| Summary: | The Texican, staff newsletter of the Institute of Texan Cultures, 1984-1997. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS INSTITUTE OF TEXAN CULTURES AT SAN ANTONIO •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• IN SAN ANTONIO, and thoughts tum to Fiesta! NIOSA, and a host of other activities fill this IO-day Institute of Texan Cultures plays an important part with two free events. The Spurs Coyote will make a return appearance at this year's Texas Children's Festival. Katy Gaither enjoys the activities of last year's Texas Children 's Festival. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •••••••••••••••••••••••••• • Bowie Street Blues, held on the last day of Fiesta, has developed a strong following over the years by presenting an impressive lineup of Texas blues musicians in a laidback open-air concert. This popular event, which has been held annually since 1988, gives the audience an opportunity to experience Texas's version of this unique and popular American style of music. Headlining the 1995 "Texas Blues Legends" event will be Texas Johnny Brown and the Quality Blues Band, Grady Gaines and the Texas Upsetters, Joe "Guitar" Hughes and Blues Plus, and Pearl Murray and the Jewels. The concert is free and open to the public. Master of ceremonies for the afternoon program will be Institute employee Sam Baird. Food, drinks, and T-shirts will be sold at the event. Patrons are encouraged to bring blankets for sitting on the berm. No ice chests or pets will be allowed . Texas Johnny Brown and the Quality Blues Band will perform at the eighth annual Bowie Street Blues. At the beginning of each odd-numbered year, somehow unexpected but significant challenges jump up and grab our attention -1995 is no exception. The proposed budget for the Institute offers the most significant threat to its programming and existence since the late 1980's. Even with that shadow, the good news continues to show that the Institute is moving decisively in the right direction. When the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) laid out its recommendations for the next biennium, the proposal imposed a 20 percent cut on all special items in university budgets. Since the Institute is a special item in the UTSA budget, that meant nearly $1,000,000 would be cut over the next two years. The rationale behind the cut, according to LBB staff, is that universities should be funded by Coordinating Board formulas. Since the formulas never included Institute activities, and since the Institute has never received funding through the formula system, the reasoning is flawed. As I said above, however, the news on other fronts is quite good. Since the last Texican, the Institute has received nearly $100,000 in grants to support special projects and programs. In addition, Institute publications have received several awards, continuing what seems to be a yearly occurrence. Two awards came recently to honor our radio program, "LIFETIMES: The Texas Experience. " The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) announced a regional award for the program, and we shared a SIMI (San Antonio Marketing Innovations) award with KABB for an advertising series celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month last September. One other exciting bit of news-after years of research and over a year of talking with focus groups in various Hispanic communities around the state, we closed the Spanish and Mexican exhibit areas on December 12, 1994, to begin renovations that will make the area more interactive and engaging. Four additional phases will follow this first step, leading in four years to a total revision of the area. All of the out-ofpocket expenses were accomplished without the use of state appropriated funds. Needless to say, the 20 percent cut referred to above will put at risk the next four phases, as funding sources will see dwindling state support as a bad sign for the Institute of Texan Cultures. In the meantime, we at the Institute will continue to pursue forward-looking, service- oriented educational programming for all Texans. We have enjoyed your support in the past and look forward to its continuing in the future. LOOKING AHEAD THROUGH FINANCIAL PLANNING When I began this column more than three years ago, I early noted the importance of a will in estate planning. It is perhaps time to return to that topic once again, for it remains a problem for families throughout the country. Over 50 percent of families do not have an appropriate will or trust instrument to distribute the proceeds of their estates in the manner in which they desire. To have an instrument is not to say that it is appropriate. Individuals should review their estate plans regularly, especially when a major change has occurred in the family situation. For instance, a new child born into a family may necessitate a change. Children completing college and going out on their own may be another checkpoint. In the latter case, an insurance policy used to guarantee college expenses for the children could be used for another purpose. Or, a paid-up policy might be gifted to a charitable organization, with a resulting tax deduction equal roughly to the cash value of the policy. If a periodic reexamination of one's estate plan is not carried out, opportunities for adjusting one's plans may be lost. But what about the person who has no will? Many people think that because they have a modest estate, they do not need a will. When a spouse dies in Texas, a common property state, the surviving spouse will receive his or her half of the estate, but the remaining half will go by law to the children. That may not be what the deceased wished, what the surviving spouse needed, or what was appropriate for the children; but that is what will happen. Isn't it time you looked over your personal estate plan? Attending the Stakeholders Reception were UTSA President Dr. Samuel A. Kirkpatrick; State Representative for District 121 Bill Siebert; 1995 Development Board Chairman Frank Calhoun; State Senator for District 19 Also attending were Institute Board Members Mary Pat Stumberg and Irene Wischer; John McGiffert (previous Institute Executive Director) and his wife, Pat; and former Development Board Chairman Bob Buschman. Frank Madia Jr. and D,: Rex Ball. 2 THETEXICAN --- Institute Awarded SW Bell Grant for Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project Southwestern Bell, the Texas Historical Commission, and the Institute of Texan Cultures have become partners in an educational project that will focus on the Lower Rio Grande Corridor, benefiting students living there and, eventually, all over the state. Based on the successful Los Caminos del Rio Heritage Project produced by the Texas Historical Commission, the Institute project will be a series of traveling trunks developed on agriculture and ranching, architecture, and transportation in that area, made possible by a grant from the SBC Foundation. The $15,000 awarded will fund the research, development, and production of the first two trunks and the acquisition of artifacts. For its part, the Texas Historical Commission will offer expertise in the subject matter, as well as donate copies of its publication, A Shared Experience: The History, Architecture and Historic Designations of the Lower Rio Grande Heritage Corridor and the accompanying Teacher's Companion and Activities Resource Book. "Southwestern Bell is pleased to playa part in this collaboration between the Institute of Texan Cultures and the Texas Historical Commission," stated Marsha Lindsey, Director of External Affairs for South Texas. "By fostering such partnerships in interac.tive education, we feel we can use our resources to help meet the critical needs of an important constituency." I LI FETIMES ,II c9£.N ~NTONIO ~CHAPTER . ~ . AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION Based on episodes from the Institute's daily radio series, "LIFETIMES: The Texas Experience," and materials from the Institute's photo archives, San Antonio's KABB-Fox 29 TV network prepared a series of 10 public service features for Hispanic Heritage Month in September. In recent ceremonies, the San Antonio Chapter of the American Marketing Association presented the series with a 1994 SAMI (San Antonio Marketing Innovation) Award, judged best in its category by the Miami, Florida, Chapter of AM.A The Institute extends congratulations to KABB! We are proud to be a partner in this excellent series and eager for partnership in other multicultural programming efforts. "LIFETIMES" partner radio stations are listed at right. Call your favorite station for times, or, if not listed, invite it to join us in airing the Institute's weekday 90-second glimpses of Texas, "LIFETIMES: The Texas Experience." The traveling trunk series has become one of the Institute's most successful outreach programs, because the trunks provide hands-on learning experiences for both teachers and students. The three Los Caminos trunks will examine their respective subjects very broadly, from the paleo-Indian era to the present day, and will include copies of historic photos, replicas of documents and artifacts, and instructions on the use of materials. They will first be used to supplement the social studies curricula of the 255 schools along the Texas side of the Rio Grande by offering an interactive teaching tool which promotes understanding of the cultural heritage of the region. After two years, however, they will become part of the Institute's regular traveling trunk inventory. According to Rex Ball, the project will reap sev-eral benefits. "Although the primary beneficiaries of these trunks will be the students and teachers involved, we believe that the project will also heighten general public awareness of the history and culture of the area and help foster relations with Mexico through cultural understanding. Another important benefit is that it will expand the Institute's mission to schools and communities, particularly in the underserved lower Rio Grande Valley-an area which does not receive adequate scholarship and teaching support. Abilene: KNTS-AM · . Al1ce; KQNN-FM ., Alpine.: KSRC-FM , AmMiJ1o: KAKS-AM , c-, ·"'l ("~' Ai 'Ar(;!inQre; Okla.: KKAJ-AM '.: ¥.~ ' , , and KKAJ-FM Austin: KFON-AM and KWTR-AM THE TEXICAN 3 San Fernando Church, west side of Alamo Plaza, 1860's. loske's sign overlooking Alamo Plaza, 1938. ~ . . . ' '-£_-.,~,; . .;;;.;;; .,'.'- . ~- If'I'· Though most architecture from nial period had . fore photography place, there rema graphic record 0 quent architectu The Institute's hibit features stl from the 1740's t riod of time wher. transformed fron frontier of Mexi larger cities in t: Lost Landmarks oj display through Photo Gallery. It j the public. £ San Antonio's the Spanish coloanished long be) ecame commontlS a good photothe city's subseal development. )hotographic exlctures that date ,the 1920's, apeSan Antonio was a village on the o to one of the e United States_ San Antonio is on June 25 in the free and open to Post Office and Federal Building, north side of Alamo Plaza. Photo by Emil Toepperwein, 1889. New Tejano Area Begins to Unfol After months of research and planning, the existing Spanish and Mexican sections of the main Exhibit Floor were closed in mid-December so that the first construction phase of the new Tejano area could begin. This Colonial Roots phase _ was opened to the public in early March. 1===~:::;::=,:::t1 --- n' The Tejano exhibit, to be installed in stages during the next four years, will trace the development of a distinct Tejano identity as immigrants from New Spain and Mexico adapted to conditions in Texas. Featured in this phase of renovation are new introductory perimeter walls with windows; miniature dioramas depicting San Antonio in the 1790's; touch-activated conversations in which the diorama figures "speak" from different perspectives; a video in which contemporary Tejanos discuss issues of identity; and a visitor feedback station. Subsequent construction phases, taking place from December to March each year, will complete installation of the four exhibit sections: the conclusion of Colonial Roots, Family, Work, and Community Life. Construction of the Tejano area is scheduled to be finished in 1999. An unveiling and public reception was held March 24 with keynote speaker Dr. Jesus F. de la Teja lecturing on "Tracing Tejano Identity in Colonial Bexar Everyday Life." After his lecture, Dr. de la Teja autographed copies of his new book, San Antonio de Bexar: A Community on New Spain's Northern Frontier. The program :Jl also featured "Emma," a gallery theater play about Emma Tenayuca, a San Antonio labor leader in the 1930's. This play, which will be performed Saturdays and Sundays through May in the new Tejano area at Detail from diorama. ing touches on the first Yruegas and Sam Baird look 11 :30 a.m. and 1 :00 p.m., was written by Beverly Sanchez-Padilla, directed by Camilla Ritchey, and produced by Institute staff member Cindi Gonzales. COLUMN tLtVA[ ION x;."=:.I'-d 6 THE TEXICAN TRAVELING EXHIBIT The Institute Lone Star State with advantage of its Trunks May A Proud Heritage; Lone Star German Immigration in Origins of the 18th Century Community in San Antonio A Festival of Pinatas features instructions on how to make a pinata. as well as details of its background. folklore. and rules of the game. June 15-July 30: Ranch Images, Possibilities and A Celebration of History August 10-September 10: The Impact of World War II on Texans at Home and Reach for the Sky: Aviation in Texas. The Institute on the Internet ••••••• Traveling Exhibits are usually rented for a minimum of 30 days, and discounts are offered on multiple bookings. Insurance is included in the fee. Each exhibit comes with complete assembly instructions, and most include 100 brochures. Membership discounts do not apply to Traveling Exhibit rentals. For booking availability, contact the Traveling Exhibits Coordinator at 1-800-776-7651 or in San Antonio at 558-2232. World W)de Web browsers can soon fsit the Instit.ute via Virtual San Antonio, an "electronic City" under con~tructlon on the Internetli>y \the local firm Internet-Direct, Inc. ou can take a mini-tour of the Exhibit Floor, learn about the Texas Folklife Festival, EXANS "Rebound"! A problem has been detected with the binding of the recent reprinting of Texans: A Story of Texan Cultures for Young People. When the books are laid flat, some of the pages become detached. Our binding company, which we have used for numerous projects, is one which stands behind its work. Such problems rarely occur, but when they do, the company is willing and anxious to rectify them. In this case, Universal Bookbindery, Inc., has offered to rebind all books at no charge to the Institute or our customers, using a much more durable metal loop ring binding. A letter of recall was mailed to those who purchased the book through our ordering department. If you purchased a single copy of the new softback Texans in our gift shop, we encourage you to return that copy to the Store or mail it to: The Institute of Texan Cultures, Attn: Sandy, 801 S. Bowie St., San Antonio, Texas 78205-3296. A replacement copy will be mailed to you at no extra charge. Be sure to include all pages! Please accept our apologies for this inconvenience. We feel, however, that you will be much more satisfied with the new binding, and we strongly encourage you to return your books. Thank you for your continued patronage of the Institute and our products. and read about some of our other programs as well. Virtual San Antonio offers potential visitors a glimpse of life in the Alamo City, including cultural attractions and sites, hotels, restaurants, special events, shopping, and tours, etc. To view this particular program, net-surfers must be able to view graphics on-line. Simply access http://www.txdirect.net. and click on "Welcome to San Antonio." Happy Surfing! TEXANS 1:r • A Story of Texan Cultures for Young People . Barbara Evans Stallush THE TEXICAN 7 ~:a,IL THROUGH MAY, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. "Emma." Tejano Area. This gallery theater play deals with Emma Tenayuca, a San Antonio labor leader in the 1930's, and was written by Beverly Sanchez-Padilla. THROUGH JUNE 2S Lost Landmarks of San Antonio. Photo Gallery. The structures featured in this exhibit date from the 1740's to the 1920's, a period of time when San Antonio was transformed from a village on the frontier of Mexico to one of the larger cities of the United States. APRIL 6-MAY 7 Mexican Folk Toys. Lower Gallery. Wooden clowns and whirling demons, charging bulls and fearless matadors, exotic dolls and miniature kitchen utensils-these are just a few from a collection of over 500 handmade toys featured in this exhibit. APRIL 6-MAY 7 A Festival of Piiiatas. Lower Gallery. This exhibit is guaranteed to dazzle visitors with a wide and colorful assortment of pinatas, along with details of the pinata's background and folklore, and rules of the game. APRIL 22, 11 a.m. to S p.m. Texas Children's Festival. Main Exhibit Floor and the Grounds of the Institute. Children of all ages can take part in activities and enjoy entertainment representative of such countries as Japan, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Mexico, and Africa. Individuals who have demonstrated · excellence in education will be honored during opening ceremonies. Free and open to the public. APRIL 30, 2-6 p.m. Bowie Street Blues. Back 40. Rhythm and blues fans will be singing and tapping their feet as "Texas Blues Legends" from Houston bring their talent and music to the Back 40 of the Institute. As one of the final Fiesta events of the year, the Bowie Street Blues concert will offer the general public a unique blend of music with an emphasis on traditional Texas blues. Refreshments will be sold, and no ice chests will be allowed. Free and open to the public. ~.6.T MAY ll-JUNE 11 The Greeks in Texas: A Proud Heritage. Lower Gallery. The Greeks' contributions to the state are summarized in this exhibit, which chronicles the following subjects: The Immigrants, Commercial Success, Maintaining Greek Heritage, Greek Orthodoxy in Texas, Promoting Patriotism and Citizenship, Greek Women and Their Influence, Greeks in Sports, and Greek Holidays and Festivals. ~ The University of Texas 1\1 ;:titute of Texan Cultures ~ S. Bowie St. * San Antonio, TX 78205-3296 FORWARDING AND RETURN ADDRESS REQUESTED MAY ll-JUNE 11 Lone Star and Eagle: German Immigration in Texas. Lower Gallery. This exhibit documents the 300-year history of German immigration to Texas, which was considered by many as one of the best-advertised lands on earth. MAY ll-JUNE 11 Origins of the 18th Century Tejano Community in San Antonio. Lower Gallery. Featuring illustrations by EI Paso artist Jose Cisneros, this exhibit traces the evolution of the Spanish settlement of San Antonio de Bexar on the Texas frontier from three distinct groups consisting of Mexican soldier-settlers and their families, Canary Islanders, and mission Indians into an ethnically unified but socially stratified Tejano community. .TVlWE JUNE IS-JULY 30 Ranch Women: Roles, Images, Possibilities. Lower Gallery. Texas ranch women-pioneers, helpmates, cowgirls, or cattle queens-significantly shaped their own public image and, at the same time, created new roles for themselves. In addition to their often controversial behavior, the portrayal of their lives in the media contributed to their new image. This exhibit explores the complex and fascinating process of change that occurred. JUNE IS-JULY 30 Texas Women: A Celebration of History. Lower Gallery. Previously tucked away in attics, diaries, museums, and libraries, the stories of Texas women are told at last in this exhibit. Produced in conjunction with the Foundation for Women's Resources, the exhibit highlights the impact of women on Texas culture, government, economy, family, and community life. The Texican is a quarterly publication focusing on the people and programs of The University of Texas Institute of Texan Cultures, part of The University of Texas at San Antonio. For further information, contact the Director of Communications and Marketing, 801 S. Bowie St., San Antonio, TX 78205-3296, or call (210) 558-2257. Editor: Lynn Catalina Assistant Editor: Patty Burrus Production: ITC Art Department VOL. SINO. 3 Diane Bruce Library
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