MISSION STATEMENT
The Institute of Texan Cultures, one of the three campuses of The University of Texas at San Antonio, is a museum dedicated to enhancing the understanding of cultural history, science, and technology and their influence upon the people of Texas. Through exhibits, programs, and publications that encourage acceptance and appreciation of our differences as well as our common humanity, the Institute provides a forum for diversity and the dynamics between cultural history and scientific discovery.

HISTORY/BACKGROUND
The Institute of Texan Cultures opened in 1968 as the Texas Pavilion at HemisFair. During the fair's six-month run, the exhibit was well received and remained open with an expanded statewide mission. Today, the Institute maintains more than 50,000 square feet of exhibits and in 1999, ITC welcomed 229,237 visitors, 66,137 of whom were schoolchildren from public and private schooled throughout the state. Countless other visitors also learn more about the Institute through our Web site, www.texancultures.utsa.edu.

PURPOSE / ACTIVITIES
The Institute fulfills its mandate as the state's center for multicultural education by investigating the ethnic and cultural history of the state and presenting the resulting information in a variety of ways: 1) daily tours and visitation of the Exhibit Floor by students and the public; 2) publications, audiovisuals, traveling exhibits, educational resource kits, and other specialized teaching tools; 3) a library focusing on ethnic and cultural history; 4) a historical photo collection of over three million images; 5) an outreach program to schools and other groups; 6) exhibits, programs, and events, including the annual Texas Folklife Festival; and 7) teacher training workshops.

FUNDING
Funding for the Institute comes primarily from three sources: (1) the biennial legislative appropriations; (2) an admission charge for visitors to the Institute's main Exhibit Floor; and (3) grants, contributions, and other locally generated funds such as the rental of the Institute's facilities; and the sale of its publications, audiovisuals, Library services, and the Institute store.

ORGANIZATION
The Institute's executive director, reports to the Vice President for Extended Services at The University of Texas at San Antonio, and is advised by the Institute's Development Board of over 20 members from throughout Texas. An executive assistant and an administrative team provide supportive services to the executive director.

DAYS AND HOURS OF OPERATION

The Institute is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. and is closed Mondays, New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. Parking is available for a fee. The Texas Folklife Festival will be held Thursday-Sunday, June 9-12, 2005; The Institute will be closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday during the week of the Festival . It reopens on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with hours of operation corresponding to Festival hours.

(“•” are main divisions within ITC.)

• PROGRAMS
Programs fulfills the Institute mission by initiating and sustaining interactive programming: by researching, presenting, interpreting, and preserving history and culture; and by facilitating the identification, collection, and use (loaned or owned) of resources. To these ends, Programs collaborates with colleagues and invites the participation of communities throughout the state.

Library
The Institute Library collects books, periodicals, oral histories, and other materials focusing on ethnic heritage and cultural expression in Texas. The library's photographic archives, containing approximately 3,000,000 images, reflect Texas' history and diverse cultures; prints of most images are available for purchase. Photo Heritage Days, which the library holds in towns throughout Texas, are an effort to document and preserve historical photos. Photos collected at Photo Heritage Days are added to the archives. Admission to the library is free and open to the public, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Appointments are encouraged.

Exhibit Floor
The Exhibit Floor features permanent exhibits on 26 ethnic and cultural groups. School tours of the Exhibit Floor are designed as an extension of the classroom. Tours may include our multimedia dome show, Faces and Places of Texas, and conversations with our interpreters at areas like the puppet theater, chuck wagon, textile area, and various ethnic areas. Teachers who schedule tours are sent grade-appropriate pre/post visit information and activities. Family groups can complete a "History Mystery" to learn about ethnic groups represented on the Exhibit Floor. Staff researchers also develop permanent, temporary, and traveling exhibits on topics relating to the multicultural heritage of Texas, and work with teams of educators, designers, and volunteers to create exhibits that allow people to share their culture with others.

Back 40
Behind the Institute building, in the Back 40 living history area, visitors can experience the life of early Texans in several buildings that recreate life in historical settings. Programs and tours are offered to adult and school groups on weekdays and Saturdays.

Public Programs
Family events have developed into an Institute tradition of providing entertaining, educational family activities. Institute research supports a wide range of special programs including lectures, symposia, live musical performances, and the popular Heritage Tours program. Included are research and writing for the Institute's statewide radio program, LIFETIMES: The Texas Experience, about the people and places of Texas.

Teacher Training
Teacher training workshops for pre-service and in-service teachers can be arranged for either traditional or technological delivery. They are designed to help teachers discover more about Texas's diverse heritage and learn new methods of stimulating student interest.

Oral History Program
The Oral History Program is a continuing effort to document Texas history by recording subjective memories from significant individuals. Tapes and transcripts of interviews are accessible in the Institute library.

University Collaborations
The Institute collaborates with UTSA and other universities on several programs. These include a training program for education students and undergraduate/graduate internships.

• PRODUCTION
Production is responsible for the design, fabrication, and maintenance of the exhibits at the Institute. Additionally, the division produces graphic design for the Institute's publications. Production's services, which include design consultation, exhibit and graphic design, photographic work and exhibit fabrication, are available to the general public on a contract basis when the Institute's schedule allows it.

• ADMINISTRATION AND BUDGETS
Administration and Budgets provides direct service, support, and information to Institute departments, students, customers, and vendors in budgeting, accounting, purchasing, human resources, and information technology. The department also manages the warehouse and mail room.

Media Production
Media Production produces audio and video cassette tapes that are used as part of Institute exhibits and are made available for sale to schools and the public. All videos cassettes are accompanied by teachers’s guides. Department personnel also document various ethnic groups on videotape to support ethnographic research.

• PHYSICAL PLANT
Physical Plant is a major contributor to the public image and the successful operation of the Institute through the cleaning and maintenance of all property and grounds, in addition to operating and maintaining the equipment involved in this activity.

• TEXAS FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL/SPECIAL EVENTS
The annual Texas Folklife Festival is presented by the Institute during the second weekend in June. The Festival, which premiered in 1972, is recognized worldwide for its celebration of the unique cultural diversity of Texas. Participants from throughout the state take pride in preserving the folkways of their ancestors and make the annual pilgrimage to San Antonio to share these traditions with visitors. Participants in the Festival are categorized as food vendors, craft vendors, craft demonstrations, or entertainers (including emcees and storytellers). For information about the Festival or participation, please write the Festival director at the Institute, or link to the Festival's Web site on the Institute home page.

Facility Rental
The Institute offers rental space in its large facility for catered receptions and dinners, meetings, seminars, public hearings, lectures, and workshops. Entertaining of a personal or private nature, however, is not allowed. Link to the Facilities Web site on the Institute home page for more information.

Public Relations
As the facilitator for income-generating products, the division monitors and manages sales, keeping quality control measures in place; and as the central source through which various publics learn about its mission, programs, and services, the division employs both traditional and advanced technological tools in an awareness campaign which projects the Institute’s public image as a leader in historical and cultural education.

Development Program
The Development Program advances the mission of the Institute by creating and implementing funding programs. It also serves as the coordinating point for all non-state funding activity in support of the Institute's mission. The Development Officer works with Institute staff, Development Board members, and volunteers to forge partnerships with corporate, civic, philanthropic, governmental, and educational constituencies in support of Institute programs. Major fundraising programs at the Institute include an Annual Fund Campaign, a Memorials and Remembrances Program, the Cultural Heritage Endowment, the Maguire Alliance Endowment, the William Armour Ball Endowment, the Maguire Outreach Endowment, and the McGiffert Endowment. There is also an Unrestricted Gifts Fund, in which donations meet a variety of high-priority needs. Individual giving is an important source of financial support for the Institute.

The Store
The Institute's own retail outlet is located on the Exhibit Floor. Besides a broad selection of Institute and other publications and teaching tools, the Store features countless international gift items along with Texas products. All revenue generated supports our educational programs.

Products
The Institute offers a selection of educational products designed to help Texans explore their state and its heritage. A variety of books, pamphlets, and teachers' guides are produced by the Institute to help tell the story of Texas and to facilitate the study of its history and ethnic heritage.

Speakers' Bureau
The Speakers' Bureau increases awareness of the Institute and its many activities among audiences in the San Antonio area. Special arrangements can be made for other areas throughout Texas. Coordinated by the Public Relations Division, the bureau accepts requests for speeches, determines the proper person for the occasion, and assists in making necessary arrangements for the appearance.

Membership
Memberships are important sources of financial support for the Institute. Join Today! To learn more about the levels and benefits of membership, click on http://store.the-museum-store.org/itcmembership.html. You can also sign up online at this link. To phone for information, call us at (210) 458-2213. (Gift memberships are also available!)

• VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
The Institute could not function as it does without the generous support of volunteers, serving both locally and statewide. Volunteer Programs manages these two groups, called the Alliance (in 1999, 367 local) and Ambassadors (in 1999, 219 statewide). Active volunteers give tours of the Exhibit Floor and Back 40, make Tex-Kit presentations, working the gift shop and Institute Library, support research programs, assist in the various other departments of the Institute, and perform countless tasks for the annual Texas Folklife Festival. Ambassadors are members of a statewide network of volunteers who help the Institute in providing educational programs, products, and services to all Texans. In return for the service these volunteers provide, they are offered discounts at the Institute Store and are invited to openings and special events. Volunteer Programs also handles all tour bookings for the Exhibit Floor and Back 40.

• SECURITY
The Institute’s Security Section of the UTSA Police Department provides a safe environment in which visitors, students, faculty, and staff may enjoy the Institute programs and special events and accomplish their desired tasks. As an integral part of providing 24-hour security for the Institute, its grounds, and those utilizing its facilities, the department places the highest emphasis on courteous and efficient service.

¿Questions? / ¡Comments!

Page modified: April 17, 2006