UTSA is still working to determine the museum’s next permanent home after the demolition of the Texas Pavilion at Hemisfair.
SAN ANTONIO — Twenty months after the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) museum closed the doors to its former Hemisfair home, where it had been for decades, the collection is preparing to return to the spotlight.
As for where that spotlight will shine: A few blocks away in Frost Tower. UTSA officials previously said they expect Frost Tower to display the ITC collection for about five years while the UT system finalizes a location for its next permanent home.
This week, UTSA announced the temporary museum would officially reopen Jan. 29, headlined by the exhibition “Common Threads” exploring themes of home life, heritage, arts and culture, and community.
“UT San Antonio staff have been working closely with architects, contractors, designers and museum professionals to ‘reimagine’ the ITC for a new era,” university officials wrote in the Jan. 5. edition of its online publication. “The refreshed museum promises to be more modern, interactive and deeply engaging—connecting history and innovation in a way that allows ITC visitors to discover something that resonates with their own experience.”
Exhibits will rotate so as to feature different piece from the overall ITC collection, a UTSA spokesperson told KENS 5. The university previously said the temporary Frost Tower exhibition space would use multimedia technology “that adds layers to stories and artifacts” that comprise Texas history.
$1.4 million in renovations were made to Frost Tower in preparation for the ITC’s arrival.
Meanwhile, the long-term plan of finding the ITC’s next permanent home is a key pillar of UTSA’s ITC Centennial 2068 Initiative. As for what will go up at its former Hemisfair home: That’s expected to serve as the site of the next Spurs arena, a $1.3 billion project that was preceded by the controversial demolition of the Texas Pavilion building last year.