187. The Witte Museum at 100: Michelle Cuellar Everidge on Creating "the Most Curious Texans Yet"
This week on bigcitysmalltown, we take a closer look at one of San Antonio’s cornerstone cultural institutions as it enters its centennial year—the Witte Museum. Marking 100 years since its founding in 1926, the Witte continues to serve as the city’s foremost museum of nature, science, and Texas heritage.
Bob sits down with Michelle Cuellar Everidge, President and CEO of the Witte, to dissect the museum’s deep local roots, its evolving role in the community, and the challenges and opportunities that come with stewarding a historic collection in a rapidly changing city.
They discuss:
• The museum’s origins, including its earliest collections and civic partnerships
• The ongoing responsibility to document, preserve, and interpret Texas’s prehistoric and indigenous narratives—such as the famed White Shaman Preserve in Val Verde County
• How the Witte’s expansion, including its educational programming and acquisition of the Herzberg Circus Collection, shapes accessibility for local schoolchildren and families
• The broader landscape of San Antonio’s museums: how collaboration and competition influence cultural growth across the city
• What’s ahead for the Witte as it looks beyond its 100th anniversary, including upcoming exhibitions and a focus on fostering a “curious generation” of Texans
For listeners invested in the institutions that define San Antonio—and the larger questions of how those institutions serve and reflect their communities—this episode offers an in-depth look at the past, present, and future of the Witte Museum.
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