DECEMBER 14, 2022 www.wintertexantimes.com 14 WINTER TEXAN TIMES Texas Master Naturalist certification program registration deadline nears Registration is open through December 17, to join the 2023 South Texas Border Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist training class. Hidalgo, Starr and Cameron County residents over the age of 18 and Winter Texans are welcome. Texas Master Naturalist is a unique educational volunteer program sponsored by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas Sea Grant Program and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Classes are taught by local university professors and other field experts, including those from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and U.S. Department of Agriculture. Students attend weekly virtual classes Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning January 10 through March 28. Attendees will need internet access, a computer, iPad or Android pad. Using a smartphone is not recommended. Field trips are a required element of training that will provide unique access and learning opportunities. Special field trips will be held in person following current county and departmental public health guidelines. Trainees may join volunteer teams with other chapter members and work among local partners in activities at federal, state, and local wildlife parks, coastal naturalist programs and other public entities. Texas Master Naturalists train as docents and nature guides at local wildlife preserves; learn about native plants and habitat and help develop public native gardens; join citizen science projects; present nature programs to organizations; and learn about the Gulf and beach inhabitants and trends. Class size is limited. The cost is $150 and includes textbook, fees, t-shirt, name tag, and one-year membership. Scholarships of $100 are available. Scholarship requests are due by December 17. To apply for the class and to view the special in-person field trip schedule, follow the instruction sheet on the new class webpage link at https://www.stbctmn.org/ the-next-class. To request a scholarship application or if you have other questions, please contact the new class directors, Anne Mayville, at nurse_anne@msn.com or Jim Gerry at jimgerry@gmail.com. Check out the chapter website at https://www. stbctmn.org/. The South Texas Border Chapter has monthly guest speakers the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Meetings are currently virtual and are free and open to the public. Follow the chapter’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/stbctmn to be notified when meetings are broadcast live. Beyond Van Gogh: The immersive experience is now open Imagine being completely immersed in more than 300 of the greatest works of post-Impressionist artist Vincent Van Gogh. Now imagine experiencing all of this art liberated from its two-dimensional limitations into a three-dimensional experience that exhilarates every sense and brings to life one of the most influential artists the world has known. It’s all part of Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, which has sold over three million tickets globally making it one of the most popular current traveling exhibitions. The sensory extravaganza produced by Paquin Entertainment Group is now open in McAllen at the McAllen Convention Center. Open for a limited engagement, Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience was created by French-Canadian Creative Director Mathieu St-Arnaud and his team at Montreal’s world-renowned Normal Studio. As the paintings ebb and flow into each other, guests will be engulfed in a 3-dimensional experience of the paintings—allowing them to not only observe his genius but to actually become a part of the paintings. Using music and Van Gogh’s own words, thoughts and dreams to drive the experience as a narrative, guests move along projection-swathed walls wrapped in light and color that swirls and dances as it focuses and refocuses into the flowers, cafes and landscapes of his iconic artworks that have been freed from their frames. Van Gogh’s art comes thrillingly to life flowing across multiple surfaces, appearing and disappearing, heightening guests’ senses and allowing them to become one with his brush strokes. The exhibit uses over four trillion content pixels in the multi-dimensional projections. While journeying through Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience guests witness more than 300 iconic masterpieces, including such instantly recognizable classics as “The Starry Night,” “Sunflowers,” and “Café Terrace at Night,” as well as many revealing self-portraits. Prices start at $39.99 for adults and $23.99 for children (ages 5-15), plus ticketing fees. Tickets, which will sell out quickly, are onsale to the general public at www. vangoghmcallen.com. “Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience gives a new appreciation of this tortured artist’s stunning work. Unsurprisingly millions of people all over the world credit Van Gogh with enhancing their relationship with art. Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience will only strengthen that connection,” says Justin Paquin, co-producer, Paquin Entertainment Group. The exhibit will be on display at the McAllen Convention Center (700 Convention Center Blvd.), until January 12. The hours of operation are Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed on Mondays. The exhibit is open until 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. Last allowed entry is one hour before closing. Tickets and more information can be found at www.vangoghmcallen. com. Photo by Timothy Norris
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