The Contemporary Austin facts for kids
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| Established | 1911 |
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| Location | Jones Center 700 Congress Ave Austin, TX 78701 Laguna Gloria 3809 West 35th Street Austin, TX 78703 |
The Contemporary Austin is a cool art museum in Austin, Texas. It used to be called the Austin Museum of Art. This museum shows off all kinds of modern art. It has two main locations and even an art school! People in Austin often just call it "The Contemporary."
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The Story of The Contemporary Austin
The museum's history goes way back to 1911. That's when the Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA) was started. Over many years, this group grew. It took over the Laguna Gloria Art Museum. It also became the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA). Another part was the Jones Center for Contemporary Art. This later became Arthouse at the Jones Center.
In 2011, AMOA celebrated being around for 50 years. Then, it joined with Arthouse at the Jones Center. This brought the main art groups back together. The Contemporary Austin is what came from this big change. It brought together the old museum and school, AMOA-Arthouse. Now, it has a new goal to connect its two main spots: Laguna Gloria and the Jones Center.
The Jones Center: Art in the City
The Jones Center is one of the museum's locations. It's right on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. Famous architects designed this building. It has a large space for showing art. There's also a room for community events. Plus, it has a cool rooftop deck! This deck is used for events and learning programs. The building was updated in 2015. This made the art space even bigger. It also added a tall roof over the deck.
Laguna Gloria: Art by the Lake
The museum also has its first home at Laguna Gloria. This beautiful place used to be owned by Clara Driscoll. It was known as the Laguna Gloria Art Museum for 34 years. The Laguna Gloria site is very special. It's even called a "national treasure." It's listed on important historical registers.
When you visit, you can see the old Driscoll Villa. This house was built in 1916. It was the home of Clara Driscoll, who started Laguna Gloria. The site is huge, about 14 acres! It looks out over Lake Austin. Besides the historic house, there's also the Gatehouse Gallery. You can also explore the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park. Here, you'll find amazing sculptures and art pieces. Some are new, and some stay for a long time.
Laguna Gloria is also where The Contemporary Austin's Art School is located. It's one of the biggest art schools connected to a museum in the country. They teach art classes all year long to both kids and adults.
The Art School at Laguna Gloria
The Art School is at the beautiful Laguna Gloria site. It's right by the lake! Almost 5,000 students take classes here each year. The school also helps about 50 students with scholarships. These scholarships help them pay for classes. About 10,000 students from other schools visit the museum each year. Many of these students come from schools that need extra support.
Clara Driscoll: A Texas Hero
Clara Driscoll was a very important person in Texas history. She was born in 1881. Her family were wealthy ranchers. She is famous for helping to save the Alamo.
In 1903, Clara paid a lot of money. This stopped a hotel company from buying part of the Alamo. Because of this, she earned the name "Savior of the Alamo." Before her help, the state only owned the Alamo church. She was paid back by the Texas government in 1905. Then, the entire Alamo property was given to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to protect.
In 1906, Clara married Hal Sevier. He was a newspaper editor. They bought the Laguna Gloria property in 1914. It reminded them of a lake in Italy where they had spent their honeymoon. In 1916, they built their home there. They named it Laguna Gloria. This name came partly from one of her family's ranches. The area was close to water, so they called it a lagoon. Clara once wrote about how she worked hard to make the home site a beautiful garden. She added statues from old Italian gardens to give it an "Old World touch."
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