The Bryan Museum tapped into its roots and raised a glass — and greater than $1.3 million — throughout its tenth Anniversary Gala, a high-octane homage to Texas’ oil legends that glittered as shiny as a gusher at dawn. Held April 12 on the storied grounds of the Galveston landmark, the Wildcatters Gala toasted 5 titans of the Lone Star oil legacy in an evening that combined boomtown nostalgia, couture curation, and a live-wire efficiency by Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters.
Greater than 500 visitors turned out for the celebration, chaired by Dancie and Jim Ware and Renee and Scott Rice, honoring Ernie H. Cockrell, Mary Ralph Lowe, Trevor Rees-Jones, and the households of Eddy C. Scurlock and R.E. “Bob” Smith.
Friends had been welcomed by a cinematic Boomtown façade and ushered into the rollicking Spindletop Saloon, the place bartenders in oil-rush garb served “The Rob Roy” with a wink. The saloon spilled into interactive historical past vignettes—one channeling the early 1900s with the Scurlock and Cockrell legacies, one other styled as a Nineteen Eighties oil tycoon’s den full with classic tech and nods to the Astrodome. The immersive expertise felt half museum, half Mad Males, half Texas-sized fever dream.
And talking of curation. Inside, visitors previewed Kermit Oliver & Hermès: Storytelling on Silk & Canvas, the acclaimed exhibit mixing excessive artwork and high fashion. Native Texan Kermit Oliver, the primary American to design for the French style home, was feted by way of uncommon Hermès scarves and unique works, reminding partygoers that Texas tradition isn’t simply oil and cattle, however silk and symbolism, too.
J.P. Bryan, museum founder, took heart stage for a poignant tribute to the honorees.
“This yr we selected to honor, not only a single gifted particular person, however a whole business of remarkable individuals who succeeded in making Texas the most important oil producer in the US,” he mentioned. Every honoree acquired The Bryan Museum Historical past Medal of Honor, embedded with a 1500s-era silver coin and set in a five-point star, one level for every honoree, all stars in their very own proper.
The evening ended on a excessive notice — actually — with Billy BobThornton and The Boxmasters igniting the tent with a raucous set that left boots tapping and bourbon glasses clinking.
The $1.3 million raised marks a brand new fundraising report on Galveston Island, benefiting the museum’s exhibitions, schooling initiatives, and outreach packages.
Amongst these within the crowd had been Christy and Webb Jennings, Mary B. Jennings, Lila Jennings, Gary Petersen, Susan and Invoice Sealy, Ellye Anderson and Carter Ware, Eddy and Harrison Blanton, Diana and Scott Anderson, Brady Caruth, Lisa and Michael O’Leary, Kirby and Scott McCool, Lindsay and Rand Holstead, Courtney Hopson, Shelly Mulanax, Mayes Middleton, Jochen Reiser and Gerri Popov, Terry and Tom Smith, Diane and Fred Burns, Victor and Janice Pierson, Kelley Sullivan Georgiades and George Georgiades, Jolyn and Russell Scheirman, Sarah and Todd Sullivan, and Alicia Brian.
