August 17, 2023 

- January 14, 2024

Located in the Tobin Exhibition Galleries

August 17, 2023 

- January 14, 2024

Located in the Tobin Exhibition Galleries

Be our ghoul of honor at an exhibition hosted by creatures lured from the depths of the McNay Art Museum’s collection. Dreamland | Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas marks the 30th anniversary of filmmaker Tim Burton’s 1993 stop-motion animated film.

In the exhibition, visitors can reacquaint themselves with Burton’s awkwardly charming cast that includes Oogie Boogie, Bone Crusher, and the beloved hero, Jack Skellington. And meet unusual characters created by artists from the McNay’s collection, including José Clemente Orozco Farías, Julie Heffernan, Eugene Berman, Marilyn Lanfear, Willem de Kooning, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Julie Speed, and others. Visitors can explore colorful and unfamiliar worlds found in large paintings and photographs by artists Paul Maxwell, Claudia Rogge, Robin Utterback, and Sandy Skoglund.

Small models (or maquettes) created for Burton’s iconic film in conversation with a range of artworks, encourage guests to imagine fantasy narratives of their own. And with a nod to Burton’s creative roots at Walt Disney, explore a “hall of peculiar portraits” that will have you wondering—is that picture looking at me?

Dreamland | Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is organized for the McNay Art Museum by R. Scott Blackshire, PhD, Curator, The Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts; and Kim Neptune, The Tobin Theatre Arts Fund Assistant Curator, The Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts.

Major support is provided by The Tobin Endowment. Additional funding is most generously provided by The Tobin Theatre Arts Fund, the Semmes Foundation, Inc., and our Exhibition Host Committee Chaired by Mr. and Mrs. J. Bruce Bugg Jr.

Host Committee

Alethea and Bruce Bugg, Chairs

Cynthia and Forrest Miller
Karen and Curtis T. Vaughan III

Barbara Clark
Tiffany and Michael Fresher
Lou Celia and Don Frost
Dacota and Jay Haselwood
Dr. and Mrs. Peter L. J. McGanity
Lisa Roberts and Rob Barnett
Terri Smith and Bill Alig
Katheen and Albert Vale
Drs. Alice and Sergio Viroslav
Dr. Wendy Walsh and Mr. Brian Neville
Carolyn and Richard Wiggins