Groundbreaking Exhibit

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Among these exciting features is a 19th century Tejano freighter (in the form of a cinematic robot), who greets visitors and tells anecdotes about his latest journey with his 16 oxen, laden with goods and supplies from throughout South Texas, as well as where in San Antonio he will spend the night and get a shave. In the 1849 Main Plaza of San Antonio, state-of-the-art remote sensing technology triggers “conversations” and ambient sounds; in the ranching area, light and sound enhance the experience, virtually, as night turns to morning and cattle “stampede.” Learn how to herd cattle up the trail and load a burro through hands-on interactives. Listen to tales of iconic South Texans and smell the coffee brewing while watching a performance of Cowboy y Vaquero: A Campfire Conversation Gallery Theater. Through technology, “encounter” vaqueros, cowboys, 19th century hotel workers, dry-goods storeowners and familiar figures, including Juan Seguín, Mary Maverick, Davy Crockett, and Richard King.

“A Wild and Vivid Land combines unique art and objects from the Witte Museum collections with technology and theatrical set exhibits to present the history of South Texas and its capitol, San Antonio, in a way that has never been seen before,” said Bruce M. Shackelford, Guest Curator. “Stories are as much a part of the history of the area as the collections and those stories are a primary part of the exhibit,” he added.

Setting the stage for lifelong learning in South Texas, the Witte Museum has developed three major initiatives as its focus for the future. Among these is the construction of a South Texas Heritage Center, scheduled to begin in 2007, which will display the Witte’s renowned permanent collections. A Wild and Vivid Land serves as an ambitious precursor to the highly anticipated South Texas Heritage Center.

A Wild and Vivid Land: Stories of South Texas and the South Texas Heritage Center are generously supported by Gov. Dolph Briscoe, Jr., AT&T Foundation, Time Warner Cable - San Antonio, The Lewis Energy Group, Valero Energy Corporation, The Brown Foundation, The Wachovia Foundation, Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation, Nathalie & Gladys Dalkowitz Charitable Trust, Beldon Roofing Company, C. H. Guenther & Son, Inc., Union Pacific Foundation, the Alex and Sally Halff Family Foundation, Mary West Traylor, Betty and Henry Feldman, Virginia Stokes Nicholas, Helen Jean Travis, and the Jack and Doris Smothers and Mary Ann Bruni Memorial Foundation in honor of Olivia Pilar Weatherbie and Olivia Estelle Bruni.