San Antonio’s Briscoe Western Art Museum Adds Locals Day, Other Features for Summer Showcase
- Courtesy of The Briscoe Western Art Museum
- Watler Matia’s Great Blue Heron Pair
As the dog days of summer drag on, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is offering both new deals and new attractions.
On August 15, the museum will debut its first-ever Locals Day event. This offer includes 50% off general admission for Bexar County residents and residents of bordering counties. The first 50 guests will also receive a 2020 Briscoe Fiesta medal.
All summer, healthcare workers have been able to enjoy the history and art of the West for free. Now, educators can join in on this mini-Western getaway. All educators presenting valid ID will receive free admission through Labor Day.
As always, children 12 and under get free entry as well as active duty members of the military.
It wouldn’t be the wild West without some “wild” in it, and the Briscoe is introducing guests to its new Great Blue Heron Pair sculpture. Gracing the front of the museum along the River Walk, the sculpture was crafted back in 2001 by Walter Matia and purchased by the Jack and Valerie Guenther Foundation.
Even though its purchase was approved in February, its installation was postponed due to the museum’s COVID-19 closure. It’s now available for viewing alongside the 31 other outdoor sculptures on the museum’s grounds. Those include T. D. Kelsey’s Camino de Galvez, which portrays the first official cattle drive out of Texas in 1779.
In addition to the herons, the Briscoe’s New Works Gallery is debuting several new additions, including Paul Moore’s The Procession, which won the museum’s 2020 purchase award, and Alfredo Rodriguez’s A Real Belly Buster, which inspired the Briscoe staff to post a viral #MuseumChallenge video on their Facebook page.
- Courtesy of The Briscoe Western Art Museum
Over in the A-Tex Elliott Family Gallery — the Briscoe’s famous display on the Battle of the Alamo — visitors can gain new insight on William Barret Travis’ life prior to the events at the Alamo. Aficionados can now read a legal document signed by Travis while he worked as an attorney in San Felipe de Austin. This document was penned on the eve of the Texas Revolution, a year before he would take part in the Battle of the Alamo.
The Briscoe’s safety protocols include required masks for staff and guests, temperature checks and a cap of 50% of its full capacity. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-3 p.m. all week. Every Saturday and Sunday of August, parking will be free at city-owned garages, pay-stations and meters all day. Additional details can be found on the Briscoe’s website.
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