South Austin Popular Culture Center facts for kids
The Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop) is a non-profit group in Texas. It collects, saves, and shows art and items that highlight Austin's unique contributions to popular culture around the world.
AusPop used to be called SouthPop. It celebrates Austin artists who helped make Austin famous for being "weird".
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What is AusPop?
The Austin Museum of Popular Culture, or AusPop, is a special place. It collects and shows art, photos, and other cool items. These items tell the story of Austin's music, art, and culture.
The museum helps people learn about Austin's creative past. It is an independent place, meaning it does not get money from the government.
How AusPop Started
AusPop began in 2005. It started by collecting concert posters made by a group called the Armadillo Art Squad. These artists worked around a famous music spot called the Armadillo World Headquarters.
The museum grew from a community art group. This group formed in 2004 around the personal collections of Henry Gonzalez.
Over time, the museum's collections grew. They included items from other music places from the 1970s. Some of these places were Threadgills, the Vulcan Gas Company, the Austin Opry House, and Antone's.
The main goal of AusPop is to save the history of Austin's unique arts. It does this through showing items, collecting them, and studying them. The museum now collects photos, prints, and different kinds of art. It helps more people see Austin's cultural scene.
The Armadillo Art Squad
The Armadillo Art Squad was a group of talented artists and cartoonists. They designed posters and flyers for the Armadillo World Headquarters. This was when Austin's music scene was buzzing with "Cosmic Cowboy" music.
Some famous artists from this group include Gilbert Shelton, Jim Franklin, Guy Juke, and Kerry Awn. Others were Michael E. Arth, Ken Featherston, Henry Gonzales, Danny Garrett, Sam Yeates, Micael Priest, Gary McIlhenny, and Jack Jaxon.
The Wall of Fame
AusPop has an outdoor memorial called the 'Wall of Fame'. It features photos of more than 150 people. This wall honors them for their important work in Austin's creative world.
The wall includes both well-known and lesser-known people. You can see photos of Bill Hicks, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Janis Joplin. It also honors people like Bill Livingood, Bud Shrake, and Poodie Locke, who was Willie Nelson's stage manager.
AusPop's Name Changes
The museum has had a few names over the years. It was first called the South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, or SAMOPC.
In 2010, its name changed to the South Austin Popular Culture Center. People locally started calling it SouthPop. Later, the name went back to South Austin Museum of Popular Culture.
In September 2019, the museum's director, Leea Mechling, announced another change. The name became the Austin Museum of Popular Culture (AusPop). The museum also moved to a new spot on North Lamar.
How AusPop is Recognized
The Austin Museum of Popular Culture has been featured in many articles. The Austin Chronicle newspaper, in 2004, called the museum the "Best Place to Art Trip."
The New York Times also included the museum in one of its travel videos.
See also
- List of music museums
