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 shows off modern art and also has an art school! People in Austin often just call it "The Contemporary." This museum has two main locations and offers lots of ways to learn about art.
Contents
A Look at the Museum's History
The museum's story began in 1911. That's when the Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA) was created. Over many years, this group grew and changed. It eventually included the Laguna Gloria Art Museum and the Jones Center for Contemporary Art.
In 2011, these two main art groups joined together again. They formed what we now know as The Contemporary Austin. This brought the museum's two main places, Laguna Gloria and the Jones Center, under one roof. It was a big step to unite their vision for art.
The Jones Center: Downtown Art Hub
The Jones Center is located right on Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. It was designed by architects Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis. This building has a large space for showing art, which is about 5,100 square feet. It also has a community room and a cool rooftop deck. These areas are used for events and art classes.
In 2015, plans were made to make the Jones Center even bigger. The goal was to expand the art exhibition space to over 7,000 square feet. They also planned to add a permanent, tall canopy to the rooftop. This makes it an even better place for art and activities.
Laguna Gloria: Art by the Lake
The museum also has its original home at the beautiful Clara Driscoll estate. This place was known as the Laguna Gloria Art Museum for 34 years. The Laguna Gloria site is very special. It was once owned by Stephen F. Austin, a famous Texas pioneer. It's now considered a national treasure and is listed on many historic registers.
Visitors can explore the lovely 1916 Driscoll Villa. This Italian-style home belonged to Clara Driscoll, who founded Laguna Gloria. The site covers 14 acres and overlooks Lake Austin. Besides the historic villa, you can find the Gatehouse Gallery. There's also the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park. Here, you can see amazing sculptures and art installations. Some are temporary, while others stay for a long time.
Laguna Gloria is also home to The Contemporary Austin's Art School. It's one of the biggest art schools connected to a museum in the whole country. They teach art classes to both kids and adults all year long.
The Art School at Laguna Gloria
The Art School is located at the beautiful Laguna Gloria site, right by the lake. Each year, nearly 5,000 students take classes here. The school also helps about 50 students with scholarships. This means more kids can learn about art.
About 10,000 students each year get to take special tours led by museum guides. Many of these students come from schools that need extra support. The Art School helps many young people discover their artistic talents.
Crit Group: Helping Artists Grow
The Contemporary Austin also has a special program called Crit Group. This program helps artists who live and work in Travis County. It's a way for them to get advice and improve their art. The program is led by experienced art curators. Some of these mentors include Sterling Allen, Annette DiMeo Carlozzi, and Andrea Mellard.
Clara Driscoll: A Texas Hero
Clara Driscoll was born on April 2, 1881, in St. Mary's, Texas. Her parents, Robert and Julia Fox Driscoll, were wealthy ranchers. Clara became known as "The Savior of the Alamo."
In 1903, Clara paid a lot of money to stop the Alamo convent from being sold to a hotel company. This act earned her the famous title. Before this, the state only owned the Alamo church. In 1905, the Texas Legislature paid her back. The entire Alamo property was then given to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to protect.
In 1906, Clara married Hal Sevier, who was an editor and publisher. In 1914, they bought the Laguna Gloria property. It reminded them of Lake Como in Italy, where they had spent their honeymoon. They built their home there in 1916. They named it Laguna Gloria, partly after one of her family's ranches. The name also came from the nearby water, which they called a lagoon.
In 1926, Clara described her efforts to make Laguna Gloria beautiful:
I have struggled to make this little home site...into a passably presentable garden of lawns and shrubs and flowers, intersected by paths and steps, with...glimpses and balustrades, and a few oil jars of ancient and accepted design. I have placed in...a proper setting a number of really beautiful and graceful statues which I was fortunate enough to obtain from one of the oldest and finest gardens in old Italy; this to give an Old World touch to an incomparably beautiful Texas landscape and to contribute a little dignity and formality to the riotous caprices of this violet-crowned vale.
See also
