member newsletter fall 2008

MEMBER NEWSLETTER
FALL 2008
Board of Trustees
Officers
Samuel G. “Sam” Dawson, PE, Chair
Michael “Mike” Bolner, Vice Chair
Peggy W. Walker, Secretary
Don Frost, Treasurer
Ty Griesenbeck, Jr., Past Chair
John Banks, Jr.
J. Darryl Byrd
Frank Guerra
Randy W. Petrosky
Carroll W. Schubert
Rosemary Leon
Rich Marcogliese
Mark Metcalfe
Jack Stein
Trustees
Jean P. Alexander
Mary Arno
Sugar Barnes
Michael D. “Mike” Beldon
Craig Browning
Lynda Billa Burke
Carol S. Canty
Walter Embrey
John W. “J.J.” Feik
Betty Feldman
Tena Gorman
Alex H. Halff
Agnes Harwood
Jack Judson
Chris Karcher
Robert E. Kelso, Col (Ret)
Mary Lamar Leyendecker
Janey Briscoe Marmion
Fred W. Middleton
Byron Miller
Richard C. Mosty
Virginia S. Nicholas
Susan Pape
Richard P. Prior
Lisa Rosenbloom
Kate Rogers
John F. Rothermel, III
J. Laurence Sheerin
Whitney Solcher
Jeanie Travis
Jill Vassar
Ferdinand J. “Ferdie” Vollmer III
Marianne C. Watson
Senior Staff
Marise McDermott
President & CEO
Mimi Quintanilla
Director
Bea Abercrombie
Director of Administrative Services
Dennis Bartz
Project Design Manager
Kim Biffle
Director of Annual Fund
Jim Dalglish
Vice President of Communications
Amy Fulkerson
Collections Manager
Michaele Haynes Ph.D.
Curator
Sue Millican
Chief Financial Officer
Sarita Rodríguez
Director of Public Programs
Heather Welder Russo
Director of Major Gifts
Bruce Shackelford
Brown Foundation Curator
Kate Sheerin
Texas Art Curator
Mike Sprague
Director of Facilities
Shannon H. Standley
Director of Public Relations
& Retail Marketing
Ralph Voight
Director of Guest Services
Editor
Shannon Huntington Standley
Graphic Designer
Christopher Gutierrez
From the President...
The fall is a time for colorful
change and at the Witte
Museum, the fall palette is
especially dramatic with the
spectacular exhibition Bluebonnets
and Beyond: Julian Onderdonk,
American Impressionist from the
Dallas Museum of Art. This
comprehensive show of Julian
Onderdonk’s work – of both fall and spring scenes – will
be augmented by a small Witte exhibit, The Onderdonks:
A Legacy of Texas Art, a gallery theater presentation,
“A Visit with Eleanor Onderdonk,” and a companion
exhibit in the Piper Memorial Wing, Art for History’s
Sake, featuring the Witte’s renowned art collection. Art
for History’s Sake includes a welcome home to Julian
Onderdonk’s “Chili Queens at the Alamo,” which, for the
past eight years, adorned a wall of the Oval Office in the
White House. To top off the fall celebration of art, the
Onderdonk Studio, relocated last spring to the Witte
campus and renovated over the summer, will be open to
reveal a day-in-a-life of the artist, Julian Onderdonk.
The Witte Museum has had excellent curators collecting
art for more than 80 years, first under the watchful
eyes of Art Curator Eleanor Onderdonk, then Curator
Emeritus Cecilia Steinfeldt and today,
Texas Art Curator Kate Sheerin,
who concentrates on early Texas Art.
Kate Sheerin comes to the Witte
Museum from Dallas, where she most
recently contributed an essay to
the book, Julian Onderdonk: American
Kate Sheerin
Impressionist and before that was the
assistant curator at the Meadows Museum. Sheerin has
a Masters in Art from the Institute of Fine Arts in New
York. We are so pleased to have Kate Sheerin as the
new Texas Art Curator and we are confident she will
add to the legacy work of her predecessors.
The Witte Museum’s Texas Art Collection currently
consists of 3,800 images, including paintings and works
on paper, predominantly 19th century. The critically
acclaimed book, Art for History’s Sake (Steinfeldt 1993),
presents the Witte art collection through the lens of
history. Historian and Pulitzer Prize winner William G.
Goetzmann wrote in the introduction to Art for History’s
Sake that the collection represents the “new” Western
art history insofar as it is not romantic, but instead
captures the life of the West: “Few collections illustrate
images of ethnicity, common people, religious diversity,
class structure and female achievement like the Witte
Collections.” The Witte Museum’s collection is also
featured in thousands of scholarly works and school
textbooks. The Witte Museum was funded by and
collaborated with the Center for the Early Advancement
and Study of Early Texas Art (CASETA) to develop a
school curriculum based on the Witte Museum Texas Art
Collection, which debuted in 2005 to accompany the
exhibition, New Acquisitions, Old Friends, the last exhibit
by Curator Emeritus Cecilia Steinfeldt. Among the many
volumes Steinfeldt wrote or edited is the seminal book,
The Onderdonks: A Family of Texas Painters (1975).
I mention all of this to underscore how excited we are
to host an exhibit developed by the Dallas Museum of
Art that places native son Julian Onderdonk in a national
light as an “American Impressionist.”
The fall celebration builds on the Witte’s history of
celebrating Texas master artists, Julian Onderdonk top
among them, but Theodore Gentilz, Herman Lungkwitz
and Louise Wueste as well. The celebratory exhibitions
and programs on Onderdonk and on Texas Art signal
the Witte’s renewed focus, but more important help
usher in a new era as we prepare to design and to build
the Betty and Bob Kelso Texas Art Center. Because of
the Kelsos’ belief in the Witte Museum’s legacy mission,
the famous Texas Art Collection will be showcased in a
beautiful new center.
Come this fall to enjoy the palette of American
Impressionist Julian Onderdonk, including a bountiful
display of Texas spring bluebonnets.
Sincerely,
Marise McDermott
President and CEO
On the Cover:
Bluebonnet Field, 1912
Julian Onderdonk (1882-1922)
Oil on canvas, 20” x 30”
Gift of the Estate of Grace Irvin Gosling
Witte Museum Collection
EXHIBITIONS
Kathleen and Curtis Gunn Gallery | September 19, 2008 through January 11, 2009
Organized by the Dallas Museum of Art
Red Bud Tree in Bloom at Leon Springs, San Antonio, 1921, Julian Onderdonk,
Oil on canvas, 20” x 30”, Private collection, Dallas
B
Dawn in the Hills, 1922, Julian Onderdonk, Oil on canvas, 30” x 40”
Witte Museum Collection
The Art of the Onderdonks
luebonnets and Beyond celebrates the
work of the great landscape artist
Julian Onderdonk and features 93 paintings
from this Texas native son, including the
Witte Museum’s own Dawn in the Hills,
which was Julian’s last painting before his
death in 1922.
Exclusive to the Witte and complementing
the exhibit are additional works by Julian’s
father, Robert Onderdonk and his sister,
Eleanor Onderdonk. The Onderdonks: A
Legacy of Texas Art features 40 works by
Robert and Eleanor including paintings,
sketches and photographs.
Using plein air technique - the art of
drawing outdoors - Julian Onderdonk’s
paintings contain visible brush strokes,
natural light and open compositions and
settings. Born into a family of artists, Julian
was educated in the arts first by his father,
Robert Onderdonk, and then studied at
the Art Students League in New York City
where his father studied.
Robert studied at the National Academy
of Design in New York, where he helped
form the Art Students League with William
Merritt Chase. Robert also assisted in
founding what would later become the
San Antonio Art League. Eleanor also
studied at the Art Students League and was
the Witte Museum’s first curator of art.
Through her work the Witte Museum
Afternoon With the Onderdonks
An Evening With the Onderdonks
October 9 and 23 | November 6 and 20
December 4 and 18
2:30-4:30 p.m.
Join us in the exhibit to view and sketch the Texas
landscape as presented by Julian Onderdonk. Then
head out to the museum grounds to paint in the
impressionist style. Free for museum members,
$7 for non-members; $5 for students (fee includes
exhibit surcharge).
October 16, 6 p.m.
Join Witte Texas Art Curator, Kate Sheerin, for an indepth look at the work of Julian Onderdonk. Following
the discussion, join Ms. Sheerin in a dynamic tour of
the exhibit to view not only the work of Julian, but
that of his father Robert and his sister Eleanor.
Free for museum members, $10 for non-members;
$5 for students.
houses what many believe to be the most
important Texas art collection in the state.
Another exclusive to this exhibit is Julian’s
art studio, located on the grounds of the
Witte Museum. This studio, originally
located behind the Onderdonk family home
in San Antonio, was generously donated to
the Witte by the Onderdonk family. Also
included in this exhibit is a Gallery Theater,
in which Eleanor comes to life and speaks
about the role her family played in the
arts both locally and nationally, and about
her time spent at the Witte. There is a $3
surcharge for Bluebonnets and Beyond.
The Art of the Onderdonks is generously supported by the Marcia and
Otto Koehler Foundation, the Nathalie and Gladys Dalkowitz Charitable
Trust, Betty Lou and Larry Sheerin, Mrs. John White, and the City of San
Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs.
An Art Day With the
Onderdonk Family
November 8, 1-4 p.m.
Spend the afternoon drawing inspiration from a
family of Texas artists: Robert, Julian and Eleanor
Onderdonk. Learn about Impressionism in Texas,
sketch the landscape and explore the making of
miniature portraits. Free for museum members; free
with museum admission for non-members.
EXHIBITIONS
Art for History’s Sake
Piper Memorial Wing • Through November 30
Comprised of art that depicts Texas’ history through its changing times, Art for History’s Sake
displays key works from the Witte’s vast Texas Art Collection including San Antonio’s Main Plaza,
depictions of the missions, military scenes, the changing landscape of the city and countryside,
as well as selected decorative art. From Theodore Gentilz’s European-style depictions of the
San Antonio missions to Ida Weisselberg Hadra’s paintings of the San Antonio River, this exhibit
showcases a wide variety of different scenes and artistic styles.
The Terry Rangers, ca. 1862, Carl G. von Iwonski, Oil on canvas, Gift of Ernest Muezenberger
La Cultura Trasciende Fronteras:
A Personal Portrait of Tejanos and Mexicanos
Focus Gallery • September 20, 2008 through January 25, 2009
This very personal portrait of a neighborhood that stretches from the streets of San Antonio
to the plazas of Mexico, photographed over a span of 20 years by photographer Al Rendon,
demonstrates the culture that emerges as Mexican people express religion, arts and work,
no matter where they live. This exhibit, featuring 38 images, is an opportunity for MexicanAmericans to celebrate their heritage, but Rendon’s primary intent is to show everyone – people
of all heritages and backgrounds—the culture that flows from the Mexican soul, the beauty
etched into the tables and tools of everyday life.
Henry Zimmerle and Narciso, Al Rendon
USA
Fashions in Art: 1870 to 1920
Betty Coates Textile Gallery • October 11, 2008 through February 15, 2009
Featuring bustle dresses from the 1870s to a middy blouse from 1917, displayed in conjunction
with sketches, portraits and ivory miniatures depicting these styles, this exhibit showcases
historical fashions from the Witte’s collection that closely correlate to those seen in the works
of art by Robert Onderdonk and his daughter, Eleanor Onderdonk. Both Robert and Eleanor
drew or painted their subjects in “normal” clothing in contrast to earlier artists who swathed
the figures in their paintings in yards of fabric in imitation of classical dress, or used background
draperies to denote wealth and status. The representational style of both artists makes it possible
to match the cut and embellishment of clothing depicted in the works of art to specific garments.
Portrait of Edna Geils Simpson Robertson, Robert Onderdonk, Pastel on Paper, Gift of Mrs. Harriett Campbell Clarke and Mrs. Elizabeth Harrison Campbell
Wild Wild West: The Myths,The Reality
Piper Memorial Wing • December 20, 2008 through August 23, 2009
Drawn from the Witte’s unique South Texas artifact collection, Wild Wild West demythologizes the
Western pioneer woman and presents the real-life stories of Western heroes such as Wild Bill
Hickok, Sitting Bull and others who made names for themselves out West, but then found second
careers performing in Wild West shows and on Broadway. This exhibit presents a splendid array
of artifacts from real people with real stories from western frontier days post Civil War to the
1920s including historical photographs, guns, boots, spurs, rodeo belt buckles and saddles, dresses,
bonnets, Native American artifacts and rare Wild West and Broadway show posters from the
Hertzberg Circus Collection.
The Donald and Louise Yena Collection of the Witte Museum
EVENTS
Images From a New Frontier
September 21, 3 p.m.
In conjunction with the La Cultura Trasciende Fronteras exhibit, join
Witte Museum Brown Foundation Curator Bruce Schackelford and
photographer Al Rendon for an afternoon conversation about the
culture, identity and pride of those who call South Texas home.
Free for museum members
$10 for non-members; $5 for students.
Babe, Al Rendon
Dramatic Readers Theater
Of Chili Queens and Ranch Kings:
South Texas Voices Through Time
November 25, 5 p.m.
Having a Ball with Chemistry
October 25, 1 - 4 p.m.
Investigate the world of chemistry! Experiment with a polymer
ball, locate your center of gravity and compare your athletic ability
in the Animal Olympics. Free with museum admission.
Writers in Communities
November 11 and 18, 5:30 p.m.
In connection with this fall’s Dramatic Reader’s Theater, Gemini Ink’s
Writers in Communities program is teaming up with the Witte to
present a creative writing workshop for families to explore South
Texas history and their own
family stories as a part of that
history. Organized around the
La Cultura Trasciende Fronteras
exhibit and Gene and Susan
Flores’ sculpture, Jacal for South
Texas, workshop facilitators
Carmen Tafolla and Mary
Margaret Amberson will lead
parents and children in a fun and
creative workshop, as they take
a meaningful look at their South
Texas roots. Free and open to
the public.
Jacal for South Texas, Gene and Susan Flores
Complementing the Witte’s current exhibition La Cultura
Trasciende Fronteras, the return of this Dramatic Readers
Theater production gives voice to some of the personal
human stories of our dynamic place. South Texas represents
one of the most culturally complex regions in the U.S. and
its borderlands. It is a vivid and compelling site where many
peoples have layered, interwoven and braided their lives
into communities – and sometimes with enmities – since
pre-history. Old newspapers and other historical accounts
are used to tease out individual tales of speakers from many
walks of life and music embellishes each voice. Free and open
to the public.
La Tamalada
November 15 & 22, 1 - 4 p.m.
December 13 & 20, 9 a.m. - Noon
Experience the old-fashioned techniques of tamale
making from Comadre Gloria Solis, including the
history, the ingredients and the different cultural
flavors. Cost is $25 for Witte members; $35 for nonmembers. Call 210.357.1910 to register. Maximum
20 participants each session.
Monday, October 20, 2008
6:00 - 10:30 p.m.
Sponsored by
Game Dinner Chairs
Honorary Chair
Jill and George Vassar
Mayor Phil Hardberger
O
ne of San Antonio’s best parties is just around the corner, all to raise
essential operating funds for the Witte Museum. Join us for a special
evening of great music and delicious Game Dinner cuisine. Featured
menu favorites include venison enchiladas, slash & burn snapper and of course,
the Dessert House by the RK Group.
A large selection of exciting silent and live auction prizes are available for bid
including:
Entertainment by
Jack Ingram
2008 Top New Male Vocalist - Academy of Country Music
Printing Sponsor
Valet Sponsor
Accu-Print
Mercedes Benz
of San Antonio
• A four-night stay in a beautiful villa with ocean views, high on the cliffs of
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
• A five-day/four-night stay in a picturesque cottage in Seaside Florida
where motion picture The Truman Show was filmed
• “Cowboy Chic” Dinner Party for 10 guests in the winner’s home
prepared by Brian West, chef and owner of Café Paladar
• Battle of Flowers Parade party for up to 75 guests on the top floor of
the DPT parking garage
• Grand Hyatt getaway for eight guests including accommodations for two
nights and an amazing private dining experience by the executive chef of
Achiote River Café
• And much more!
2008 Boone & Crockett Table Sponsors
Trophy
South Texas Outfitter
Accu-Print
Dolph Briscoe
Lattimore Materials Co.
TEXAS MONTHLY
Wells Fargo Bank
Argonaut Group, Inc.
Arnold Investments, Ltd.
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
Baxter Design Group
Broadway Bank
C.H. Guenther & Son, Inc.
Amber and Jorge Canseco
Cox Smith Matthews Inc.
Frost
Sugar and Mike Barnes
Cynthia and Mark Granados /
HPI Retail Properties
Gunn Automotive Group (2)
IBC Bank
Jack Paul Leon
Lewis Energy /
Leyendecker Construction
Macy’s
Big Game
Jean and Clyde Alexander
AT&T
The Gambrinus Company
Guido Brothers Construction
Karen and Tim Hixon
Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc.
Silver Eagle Distributors / Bud Light
Trinity University
Valero Energy Corporation
The McPherson Family
Mercedes Benz of San Antonio
North Park & Bluebonnet Dealerships
Presidio Title
Rackspace
San Antonio Express-News
South Texas Veterinary Specialists
Wachovia
The Watson Foundation
Welder E & P
Wortham Insurance & Risk Mgmt.
Outdoorsman
Beldon Roofing Company
Bolner’s Fiesta Products (2)
Browning Construction Co.
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Julia and Tom Grace /
Kathy and Ty Griesenbeck
Halff Brothers Ranch
H-E-B (2)
KENS Television
Mays Family Foundation
Hildegarde Millican
Virginia Nicholas
Smithers Merchant Builders, LP
Southwestern Motor Transport (2)
Tesoro
U.S. Trust Bank of America
Jill and George Vassar
Wells Fargo Bank
Zachry Group, Inc.
**as of August 8, 2008
Reserved tables for 10 guests are still available. Individual tickets are available for $150 each. For more information call 210.357.1922 or email [email protected].
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
SEPTEMBER
September 12, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Volunteer
Appreciation Luncheon
October 20, 6-10:30 p.m.
November 9, 4-7 p.m.
38th Annual Witte
Game Dinner
How The West Was Worn
Sunday Jazz
Call 210.357.1922 for
more information
Call 210.357.1891 for more
information
September 14, 4-7 p.m.
Sunday Jazz
Featuring Regency Jazz Band
Free with museum admission
November 11, 5:30 p.m.
Free and open to the public
November 14, 7-10 p.m.
October 25, 1-4 p.m.
Images From
a New Frontier
Weekend Family
Adventure
Having a Ball With
Chemistry
December 4, 6-8 p.m.
Members Holiday Party
Call 210.357.1863 for more
information
Writers in Communities
October 23, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
September 21, 3 p.m.
By Bruce Shackelford and Al Rendon
Free for museum members
$10 for non-members; $5 for students
Featuring Henry Brun
Free with museum admission
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
DECEMBER
December 4, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
Witte Society
Fall Jazz in the Treetops
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
Call 210.357.1922 for more
information
November 15, 1-4 p.m.
December 7, 1-4 p.m.
La Tamalada
South Texas Family
Traditions: Los Pastores
$25 for Witte members;
$35 for non-members
Call 210.257.1910 to register
Free with museum admission
Free with museum admission
December 12, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
November 18, 5:30 p.m.
Writers in Communities
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
October 9, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
November 6, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
October 12, 4-7 p.m.
Sunday Jazz
Featuring Richard
Oppenheim Quartet
Free with museum admission
Volunteer Appreciation
Holiday Luncheon
November 6, 6-8 p.m.
Witte Society Membership
Kick-Off Party
Call 210.357.1922 for more
information
October 16, 6 p.m.
An Evening With the
Onderdonks
Free for museum members
$10 for non-members; $5 for students
November 8, 1-4 p.m.
An Art Day With the
Onderdonk Family
Free with museum admission
Free and open to the public
Call 210.357.1891 for more
information
November 20, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
December 13, 9 a.m.-Noon
La Tamalada
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
$25 for Witte members;
$35 for non-members
Call 210.257.1910 to register
November 22, 1-4 p.m.
December 18, 2:30-4:30 p.m.
La Tamalada
Afternoon With the
Onderdonks
$25 for Witte members;
$35 for non-members
Call 210.257.1910 to register
Free for museum members
$7 for non-members; $5 for students
(includes exhibit surcharge)
November 25, 5 p.m.
Dramatic Readers Theater
Of Chili Queens and Ranch Kings:
South Texas Voices Through Time
Prassel Auditorium
Free and open to the public
December 20, 9 a.m.-Noon
La Tamalada
$25 for Witte members;
$35 for non-members
Call 210.257.1910 to register
Through November 30
September 20, 2008 - January 25, 2009
December 20, 2008 - August 23, 2009
Art for History’s Sake
La Cultura Trasciende
Fronteras: A Personal Portrait
of Tejanos and Mexicanos
Wild Wild West:
The Myths,The Reality
October 11, 2008 - February 15, 2009
Keep up with everything
happening at the Witte!
www.wittemuseum.org
Piper Memorial Wing
Free with museum admission
September 19, 2008 - January 11, 2009
Bluebonnets and Beyond:
Julian Onderdonk,
American Impressionist
Kathleen and Curtis Gunn Gallery
$3 surcharge
Focus Gallery
Free with museum admission
Fashions in Art:
1870 to 1920
Betty Coates Textile Gallery
Free with museum admission
Piper Memorial Wing
Free with museum admission
Host your next special event
at the Witte Museum
Weddings • Receptions • Corporate Retreats • Conferences • Business Meetings •
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs • Social Mixers • Luncheons • Holiday Parties • Quinceaneras
and More!
Did you know that the Witte Museum hosts over 175 events a year? The Witte has
spaces available for rent that accommodate groups of 10 up to 1,200 people.
Located in Brackenridge Park, on the banks of the San Antonio River, the Witte is
conveniently located only minutes from downtown offering a unique setting for
any special event. The campus includes two auditoriums, a native plant garden, an
outdoor courtyard with covered verandas lined by majestic oak trees and several
historic homes. For more information call 210.357.1896. or visit
www.wittemuseum.org.
Join the Witte Society
Witte Museum Courtyard
The Witte Society is a membership level comprised of a vibrant group of singles and families who
want an active roll in the happenings at the museum. Witte Society members enjoy all of the standard
benefits of membership plus four to five additional events per year at no charge including Jazz in the
Treetops and Burgers, Bottles and Beer. Members of the Witte Society can purchase Witte Game Dinner
tickets for $125 versus the regular price of $150. Everyone is invited to join the Witte Society at the
Individual level for $95 and the Family level for $175. For more information call 210.357.1922 or email
[email protected].
The Witte Museum sets the stage
for lifelong learning in South Texas.
3801 Broadway
San Antonio, TX 78209
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Contact Us
General Information
210.357.1900
Reservations
210.357.1910
Event Rentals
210.357.1896
Membership
210.357.1863
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