders of members of the Osage after oil was discovered on tribal and. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lilly Gladstone. Come to the movie with three books to donate to the San Antonio Independent School District Foundation’s Book Buddies program and receive a free copy of “Killers of the Flower Moon,” filling your bookshelf while sparking a love of reading for SAISD children in grades K-8. Tickets may be purchased online to guarantee your seat.
The Briscoe presents its annual National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 27, 10a.m. – 4p.m. at the museum. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities across the museum’s River Walk campus for cowpokes of all ages to enjoy and explore the west. This year’s celebration spotlights cowgirls and their role in roping, riding and taming the West to inspire young cowgirls – and cowboys – to follow their western dreams. Saddle up with your family and head west for a free day of fun you won’t forget.
SA Examiner 