NAISA 2014 Special Events

Free Admission to Blanton Museum of Art

The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin is the third largest museum in Texas, with over 17,000 works of art from European Old Masters to American and Latin American Modern and Contemporary holdings.

During the conference, The Blanton will be happy to provide FREE admission to all attendees, plus 10% off in the Museum Shop, and 10% off at the Museum’s café as well- with $5 minimum purchase. To  redeem these offers, all you will need to do is mention that you are part of the NAISA annual meeting.

For more information about the Blanton Museum and its holdings, please visit: www.blantonmuseum.org

Double Feature: LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 and Winter in the Blood

On Thursday, May 29 at 7:30 PM in Salon K on the sixth floor of the Hilton, filmmakers Julianna Brannum and Alex Smith will host a double-feature of Brannum’s LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 (63 min.; http://indian101themovie.com/) and Alex and Andrew Smith’s

Winter in the Blood (97 min.; http://winterinthebloodfilm.com/). LaDonna Harris: Indian 101 is a new biopic from Comanche filmmaker Julianna Brannum. According to the film’s website, “The film chronicles the life of Comanche activist and national civil rights leader LaDonna Harris and the role that she has played in Native and mainstream American history.” Winter in the Blood is an adaptation of James Welch’s 1974 debut novel of the same name.  The film’s website summarizes the story: “Virgil First Raise embarks on a wild and darkly comic odyssey to retrieve his renegade wife— and the beloved rifle she stole. He ultimately finds: himself.” The filmmakers will present brief introductions to the films and remain for a Q&A after the double feature. The event is sponsored by the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Texas at Austin.

Private NAISA Party at Franklin BBQ

On any day of the week in Austin, Texas, locals and visitors alike wait in line for nearly four hours to get a chance to sample the offerings at Franklin’s BBQ. There’s a reason. Texas Monthly magazine has ranked Franklin’s as the best BBQ in Texas, and Bon Appetit has declared it the no. 1 BBQ joint in the entire USA. Skip the lines and see what all the hubbub is about by joining us for a private party, just for NAISA members, at Franklin’s BBQ on Friday, May 30th and 8:00 PM. For only $65 per person, you will get a plate with your choice of BBQ meats, including beef brisket, ribs, pulled pork, sausage and turkey breast, beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and pie. The price also includes draft and canned beer, all made locally in Texas, soda or tea, and transportation to and from the conference hotel.  The party lasts for up to three hours, though guests are welcome to come and go as they please, using the shuttle service.

Spaces are limited, so sign up soon!  For more information, see: http://franklinbarbecue.com/press/

 

Sacred Springs (Saturday, May 31, 8:00 a.m. – 11:30  a.m.)

Archaeologists consider the San Marcos area as one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in North America.  The Coahuiltecan people believe that the springs at the headwaters of the San Marcos River is their origination site, where they emerged as “The People” after following the deer through the underworld.  Texas State University has restored the area nearest the springs to its natural state, creating a breathtaking experience for those who visit an ancient place that Native Americans have always considered sacred. We invite you to experience a water ceremony on the shores of this incredible lake, and take a glass bottom boat ride to see the Sacred Springs at their source. Transportation to and from the hotel is provided. $25/person.

For more on the springs, see: http://www.aquarena.txstate.edu/Home-page.html

 

LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections-Sponsored Lunch (Friday, May 30, noon – 2:00 p.m.)

LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections sponsored lunch at El Sol y La Luna Restaurant (1 block from the conference hotel), featuring a keynote presentation by Silvia Rivera Cusicanqui. Please RSVP as space is limited.

Rivera Cusicanqui is an Aymara sociologist from Bolivia and is one of the best-known indigenous scholars in Latin America. She has been tied to the Katarista indigenous movement and is a past president and long-time member of the Andean Oral History Workshop, a group working on issues of orality, identity, and popular and indigenous social movements. She is a Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés de La Paz and is the author of several books and the producer of several videos, documentary and fiction films.

LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections is a partnership of the historic Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection and the interdisciplinary Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies, dedicated to scholarship, research, and international collaboration. The institute offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees, and funds visiting scholars and study abroad. The Benson Collection, founded in 1926, is one of the premiere libraries worldwide focusing on Latin American and Latino/a Studies, its holdings from or about Latin America exceeded in number only by the Library of Congress.