Big Sky National Monument - Stonewall, TX

Lyndon Johnson is not a president often associated with the Antiquities Act. In his term, he enlarged four existing national monuments and established another two, most of which he did only at the behest of others. The exception to this is Big Sky National Monument. Set close to his ranch in Stonewall,Texas, Lyndon used to load VIPs into the back of his Lincoln Continental and go careening across the open prairies that would one day become the monument. He’s quoted saying that he loved seeing the faces of those unfamiliar with the Texas sky, crushed under the weight of it. And admittedly, there is something magical about the skies over the Lone Star State, something countless have commented upon. It’s in every song and story the state has to offer, the wide panorama of open sky that ensures storms can never sneak up on you, that teaches you from an early age how small you are in the world. It’s only fitting that a state obsessed with size would be blanketed by an equally big sky. Previ

The Abigail Hoffmann Museum of Collage - Ft. Worth, TX

Texas is a patchwork, sitting at the convergence of the South, the West, the Great Plains, and Mexico, with a history rooted in French exploration, Spanish conquest, Mexican colonization, independent nationhood, Confederate bloodlust, and American reunification. It is more than the sum of its numerous parts. For this reason, the state is perfectly encapsulated in the artform of the collage, and Abigail Hoffmann, native daughter of Texas and collagist, is the perfect embodiment of the state’s own foray into the artform.

The museum in her name is situated in Fort Worth where she spent the better part of her life, located in the building where Hoffmann had her studio. Today the museum showcases collages from across the world alongside the largest collection of Hoffmann’s own work. 

Practicalities:

The museum is closed on MondaysNew Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Admission to the museum is free. The museum is located in Sundance Square, a short walk from the Bass Performance Hall.


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