Adult Education Events and Programs
Book It, Texas!
Book of the Month Program
Celebrate the breadth and depth of Texas writing in the Museum's new monthly program highlighting Texas books, authors, and writing traditions. Take a trip across Texas through stories that are famous and infamous; fantastic, informative, and thought-provoking.
Book discussions will be held one Saturday a month, are FREE, and do not require reservations. All Book It, Texas! programs are held on the 4th floor in the Museum boardroom unless otherwise noted.
Book It, Texas!
February 4, 2012, 10:30 a.m.
The Book It, Texas! series continues its second year with Trillin on Texas by Calvin Trillin.
Trillin on Texas gathers some of Trillin's most memorable writing together in one volume. Food, politics, crime, and popular culture are all subjects of his essays--and all have a Texas connection.
"It is a rare, deft observer who can deliver both—a good story and the truth—and that's carried Trillin far. This time, it's carried him clear across Texas." —Los Angeles Times
Book It, Texas!
2012 Selections:
January 7: The Time It Never Rained, Elmer Kelton
February 4: Trillin on Texas, Calvin Trillin
March 3: The Trials of Eroy Brown: The Murder Case that Shook the Texas Prison System, Michael Berryhill
April 7: Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett’s Last Stand and Other Mysteries of the Texas Revolution, James Crisp
May 12: The Color of Lightning, Paulette Jiles
June 2: Cowboy's Lament: A Life on the Open Range, Frank Maynard, edited and introduced by Jim Hoy
July 7: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly
August 4: We Were Not Orphans: Stories from the Waco State Home, Sherry Matthews
September 1: Isaac's Storm, Erik Larson
October 6: A Voyage Long and Strange, Tony Horwitz
November 3: You Know When the Men are Gone, Siobhan Fallon
December 1: How Perfect is That, Sarah Bird
Titles and dates subject to change. Books can be purchased at the Museum Store; mention the Book It, Texas! program to receive a 10% discount on any of the above titles. Visit this page for up-to-date information each month.
Previous Titles:
The Bootlegger's Other Daughter, Mary Cimarolli
In Search of the Blues: A Journey into the Soul of Black Texas, Bill Minutaglio
Amigoland, Oscar Casares
The Accidental Historian: Tales of Trash and Treasure, Monte Akers
The Autobiography of an Execution, David R. Dow
State of Minds: Texas Culture and Its Discontents, Don Graham
Remember Ben Clayton, Stephen Harrigan
Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger
Tulia: Race, Cocaine, and Corruption in a Small Texas Town, Nate Blakeslee
The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes, Bryan Burrough
Empire of the Summer Moon, S.C. Gwynne
A Taste of Texas Ranching, Tom Bryant and Joel Bernstein
Civil War 150:
Texas and Texans in the Civil War
Select Sundays in February, March, and April, 2:30 p.m.
Texas Spirit Theater
FREE program
This year, the Museum will commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War with a multi-part lecture series, Civil War 150: Texas and Texans in the Civil War, that will bring together leading Civil War scholars from across the state to discuss the variety of roles Texas played throughout the war, as well as examine the importance of Texas and Texans in this defining moment in American history from the perspective of women, African Americans, Tejanos, and American Indians.
Each lecture will be followed by a moderated discussion that places Texas’s participation in the war efforts both at home and on the battlefield into the larger context of one of the most pivotal events in the country’s history. Learn more about each topic with recommended readings.
February 5: A Trying Time for All: Texas Indians During the Civil War, Charles Grear, Prairie View A&M University
February 12: “Days of Weariness and Nights of Sorrow”: Texas Women in the Civil War, Vicki Betts, University of Texas, Tyler
March 18: Between Two Worlds: Tejanos and the Civil War, Alexander Mendoza, University of North Texas
April 1: Juneteenth in Texas, Dwight Watson, Texas State University
Reservations recommended. Call (512) 936-4649 for reservations.
Download a flyer about this program.
This program was made possible in part with a grant from Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The Invincible Alamo: Silent Film/Live Music
Tuesday, March 6, 7:30 p.m.
Texas Spirit Theater
FREE for Members, $7 for non-Members
Commemorate the anniversary of the fall of the Alamo with a special screening of the 1915 silent film The Martyrs of the Alamo, the earliest surviving film to depict the 1836 standoff between Texian volunteers and Santa Anna’s Mexican forces. The film’s historical biases illuminate how 100 years have changed perspectives on that critical event in the fight for Texas’s independence.
This special screening, in the beautiful Texas Spirit Theater, will be accompanied live by The Invincible Czars, presenting their original score for this silent film classic. Museum-goers may remember the band from their rousing 2011 Music Under the Star performance. The Invincible Czars have performed live scores to other silent films around Texas, including Fritz Lang’s Destiny (1921); Yakov Protazanov’s Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924); and The Unknown (1927) starring Lon Chaney.
The screening and performance will include a cash bar.
Advance tickets are required for this one-of-a-kind evening. Please call (512) 936-4649 for reservations.
Texas Music Roadtrip
Opening Day Festivities
Saturday, March 17, 1 - 5 p.m.
Celebrate the opening of the special exhibit with FREE Family activities and live music! Legendary Texas band, The Texas Tornados will perform a FREE concert on the Lone Star Plaza.
Spotlight On…
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana
The Museum's new quarterly "Spotlight On" series arises from the spirit of this quotation and seeks to place dialogue about current events into their historical context, making better sense of the present and future by further understanding the past.
This ongoing series is moderated by Jennifer Stayton, Morning Edition Host for KUT.
Family History Workshops
So you've discovered details about your family's history. Now what? This spring, the Museum presents a new series of workshops for adults that focus on contextualizing your family's history and making sense of what you find. These family history workshops will focus on a variety of genealogy and research methods and creative projects to help bring your family's history to life.
High Noon Talks
Join us once a month during the noon hour for engaging conversations in the exhibits! High Noon Talks will feature special guests who will reveal the interesting and often untold tales that shape the Story of Texas. Click here for more information.
Previously in 2012
Putting a Face to the Name:
Imagining C. Barange of the French Shipwreck La Belle
Saturday, January 28, 1:30 p.m.
FREE for Members, $5 for non-Members
Want to know more about La Belle’s sailor? This full day of programs will explore the fascinating world of forensic anthropology and facial reconstruction. Curious visitors will learn more about why skull shapes vary across the world and what they reveal about a culture’s history. James Bruseth, guest curator of the upcoming special exhibition on La Belle and forensic artist Amanda Danning will present the history of La Belle, its mysterious sailor, and the process of bringing him to life. Danning will also demonstrate a few of the steps involved in facial reconstruction.
Sculpture of La Belle sailor, courtesy of Amanda Danning
Previous Adult Programs
Calendar of Public Events
Click here to see a complete calendar of Public Events.
Admission to the Museum’s exhibits is $9 for adults; $8 for college students (with valid ID); $7 for seniors/military (with valid ID); $5 for youth ages 4-17, free for ages 3 and under. The Museum is located at 1800 N. Congress Ave., at the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in downtown Austin. For more information, call 512-936-4649.
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