SAN ANTONIO — One of the most beloved Fiesta traditions has returned to the Witte Museum just in time for the city's biggest party with a purpose.
The elaborate Fiesta gowns from years past are back on display. This exhibit is unique in that museum curators change the exhibit every year to provide a fresh, new experience for visitors. They choose a theme that ties into current events or society and culture.
This year's exhibit has an international travel theme and is called "Fiesta: A World of Inspiration."
"Each outfit from the different royalty features a landscape or animals or vegetation from a different place," Leslie Ochoa, Vice President of Collections at the Witte Museum, said.
"We've designed the exhibit to basically be an airport scene, so visitors can come in and travel the world just by looking at each different piece," Beth Stricker, Chief Creative Officer at the Witte Museum, said.
The dresses feature things like the foothills of the Andes Mountains, the jungles of India, and even the beach critters of the Caribbean Islands.
Check out a slideshow of photos of the gowns below:
The exhibit also includes an interactive i-Pad station where visitors can design their own gown and a photo station where visitors can wear an elaborate train themselves.
The staff members say the Fiesta gowns exhibit is their chance to get creative.
"This is exhibit is really fun to work on every year. We change the themes, we get to see different things," Stricker said. "But personally, I am not a San Antonio native so it's really fun for me to see this bright, vivid culture and get to know it better."
"I love textiles, I love working with textiles, and I love being able to work on an exhibit with the fun Fiesta outfits. It's something I look forward to every year," Ochoa said.
And even though all of the gowns are beautiful and unique, the staff members do have their favorites.
"My favorite in this exhibit this year is the Duchess of Vienna Woods. It's from the 50s so it has a huge ball gown, it has a great colors of forest and sage green. It's very sparkly," Stricker said.
