Favorite artifact: The Battle of San Jacinto dioramabecause it shows one of the most important battles fought by the Mexican Army and American Army. This battle dictated the victory and the independence of Texas.
Fun Fact: I was attacked by a tiger (a cub to be exact!) 🐯
Profile Category: Staff
Kelly Peltier
Hometown: Piqua, Ohio
Her passion: The visitors at The Bryan Museum! We have guests from all over the world appreciating Texas art and history. The Bryan Museum gives us all inspiration to "[a]spire to inspire before we expire."
Brooke Lister
Favorite artifact: Santa Anna’s Command Book The Texas Revolution is one of my favorites from history, and Santa Anna was a big reason why we not only fought for independence but won our independence. The book is in Spanish, the handwriting is so neat, and it covers the time period of the Battle of the Alamo, leading up to the Battle of San Jacinto.
Hometown: I am a second-generation BOI, from beautiful Galveston Island!
Jessica Shofner
Favorite artifact: Black Pioneers on a Western Landscape (1986) by John Cloeman
There is something about Cloeman’s style and use of color that brings me a sense of comfort and familiarity. It reminds of my childhood, when my family and I would read Tar Beach together.
Hometown: Born and raised in Dallas, Texas. My husband, Daniel, and I moved to Galveston when he began Medical School at UTMB in 2017. Since then we have been living and loving the IBC life!
Cynthia Wills
Favorite artifact: I like Albert Bierstadt's Last of the Buffalo because it is a very powerful image of the landscape and mystique of the Old West.
Hometown: I grew up in Hertford County, NC, have had the privilege of living and traveling in other countries, but have lived half of my life in Texas because Texas feels like home!
Mackenzie Finklea
Favorite artifact:“Colorado” by Josephine Oliver Travis. This pastel landscape on sandpaper is just inside the Texas Master’s Gallery. I really enjoy looking at this piece because I love impressionist-style art and nature landscapes, and the test swatches really give you a glimpse into the artist’s process and humanizes the work.
Fun Fact: I once gave a TED talk about Internet memes!
Kate Gray
Favorite artifact: Mission Bell in the Spanish Colonial Gallery – the beautiful tone creates the hushed atmosphere of the missions. It engages your hearing – one additional sense. And it comes as a bit of a surprise as you walk around.
Hometown: Colts Neck, New Jersey – which is in Monmouth County, which is interesting because…Maria Austin’s (Emily’s mother) first American ancestor was an original patentee of Monmouth County. A fact I learned while reading Emily Austin of Texas by Light Townsend Cummins.
Richard Farnsworth
Favorite artifact: I am passionate about The Museum because art changes everything. The 17th Century Mesquite Cross in the Spanish Colonial Gallery is most intriguing.
Hometown: I am first generation Houstonian.
Peter Ochoa
Favorite artifact: I love the Jeweled Ames Sword presented to Capt. Allen Lowd in 1846. It’s embellished with a Sapphire on the handle and a large Amethyst on the tip of the handle (my birthstone). I also love the 1920’s sombrero with the embroidered Indian profile.
Hometown: I am BOI – right here on Galveston Island
Candace Jones
Favorite artifact: I find that the Battle of San Jacinto diorama is very compelling because it represents to me the indomitable spirit of Texians in their fight for Independence. The diorama captures a singular moment in Texas history and a story that has been told around the world. I grew up close to the Battleground and have explored it many times trying to imagine the battle lines and military tactics of both sides. Seeing such a comprehensive visual representation of the battle is fascinating.
Hometown: I grew up in Crosby, Texas, a small rural community in eastern Harris County close to Lake Houston. It was predominantly a farming and ranching area and my high school graduation class was 123 students. It has since grown dramatically as a bedroom community for Houston with the farms becoming large acreage estates and subdivisions.