Families are invited to join the Briscoe and view some of the beautiful works of art in our collection.
After viewing a variety of paintings with clouds, families will create their own 3D cloud artwork to take home. This family program is great for all ages and all are welcome to participate.
📅 March 1, 2026 | 1-3 PM
👤 Families and People of all ages
🎟️ Free for Members | Free with General Admission
Families are invited to join the Briscoe and listen to the story about Mary Fields.
After the reading, families will learn about eagles and how they build their nests then use found materials to create their own replica of an eagle’s nest.
Families can also create their own handprint eagle artwork to take home. This family program is great for all ages and all are welcome to participate.
📅 February 1, 2026 | 1-3 PM
👤 Families and People of all ages
🎟️ Free for Members | Free with General Admission
Journey through centuries of cartographic history with Eliane and Jon Dotson of Old World Auctions, specialists in antique maps since 1978.
Part of the Going to Texas: Five Centuries of Texas Maps exhibition.
🗺️ Free event | Free museum admission for attendees
Join the Museum of the Big Bend Director, Dr. John Klingemann and Matt Walter for a guided tour through the new exhibit.
📆 Friday, October 4, 2025 | 2:00 PM
🎟️ Included with museum admission | FREE for members
Meet the Guides!
Dr. John Klingemann
A native of West Texas, John Klingemann grew up in the small community of Terlingua in South Brewster County. An alumnus of both Alpine High School and Sul Ross State University, John enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Arizona where he received his doctorate in history.
Prior to his return to Sul Ross State University, he served as a Professor of History and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Angelo State University.
He currently serves as the Vice President for Development and Advancement and as the Director of the Museum of the Big Bend.
Matt Walter
As the son of a missionary-teacher couple, Matt spent his childhood rotating between the Gulf Coast of Texas, the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, and the southernmost state in Brazil. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1976 and, over the next 20 years, the USCG took him to 19 different countries.
Following his retirement from the service, Matt got his BA and MA in history at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Falling in love with the wide-open spaces and dark night skies of the Big Bend, Matt worked as the Curator of Collections at the Museum of the Big Bend, on the campus of Sul Ross, for another 20 years.
Retiring from that in 2023, Matt is now a volunteer at the museum, helping curate the Yana and Marty Davis Map Collection, including this exhibit.
Families are invited to join the Briscoe and learn about the meaning and importance of Native American feathers.
After a short presentation, families will be able to create their own crystallized feathers. This family program is great for all ages and all are welcome to participate.
📅 Sunday, November 2 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM
👤 Families and People of all ages
🎟️ Free for Members | Free with General Admission
Families are invited to join the Briscoe and learn about how explorers used a compass to find direction.
After a short presentation, families will be able to create their own compass! This family program is great for all ages and all are welcome to participate.
📅 Sunday, October 5 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM
👤 Families and People of all ages
🎟️ Free for Members | Free with General Admission
Join us for the final film in our Native American Film Screening as we Celebrate Native American Heritage Month!
The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s Native Film Series showcases a selection of unique films that feature original and diverse indigenous stories. All films were directed, written, produced by, and/or star Native Americans.
Local community activist Matthew Davila (Standing Rock Dakota) curated the series and will lead a short presentation before each film.
📅 Saturday, November 15 | 1:30-4:00 pm
🎟 Free with Online Registration!
Starring Val Kilmer, Thunderheart Follows an FBI agent investigating a series of murders on a small Native American reservation. Inspired by real life events, Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist, was imprisoned after the death of two FBI Agents in 1975. Leonard was pardoned by President Joe Biden in January 2025.
Join us at the Briscoe for a holiday ornament painting workshop!
Learn the process of painting paper mâché ornaments and leave with a beautifully personalized ornament to hang on your tree or gift to loved ones. Mija Folk will share their creative process before guiding guests in painting their own paper mache ornaments to take home.
📆 Thursday, December 4 | 6-8PM
🎟️ $20 Members | $35 Non-Members
🎨 All materials and museum admission included.
🍷 Beer, wine, and light bites provided.
Pre-registration required.
Mija folk art is a San Antonio based mother and three daughters creating art that celebrates their Mexican American heritage and culture. Mom (Elizabeth) makes paper mâché, paints and creates digital art.
Her daughters; Mia is a fiber artist, Nadia is a photographer and Olivia is a digital artist. Together they create art that celebrates identity, love and each other.
Elizabeth is a self-taught folk artist. Her medium of choice is paper mâché, a simple, economical and deeply creative technique that transforms newspaper, cardboard and a lot of patience into authentic works of art.
Her works of art celebrates women, motherhood, faith and the vibrant color and patterns of popular Mexican tradition, showing how handmade art also holds memory and heart.
Get wrapped up in Western fun and meet Cowboy Santa at the Briscoe’s annual Cowboy Christmas.
Included with museum admission, Cowboy Christmas is the perfect way to enjoy holiday fun and make memories with your family. The celebration falls on the Briscoe’s monthly “Locals Day” so all Bexar County and San Antonio residents receive free admission to enjoy the museum.
Cowboy Christmas features a day of family fun exploring the museum!
🎨 Holiday crafts, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
🎅 Visit & Snap Pictures with Cowboy Santa 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
🕵🏻♂️ Enjoy a special 12 Days of Christmas scavenger hunt leads you through the Briscoe’s fantastic collection.
Join the Museum of the Big Bend Director, Dr. John Klingemann and Matt Walter for a guided tour through the new exhibit.
📆 Friday, October 3, 2025 | 2:00 PM
🎟️ Included with museum admission | FREE for members
Meet the Guides!
Dr. John Klingemann
A native of West Texas, John Klingemann grew up in the small community of Terlingua in South Brewster County. An alumnus of both Alpine High School and Sul Ross State University, John enrolled in graduate studies at the University of Arizona where he received his doctorate in history.
Prior to his return to Sul Ross State University, he served as a Professor of History and Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Angelo State University.
He currently serves as the Vice President for Development and Advancement and as the Director of the Museum of the Big Bend.
Matt Walter
As the son of a missionary-teacher couple, Matt spent his childhood rotating between the Gulf Coast of Texas, the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, and the southernmost state in Brazil. He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard in 1976 and, over the next 20 years, the USCG took him to 19 different countries.
Following his retirement from the service, Matt got his BA and MA in history at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas. Falling in love with the wide-open spaces and dark night skies of the Big Bend, Matt worked as the Curator of Collections at the Museum of the Big Bend, on the campus of Sul Ross, for another 20 years.
Retiring from that in 2023, Matt is now a volunteer at the museum, helping curate the Yana and Marty Davis Map Collection, including this exhibit.
