AUSTIN, Texas—A mural of artist Dalhart Windberg’s painting “West Texas Royalty,” reflecting the majesty of Texas longhorns, will be the focus of a celebration at 2 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 30 in a residence hall at The University of Texas at Austin where the eight-by 21-foot mural has been installed.
The event in San Jacinto Hall, 309 E. 21st Street at San Jacinto, is open to the public.
Windberg, whose art was chosen by the students and staff of the Division of Housing and Food Service to represent the grandeur of the Texas longhorn and its deeper meaning for students of the university, will be among the guests speaking at the celebration. Don L. King, president of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America, and Ken Hale, chair of The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of Art and Art History, also will make remarks. Musician Manuel “Cowboy” Donley will perform with his classical guitar.
The installation of this longhorn mural, as well as others that will be placed in other campus residence halls, will provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff and visitors to take pride in the heritage of the university and to preserve the history of which all Texans can be proud. Texas longhorn cattle, a strong and hearty breed, played a significant role in the economic recovery of Texas after the American Civil War. But by the early 1960s the longhorns faced extinction, with only 2,500 left in the United States. The foundation of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Association of America in 1964 led to the breed’s preservation and recovery.
The Texas longhorn was chosen for the subject of the San Jacinto Hall mural because of the importance and meaning of Bevo, the university’s mascot, to the students of The University of Texas at Austin. The mural, printed on cloth, is eight feet high and 21 feet long, expanded from its original painting size of 26 inches by 60 inches. The painting was digitally scanned and enhanced 200 percent, in order to refine the image pixel by pixel. The image was then printed on a single piece of canvas by a company known for its work on billboards at Times Square in New York City and throughout the United States.
For more information contact: Lore Guilmartin, Division of Housing and Food, 512-232-9049, or Robert D. Meckel, Office of Public Affairs, 512-475-7847.
