 Summer in
San Antonio
is Sizzling
With Art, History and Culture
By SHANNON HUNTINGTON STANDLEY
Photography COURTESY OF
MCNAY
ART MUSEUM
Temperatures will be sizzling in San
Antonio this summer, but the art
and culture coming to the city will give
the heat some competition.
Dinosaurs are back and better than
ever. Return of the Dinosaurs: Extreme
Makeover is taking over the Witte Museum
May 5 through Sept. 3. Walk among a
Stegosaurus, Triceratops or a baby T-Rex
and get an up-close view of these
Cretaceous creatures through robotic
technology, interpretive panels, interactive
displays and dioramas highlighting scientific
information and discoveries.
Visitors can engage in their own
dinosaur paleontological dig or choose
from a variety of dinosaur body parts to
build a dinosaur of their own in the Design-
A-Dino area.Walk through captivating dioramas
featuring real life settings of various
dinosaurs such as the Velociraptor and
Dilophosaurus to explore how dinosaurs
lived and interacted.
The permanent exhibit on Texas
dinosaurs at the Witte is undergoing an
Extreme Makeover, providing an opportunity
to explore fossils that remained long
after the time of the dinosaurs, examine
dinosaur bones and learn about the latest
paleontological discoveries.
Another kind of beast is spending the
summer in San Antonio at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures. On view through Nov.
4, Here Be Dragons gives visitors the
chance to explore the origin of dragon
myths and their influence on modern
culture and belief systems. Dragons
have been used symbolically,
metaphorically and literally for thousands
of years.
Enter a world of imagination and
myth and learn how beliefs make an
important impact on culture. One of the
main components of the exhibition is an
animatronic dragon, Draco, standing 10
feet tall and with a 16-foot wingspan.
Visitors can create their own dragons at
building stations, along with many other
hands-on activities.
 The exaggerated works of artist
Fernando Botero are making their first
stop in a national tour at the San
Antonio Museum of Art. The Baroque
World of Fernando Botero, on view May
26 through Aug. 19, is a collection of 100
paintings, sculptures and drawings by
the Colombian-born artist known for
depicting the humor of human life.
Described as baroque, Botero’s work is
recognizable by his depictions of violence,
beauty, misery, humor, politics
and exaggeration.
The selected pieces represent the
best works from Botero’s stages of
progress and are presented in eight thematic
sections. Many of the works have
never been seen by the public —
favorites of the artist that he never parted
with, as well as reacquired works.
Manifestations of the Butterfly story
have spanned more than 100 years, and
this summer the McNay Art Museum provides
a fascinating look at the story’s
creation and enduring popularity. On
view May 2 through July
29, Madame Butterfly:
From Puccini to Miss
Saigon features original
costumes and props, rare
photographs, facsimile
manuscripts, theater and
movie posters, movie stills
and memorabilia gathered
from archives and
private collections around
the world.
Experience a full range
of performances inspired
by the Madame Butterfly
story through audio and video stations.
The exhibition also surveys modern versions
of Puccini’s opera, including David
Henry Hwang’s 1988 play,M. Butterfly,and
Boublil and Schonberg’s Miss Saigon,
which show how the Butterfly story has
been re-envisioned for new generations.
As summer approaches and the mercury
rises, this wealth of art, history and
culture in San Antonio is a surefire way to
beat the heat.
|
