Experience Living Traditions at the Briscoe’s Annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival
San Antonio, TX — Celebrate the art, traditions, and living cultures of Native peoples at the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s annual Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival on Saturday, November 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2026)
This free, family-friendly event fills both the museum and its scenic River Walk campus with Native artists, dance, drumming, storytelling, hands-on art, and opportunities to connect with the cultures that helped shape the American West. Admission to the festival, all festival activities, and the entire museum are completely free, with free event registration available online.
Event Quick Facts:
- When: Saturday, November 14 | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Where: Briscoe Western Art Museum & River Walk Campus (San Antonio, TX)
- Cost: Free (Includes festival activities and full museum admission)
A Celebration of Living Traditions
Honoring Native American Heritage Month, the festival kicks off with a traditional blessing and drum circle, followed by morning performances from the United San Antonio Pow Wow with Enemy Horse Drumming. Visitors are invited to join in with the powwow dancers and learn about the deep traditions expressed through their movements.
In the afternoon, the Hithla Dance Troupe, featuring members representing Chickasaw, Choctaw, Seminole, and Creek communities, will share the songs, stomp dancing, and cultural education of Southeastern Native American cultures.
Meet the Featured Artists
Throughout the day, guests can meet renowned Native American artists, watch live demonstrations, and learn how raw materials and ancestral techniques become fine art:
- Shane Hendren (Diné/Navajo): A master jewelry maker and turquoise expert sharing the artistry and materials behind Native American jewelry.
- Tim Blueflint Ramel (Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa): A skilled flute and jewelry maker showcasing his craftsmanship and performing live Native American flute music.
- George Curtis Levi (Southern Cheyenne, with ties to Arapaho and Oglala Lakota communities): Demonstrating ledger art, a historic tradition that uses the pages of record books to depict scenes and stories of Native life.
- Chase Kahwinhut Earles (Caddo): A pottery artist dedicated to reviving and preserving the ancient ceramic techniques of his ancestors.
- Kevin Horace Quannie (Hopi/Navajo): Specializing in contemporary katsina carving crafted from cottonwood roots.
Family Activities, Storytelling, and Food
- Hands-On Crafts: Families can create their own artwork at free craft stations all day, including a screen-printing station where you can pull a commemorative print to take home.
- Riverbank Storytelling: Indigenous storytellers Joyous Windrider and Rosie Torres bring intergenerational tales to life through movement, concluding right along the banks of the San Antonio River.
- Living History: Tejano re-enactor Charles Lara portrays a 19th-century Texas Delaware blanket trader (1820s–1850s), offering insight into the regional trade and exchanges that shaped early Texas.
- Local Eats: Dona Kika’s food truck will be parked on site with delicious food available for purchase.
Explore Connections Across the American West
Yanaguana celebrates Native People of the Americas, one of the Briscoe’s core Four Pillars of Western Art. Inside the new Valerie Urschel Guenther Four Pillars Gallery, visitors can experience Beyond the Frontier: Four Pillars of Western Art, an immersive introduction to the four themes that define the museum:
- Wildlife & The Land
- Native People of the Americas
- Tejanos, Vaqueros & Spanish Heritage
- Cowboys & The American Frontier
Running continuously throughout the day with Spanish subtitles, this 14-minute cinematic experience brings 85 works of art to life on a nearly 20-foot digital canvas through animation, music, and narration.
Free Access to Landmark Exhibitions
Your free festival admission grants full access to all current museum exhibitions, allowing you to trace the intersections of Indigenous and Tejano history across the galleries:
- Tejano Legacy: Another American Origin Story: The Briscoe’s largest and most ambitious exhibition explores nearly 400 years of bilingual Tejano history, culture, and identity, featuring a dedicated section on the Indigenous peoples of the land and their historic interactions with Tejano communities.
- Selena Forever / Siempre Selena: Celebrates an enduring icon of Tejano music and culture through John Dyer’s large-scale photographs of Selena Quintanilla-Pérez.
- Kathy Sosa: Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico: Features more than 30 paintings, mixed-media works, and sculptures illuminating the vital roles women have played in shaping the region.
A Free Community Day Along the River
Named for the Payaya people’s word for what is now known as the San Antonio River, the Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival has been an annual staple since the Briscoe first opened its doors. Whether you come for the live music, the hands-on art, or the gallery exhibitions, the festival welcomes visitors of all ages to discover the vibrant stories of the American West.
Plan your visit and secure your free event registration online through the Briscoe Western Art Museum!
