The Briscoe has Big Plans for 2022 and is Going Full Steam Ahead with FREE Local days, Rodeo Art & Picture Perfect Exhibitions
The Briscoe Western Art Museum is steaming into the 2022 with a new educational series, free days for local visitors and a picture-perfect weekend to close out the U.S. premier of Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo, the fantastic photography exhibition showcasing the birthplace of the modern cowboy. The museum’s upcoming calendar includes:
The Art of the Rodeo: Student Western Art Competition Exhibit
On display Jan. 7 – Feb. 5, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo’s Student Western Art Competition Exhibit fills the Clingman Education Gallery and is included with general admission. Featuring the 10 winning entries in the 2022 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo’s Western Art Competition, the pop-up exhibit showcases the best work from the annual contest that includes 159 South Texas school districts across 48 counties. Each of the works showcase an appreciation of western heritage, something the Briscoe and the Rodeo happily share. The 2022 Best in Show, and 2022 Painting Watercolor Class Champion, scholarship recipient is Madelyn Teter from The Christian School at Castle Hills. Enjoy the rodeo exhibition during regular museum hours and be sure to stop by when you’re downtown for the Rodeo’s Western Heritage Weekend.
Full STEAM Ahead: New Education Series Offers Hands-on Learning Fun
Families and visitors of all ages are invited to learn about the American West in the Briscoe’s new education series, “Full STEAM Ahead”. Learners of all ages will work together and learn about the American West by engaging in hands-on, STEAM learning experiences. Sharing the American West through STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics – each of the activities ties back to the Briscoe’s art and artifacts, bringing 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 kicks off with a day of building on Saturday, Jan. 15, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. when “This town isn’t big enough for the both of us!” gets literal as visitors are challenged to design their own Wild West town using cardboard, recyclable material and other found natural material. Transport back to the days when cattle roamed the streets to learn about how the different parts of a town are essential to survival. Upon completion, visitors will bring their pieces together to create one giant town. Full STEAM Ahead is included with general admission and free for museum members.
Closing Weekend Photography Celebration: Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo
Closing out its successful United States debut at the Briscoe, Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo features celebrated photographer Werner Segarra inviting audiences to peer into the world of the Norteño Cowboys from Sonora, Mexico – not as a casual tourist, but as an intimate observer. With almost 60 images spanning more than 20 years of the lives of the vaqueros, Segarra’s images showcase the expansive landscape, their daily work, and the intimacy of their homes, not merely documenting the vaquero, but celebrating his subjects and their way of life. The exhibition’s closing weekend, Jan. 22-23, features artist talks and exhibition tours with Segarra. Closing weekend events are included with general admission and free for museum members.
“Through the Lens of an Artist” Artist Talk and Book Signing
Joel Salcido and Werner Segarra, Jan. 22, 2022, 2 p.m.
Celebrate the birthplace of the modern cowboy and the fantastic exhibition Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo as the Briscoe closes out this intimate view into the world of the Norteño cowboys and their way of life with celebrated photographer Werner Segarra. Guest moderator and photographer Joel Salcido and Segarra delve into the photography process behind Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo during a special Artist Talk. Following the talk, both artists will be signing their respective books, “Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo” and Salcido’s “Spirit of Tequila”, based on his series, “Aliento A Tequila”, a photographic exhibit that captures images of distilleries and artisanal tequileras, of course, the agave farmers themselves.
Salcido’s poetic vision and depth is rooted in more than 20 years of national and international photojournalism experience both in Latin America and Europe. His visual sensitivity and trust manage to capture the life and voice of his subjects whether in fine art, portrait or nature photography. A regular contributor to publications like “USA Today”, “Texas Highways Magazine” and “Texas Monthly”, his fine art photographs are in the permanent collections of institutions and museums like the Harry Ransom Humanities Center, the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern and Mexican Photography and the El Paso Museum of Art.
“Art Inspiring Art: Capturing Vaqueros on Canvas” Conversation
Lionel Sosa and Werner Segarra, Jan. 23, 2022, 1 p.m., followed by Artist Tours of Vaqueros
The images in Segarra’s Vaqueros inspired artist and founding board member of the Briscoe, Lionel Sosa, to paint portraits of Segarra’s Sonoran subjects. The portraits are on display within the Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo exhibition, with a scavenger hunt that invites museum visitors to pair Sosa’s portraits with Segarra’s original images. Scavenger hunt participants earn the chance to have their portrait painted by Sosa. The winner will be drawn on Jan. 23, when everyone is invited to listen in as Sosa chats with Segarra during “Art Inspiring Art: Capturing Vaqueros on Canvas”. After the conversation, peer into the world of the vaquero alongside Segarra as he leads tours of the Vaqueros exhibition.
Following a successful career in advertising where he was named one of the top 25 Most Influential Hispanics in the United States, Sosa is a full-time portrait artist who has exhibited alongside his wife Kathy at the Smithsonian Institution and the Museo Alameda. His “Vaqueros — the original American Cowboy” was shown in San Antonio, Laredo and Marfa. Sosa’s work currently hangs at the Texas A&M San Antonio, the Center for Contemporary Arts at Palo Alto College and the George H.W. Bush Presidential Museum.
Storytime at the Stagecoach: “Fearless Mary Fields”
On Saturday, Jan. 29, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., join the Briscoe for a special Storytime at the Stagecoach and learn about Mary Fields, the first African American woman stagecoach driver. For many years, Fields traveled the West with her pet eagle, never losing a single horse or package. Hear her story as Antoinette Lakey reads from “Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver” and enjoy arts and crafts. 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. The presentation is part of San Antonio’s Dreamweek and is included with general admission.
Howdy Neighbors: First Sundays Free for Local Residents
To show how friendly the West is and to thank the San Antonio community for its continued support, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is making the first Sunday of each month “Locals Day”, greeting locals with free general admission. Bexar County residents can enjoy the Briscoe’s Locals Days through 2022, with free admission on Feb. 6, Mar. 6, Apr 3, May 1, June 5, July 3, Aug. 7, Sept. 4, Oct. 2, Nov. 6 and Dec. 4. As always, children 12 and under receive free admission to the Briscoe every day, as do active duty members of the military, making the Briscoe a terrific spot for local families to enjoy any time.
The Briscoe is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission is free for children 12 and under and for active duty members of the military. 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. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online.
About The 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. Follow the Briscoe on social media, @BriscoeMuseum.
