Tag: Thomas D Mangelsen A Life In The Wild

Fall events at the Briscoe Western Art Museum

From exhibitions to events, everything is wild at the Briscoe Western Art Museum this fall. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.

This fall the Briscoe Western Art Museum welcomes Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild, an exhibition containing 40 of the renowned nature photographer’s most significant photographs—images that take viewers on a journey across the West and around the globe. To add another dimension to these fantastic images, the Briscoe is hosting a range of programs for guests of all ages. Whether it is an urban nature walk, a birthday celebration with bison or animal sculpting, there is something for everyone to get wild this fall. Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild will be on view at the Briscoe through January 29, 2023, and is included with museum general admission. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

A Life In The Wild programming and events include:

  • STEAMing into the WILD West

November 19, December 17, 11a.m. – 1p.m. each day

Families and visitors of all ages are invited to learn about the American West during the museum’s “Full STEAM Ahead” series on the third Saturday of each month. 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 included with museum general admission. Children 12 and under receive free admission to the Briscoe.

  • Briscoe Birthday: Day of the Bison

October 22, 10a.m. – 4p.m.

Celebrate the Briscoe’s ninth birthday with a special day of bison fun. An iconic symbol of the American West and part of the Briscoe’s logo, the bison is an indelible part of the wildlife and story of the American West. Enjoy hands-on bison crafts all day and hear Caprock Canyons State Park Superintendent Donald Beard discussing the “Official Bison Herd of the State of Texas.” Roaming more than 10,000 acres in the park, the bison are being restored to their native habitat. Learn about the park’s work as one of the five foundational herds that saved the bison from extinction.

The herd exists thanks to legendary rancher Charles Goodnight, who started the herd on his JA Ranch in the Texas Panhandle in 1878 in an attempt to save the animals that had meant so much to him. When the bison were initially donated to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and moved to Caprock Canyons State Park in 1997, it was discovered that their DNA was different, and feature genetics that are not shared by any other bison in North America. In fact, the Official Texas State Bison Herd at Caprock represents the last remaining examples of the Southern Plains variety. The Briscoe Birthday celebration is included with museum admission.

  • Make Prints with the Sun: Cyanotype with Mary Margaret Johnson

October 30, Noon-2p.m.

Cyanotype was one of the first ways of producing photographs and dates back to 1842. This alternative printing process uses UV rays to make prints. Each piece is made by applying the cyanotype solution to the material, arranging items such as flowers, foliage, or objects on the material and exposing it to the sun. After the material is washed with water, the piece turns to a Persian blue. Learn how to make cyanotypes and go home with your own cyanotype bandana. Local artist Mary Margaret Johnson will teach the class. The program is $35 and pre-registration is required via briscoemuseum.org.

  • WILD in Texas: “Deep in the Heart” Film Screening with Producer Katy Bladock

November 10, 6p.m. – 9p.m.

A visually stunning celebration of Texas’ diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife found nowhere else, “Deep in the Heart” aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale. Narrated by Matthew McConaughey and featuring state-of-the-art cinematography, this family-friendly film journeys from the highest peaks in West Texas, through our aquifers, rivers, and bays, and deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Producer Katy Bladock will be present for a post-film discussion and Q&A and guests will be able to view Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In the Wild before the film screening. $12 and pre-registration is recommended via briscoemuseum.org.

  • Celebrating Native American Heritage: Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival

November 19, 10a.m. – 5p.m.

Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities, Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival offers a glimpse into traditional and contemporary Native American culture. Featuring Native American artists, musical performances and dancing, this free community event features storytelling, artist demonstrations of painting, printmaking, pottery, weaving and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food. Yanaguana Indian Arts Festival also features workshops and lectures celebrating Native American culture. Admission to the festival and the museum is free throughout the day.

  • Sculpting Animals: Artist Talk with Mick Doellinger

December 3, 11a.m. – Noon

Known best for his animal sculptures, artist Mick Doellinger will share his inspiration and creative process. Doellinger will bring sculptures for guests to explore and discuss how he creates realistic sculptures of Western wildlife. The program is free with museum admission.

The Briscoe is open Thursday through Monday, 10a.m. – 5p.m. and closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission is free for children 12 and under and for active duty military members. The museum is proud to participate in Museums For All, Blue Star Museums and Bank of America Museums on Us. 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.

Briscoe’s new fall exhibition: Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild

The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s new fall exhibition features renowned nature photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen. Thomas D. Mangelsen: A Life In The Wild will be on exhibit starting September 30, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Western Art celebrates the American West, including the wild places and wildlife that grace the land. The Briscoe Western Art Museum is transforming into a photographic zoo this fall, showcasing the beauty of the West and the animals that call it home in Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild, an exhibition containing forty of the renowned nature photographer’s most resonant photographs—images that take viewers on a journey across the West and around the globe. The exhibition will be on view at the Briscoe September 30, 2022 – January 29, 2023, and is included with museum general admission. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)

The photographer personally selected forty classic photographs, which he refers to as his legacy photographs, for this retrospective exhibition making its Texas debut in San Antonio. Among photographs which members of the public will certainly be familiar with are “Polar Dance,” of polar bears appearing to dance, “Mountain Outlaw,” a grizzly bear charging through the snow, and “Catch of the Day,” which captures the exact moment that a spawning salmon, trying to leap over a waterfall along Alaska’s Brooks River, soars right into the waiting jaws of a massive brown bear. The image is not only one of the most widely circulated wildlife photographs in history, but also a monumental achievement in photography because it occurred before the advent of digital cameras and involves no digital manipulation.

Not all photographs in the exhibit, some of which measure 10 feet across, are of bears. The exhibition is truly a photographic zoo, with subjects captured in their native Western habitats include American bison, Arctic fox, bald eagle, black bear, bobcat, bohemian and cedar waxwings, brown bear, coyote, great gray owl, grizzly bear, ground squirrel, kestrel, moose, mountain lion, and Sandhill crane. Fantastic landscapes include Alaska’s Denali range and the Great Smoky Mountains, as well as fields of poppies and lupine and forests of redwood and aspen.

One of the most prolific nature photographers of our time, Mangelsen has been described as a spiritual descendant of pioneering American nature photographers Ansel Adams, Eliot Porter, and Edward Weston. Bill Allen, the now retired Editor-in-Chief of “National Geographic,” considers Mangelsen to be one of the most important nature photographers of his generation.

The photographer is as much a conservationist as he is an artist. He was named the 2011 Conservation Photographer of the Year by “Nature’s Best Photography,” placing his work in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. He was named one of the 40 Most Influential Nature Photographers by “Outdoor Photography,” and one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by “American Photo” magazine. The North American Nature Photography Association has named him Outstanding Nature Photographer of the Year, while the British Broadcasting Corporation gave him its coveted, prestigious award, Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Mangelsen has traveled to the wildest corners of North America, Africa, and beyond, for more than 40 years and produced a body of work second to none. At a time when digital technology is, notoriously, conditioning users to have shorter attention spans, A Life In The Wild stands as a testament to the rewards that can come to those, like him, who get close to nature.

To mark the exhibition’s opening, the Briscoe is hosting a preview party on September 29, followed by an opening weekend event that features an urban nature walk.

Opening weekend events include:

  • Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild Exhibition Preview Party – Thursday, September 29, 6p.m. – 8p.m.

Help the Briscoe kick off a fall steeped in the natural beauty of the American West with Michael Duchemin, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Briscoe. The event includes complimentary beer, wine, specialty cocktails and light bites. The event is $20 for museum members and free for Contributing and President’s Society membership tiers. Museum members may upgrade their membership by calling 210.299.4499. Nonmembers may purchase tickets for $30. Tickets are available online. 

  • A Life In The Wild Urban Nature Walk, Animal Tracks and Pollinator Plants

Saturday, October 1, 10:30a.m. – 11:15a.m. Nature Walk; 11:30a.m. – 12:30p.m., Activity

Discover nature in the heart of San Antonio. Join Mitchell Lake Audubon Center educators as they lead you on a nature walk through the Briscoe Museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden. After the walk, learn about animals you might have seen in your own backyard, how to match them to their tracks, and create your own track to take home. Then learn how pollinator plants help out these animals and other wildlife while making your own paper pot to fill with a nectar plant to benefit the visitors to your space. The nature walk and activities are included with museum general admission.

David J. Wagner, L.L.C, in partnership with Thomas D. Mangelsen, Inc., is producing The Thomas D. Mangelsen – A Life In The Wild tour. This exhibition is supported in part by Jan McCaleb Elliott, the Greehey Family Foundation, and Jessica Elliott Middleton.