Medina resident Juan Infante, responsible for the creation of the Bandera Natural History and Art Museum, turned 90 years old on June 2 and celebrated with a large party hosted by the Bandera Natural History and Art Museum.
A total of 80 guests, including family members, community leaders, and museum directors attended the event.
Cocktails and hor d ‘oeuvres began the celebration which led to a luncheon and dancing later in the day. Live music was provided.
The museum first opened in 2011 and has undergone several changes as New Spain colonial art was added to the exhibition. The 18,000 square foot facility located on 8 acres of land just outside of the Bandera city limits was donated by Mr. Juan Infante and his wife Mary.
To celebrate his birthday, Mr. Infante turned over the loan to the Museum’s Board of Directors. In essence, the museum building and land now belong to the residents of Bandera County.
Originally from Argentina, Mr. Infante and his wife Mary searched for several museum locations in Argentina and Mexico. Mr. Infante could not find a location that seemed to be a good fit for the collection.
Finally settling on Bandera, which is close to the exotic game ranch owned by the Infante’s in Medina, Mr. Infante, an engineer, began working on the design and format of the museum. He brought in local banker Sully Woodland with whom he worked on the project.
As a lifelong hunter, Mr. Infante had an extensive collection of animal mounts. Over 100 full body mounts compose the collection displayed in the museum. Of note is the giraffe displayed in the center of the central museum room.
Focusing on collecting the animals he had researched and studied as a hunter, Mr. Infante wanted the collection to go to a location where everyone could enjoy them.
Mr. Infante remarked that he spent a lot of time studying the animals and their habitats becoming an expert at tracking the animals as well as knowing the particulars of their lives.
The mounts which are displayed in authentic hand painted dioramas are representative of every continent of the world. After a lifetime of acquiring the animals, Mr. Infante wanted to be sure that his collection would be kept together and maintained. His priority, he said, was on tracking and finding the animals of his collection.
The Infante’s also spent a lifetime collecting New Spain era colonial art works. Mr. Infante’s wife Mary brought up the subject of where to house the art collection of over 150 works dating from 1521 to 1820.
Mr. Infante agreed that only some of the many pieces could be passed along to family members. The rest became the core of the collection in the new wing of the Museum in 2016.
The focus of the museum became expanded to “exposing visitors to the natural beauty of the world through exhibits, education and events.”
The museum contains a variety of exhibits including a 2000-pound jade tiger and multiple examples of cultural handicrafts and a replica of a triceratops skeleton.
The most popular exhibit according to the youngsters visiting was the life size dinosaurs on the 8-acre grounds.
Mr. Infante asserts that he feels the creation and construction of the museum is his life’s work. He tells many stories of his life which he says all build toward the creation of the museum for the benefit of the people of Bandera County. His life has been one long-term effort to take his collections to a place where all can appreciate and enjoy them.
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