News

How does Conjunto Sound Today?

ITC sits down with a 40-year veteran of the Texas music scene. Shelly Lares, a.k.a. “Little Miss Dynamite,” began performing professionally at age 10 with Orquesta Hot Talames. At 17, she began touring, launching a 40-year career that took her around the world and included more than 25 albums. Now retired from the stage, Lares is the first Artist-in-Residence at UT San Antonio, where she mentors students, produces music and teaches the traditions that connect conjunto, orquesta and progressive Tejano

Ruben Luna’s “Puro Recuerdo” preserves memories through music, objects and movement

For 58 years of marriage, Guadalupe and Aurora Olguin danced.
They were fixtures at the annual Tejano Conjunto Festival, where their love of music and each other became part of the festival’s living tradition. A work by artist Ruben Luna depicting their dance, movement and love will be part of a solo exhibition, “Puro Recuerdo: Artworks by Ruben Luna,” on display at the Institute of Texan Cultures from Oct. 1, 2026, through May 30, 2027.

They were fixtures at the annual Tejano Conjunto Festival, where their love of music and each other became part of the festival’s living…

🔊 Announcing the archives of Chicana playwright Maria Ibarra

UT San Antonio Libraries Special Collections is pleased to announce the papers of Chicana activist and artist Maria Ibarra, a significant new addition to our Chicano Research Collections. Maria Alejandra Ibarra (December 26, 1975- October 16, 2021) of San Antonio, Texas, was an artist, songwriter, educator, poet, director, playwright, and performer who graduated from South […]

ITC Expands Visitor Services Team to Strengthen Museum Experience

New hires bring leadership, student talent and fresh perspectives to the museum floor.

As the UT San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures continues to grow, so does its ability to welcome visitors, engage students and create meaningful experiences inside the museum.

The ITC has expanded its visitor services team with a lead Customer Service Assistant and two UT San Antonio student gallery hosts. Together, the new team members bring professional experience, enthusiasm for culture and the perspectives of the university community to the museum floor.

As the UT San…

7 Museums to Learn About Texas History

Published Sept. 1, 2026

Strings of Tradition: Exploring Conjunto’s Fiddle

Join the experts from the Texas Conjunto Music Hall of Fame and Museum for a lively conversation at the UT San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures about the history, culture and evolution of conjunto music. Along the way, you'll discover how generations of musicians have experimented with new sounds, highlighting the fiddle's role in a deeply rooted Texas tradition.

From Museum Galleries to Classroom Learning

Earlier this month, I presented at a summer literacy mini conference with Marissa , Muñoz Ph.D., my colleague in the UT San Antonio College of Education and Human Development (COEHD). Our session highlighted a semester-long collaboration between COEHD and the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC).

Our presentation detailed the years of discussion and planning that led to a semester-long partnership. But more important, it reflected a shared interest in museum education, object-based learning, and collaboration that helps future teachers see museums like the ITC as trusted curriculum…

The Institute of Texan Cultures celebrates 'Puro Conjunto' with a new exhibit

Published Aug. 3, 2026

Texas Artists Invited to Create New Works Inspired by Museum Artifacts

The UT San Antonio Institute of Texan Cultures invites Texas artists to participate in its upcoming exhibition, “Unearthed: Artifact to Artwork,” opening in summer 2027. Selected artists will identify and object from the ITC Collection, conduct research, and create an artwork inspired by their findings. Both the original work and artifact will be exhibited in the museum’s gallery.

Texas Treasures

Every artifact displayed in a museum represents trust and confidence. These items are more than historical objects; they are vessels of memory, identity and lived experience. When individuals choose to share their family treasures with a museum, they entrust the institution with preserving the artifact and the stories it represents.

Beyond the Music

Generations of San Antonians have handed down a story about a man at a pachanga who amazed guests with his dancing. Ladies lined up to be his partner for the next number, but everything changed when one party guest looked down and saw this mysterious dancer’s bird-like legs.

A Texas Story Unearthed

Juneteenth commemorates the arrival of Union soldiers in Texas to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, setting a new way of life into motion. Freedmen and women could begin living on their own terms. There would be hardships ahead, but by coming together, they laid the foundations of community in places of faith, learning and action.