The Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin is offering new perspectives from 27 annual celebrations around the state in an exhibition called Texas Festivals, open now through September 27. The collection is a Texana collector's dream, with objects ranging from a pearl-wearing pig to a lumberjack mask to lavish San Antonio Fiesta gowns.
Although the Capital City is known for relatively newer fests like Austin City Limits Music Festival or South by Southwest, many of the artifacts on display in Texas Festivals emphasize more old-fashioned and country traditions: lots of farm imagery and pageantry. Some of them are contemporary, while others reach back to give context about the state's festival history.
The exhibition, presented in English and Spanish, gets curious about what makes a festival, and what different festivals say about their respective towns. Some answers can be gleaned by looking at the artifacts — a Tyrolean hat (Alpine cap) from Wurstfest in New Braunfels or a trophy from the Luling Watermelon Thump — while others are less self-explanatory.
Other objects on display include:
- Sandfest in Port Aransas: A sculpture made for the exhibit using sand from Port Aransas
- The Art Car Parade in Houston: An art car honoring Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Fiesta San Antonio: Regalia from "royal courts"
- Texas Citrus Fiesta in Mission: More court fashions
- Various festivals: Mascots from Texas Onion Fest in Weslaco, the Hogeye Festival in Elgin, and the Texas State Forest Festival in Lufkin
The Luling Watermelon Thump has celebrated the locally grown crop since 1954. Photo courtesy of the Bullock Texas State History Museum
To help organize curators' and visitors' thoughts on the matter, the exhibition is divided into three sections that ask different questions, like "How do festivals create community?" There will also be more musing in a short documentary about how festivals are planned, and more sources will be organized in another collection of video clips.
Interactive activities will invite visitors to decorate the train of a gown like the intricate masterpieces that would be worn at Fiesta San Antonio, create a festival by filling in blanks from a word cloud, and, for young kids (ages 2-5), play with food truck-themed toys.
“For the Bullock Museum’s 25th anniversary, we wanted to create an exhibit that brought people together in a celebratory way,” said senior curator Kathryn Siefker in a press release. “We developed several concepts and then asked Museum staff to vote for their favorite. The idea of Texas festivals was the unanimous winner. As we dug into the research, we realized how fitting the exhibit truly is. Festivals celebrate the best parts of Texas — its people, economy, cultural heritage, and pride."
A visitor looks at a gown and train from the Texas Rose Festival in Tyler. Photo courtesy of the Bullock Texas State History Museum
Whether Texans stop by the exhibition in person, they can see the artifacts online at TheStoryOfTexas.com/artifacts. There are 815 items listed, with only 155 of them currently on display at the museum.
The Bullock Museum is located at 1800 Congress Ave in Austin. Admission is $17 for adults and $11 for youth (4-17 years), with discounts available for seniors, military, and students.
