• Advertise
  • Donate
  • Write
  • Intern
  • Events
  • About
  • Contact

The Austinot

Discover Austin Texas! An Austin blog with hundreds of unique articles.

  • Things To Do
    • Things To Do This Weekend
    • Things To Do This Week
    • Things To Do This Weekend With Kids
  • Discoveries
    • Austinot Loves
    • Activities
    • Day Trips
    • Local Business
  • Food & Drink
    • Food
    • Drink
  • Entertainment
    • Events
    • Film
    • Music
    • Nightlife
    • Theatre
  • Culture
    • Arts
    • History
    • Museums
  • Et Cetera
    • Non-Profits
    • Podcast
    • Archives

Jumpstart Your Appropriately Weird Tour of Austin Public Art

September 2, 2016 by Susan Meyer 1 Comment

Austin Public Art

Anyone who has ever been to Blanton Museum of Art, explored East Austin Studio Tour, or visited any of Austin’s other amazing museums or festivals knows this city has an artistic side. And you don’t even have to darken the door of a museum or gallery to appreciate art in Austin. The city has its fair share of public art pieces melded into the cityscape. Some are sculptures and statues memorializing important people in Austin’s history, others are functional as well as sculptural, and some are purely aesthetic.

The city of Austin participates in the Art in Public Places (AIPP) program that collaborates with locally- and nationally-renowned artists to bring new cultural landmarks to Austin. There are now hundreds of pieces in the collection. Join me on an art walk (or drive, really) to some of my favorite Austin public art pieces.

1/ Nightwings

Nightwings Sculpture Austin Public Art

Austin has the largest urban bat colony and quite possibly the largest aluminum bat sculpture
(Credit: Phil Whitehouse via Flickr CC)

Our walk begins on South Congress Avenue and Barton Springs Road, just south of the Congress Avenue Bridge that 1.5 million bats call home. “Nightwings” is a fitting emblem of Bat City and celebrates Austinites’ love of these nocturnal bridge dwellers. Created by Austin local Dale Whistler, this sculpture stands 18 feet tall and is made of aluminum that slowly spins on a concrete base, its movement directed by the wind. Conveniently located near the Statesman Bat Observation Center, this is one bat that’s hard to miss, even if you come too late to see the living mammals emerge.

300 S. Congress Ave.

2/ Open Room

Open Room Austin Public Art

Pull up a bench and stay a while at “Open Room Austin” (Credit: Sam Zavieh)

Heading north across Lady Bird Lake at Sand Beach Park, you’ll find “Open Room Austin.” One of my life’s mottos is that the best (and often rarest) art pieces are those you can also eat on. “Open Room” is not only a sculptural creation, but also a nice place to picnic or enjoy a workday lunch out of the office. It consists of a 24-foot-long table with a metal “lace” tablecloth, benches and lighting structures that are all made from aluminum. It was created by Roberto Behar and Rosario Marquardt and put in place in 2010.

115 Sandra Muraida Way

3/ Grotto Wall at Sparky Park

Grotto Wall at Sparky Park in Austin

The Grotto Wall is a true labor of love (Credit: Susan Meyer)

Heading farther north (this is when a car becomes helpful), we reach Sparky Park on Grooms Street, just south of 38th Street. Created at the site of a former electric substation, the fixture of this pocket park is an intriguing masonry wall decorated with all manner of curiosities. The wall was created by Berthold Hass and constructed from stone harvested from a Hill Country ranch. Embedded in the wall are trees made from petrified wood and other oddities. The artist worked with the neighborhood to create this playful wall of arches and tunnels. Many of the objects in the wall were even contributed by area residents The result is a whimsical homage to the neighborhood and those who worked hard to create this little gem of a park.

3701 Grooms St.

4/ And He Was Sad

And He Was Sad Eeyore Statue

This doleful donkey in his rightful home at Eastwoods Park (Credit: Susan Meyer)

Just a little bit south of Sparky Park and north of UT sits Eastwoods Park. Eeyore’s Birthday has been a landmark Austin festival for decades and is strongly associated with its current home in Pease Park. But insiders know the first celebration of everyone’s favorite morose livestock occurred right here at Eastwoods. The bronze statue of Eeyore, looking appropriately downtrodden, stands in the park in recognition of this important milestone. The sculpture is called “And He Was Sad” and was created by Austin local Bob Coffee, whose sculptures appear around the world.

3001 Harris Park Ave.

If you want to discover more Austin public art pieces, the AIPP has provided a number of art walks and self-guided tours for whatever your artistic interest. Like monuments to Texas history? There’s an art walk for that. Want to turn your daily jog on Lady Bird Lake into an art tour? It can be done. There’s even an art walk for keeping Austin weird! Check out some of the city’s suggestions or use them as inspiration to curate your own unique Austin art experience.

 

@theAustinot wants to know:

What are some of your favorite pieces of Austin public art?

 

Susan grew up in Texas, but took a circuitous route to settling in Austin–by way of Arkansas and New York. She loves hiking, gardening and spending far too much money on various preserved things at Central Market. 

Filed Under: Arts, Culture

Best of The Austinot

We always have unique content on The Austinot and we love to give things away. You know, like concert tickets, gift cards, and other cool stuff. We only send out our “Best of the Austinot” newsletter twice a month. It’s where we give you a recap of our best articles and give stuff away. Interested? Subscribe to Best of The Austinot here!

Subscribe
Login
Notify of
guest
guest
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
northierthanthou.com
northierthanthou.com
5 years ago

The Grotto wall looks pretty cool.

1
Reply

Connect with Us

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of A...

    To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

    Hyperlocal Blog About the City of Austin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Things to do

Things to do in Austin this weekend

10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of July 8, 2022 Include Austin FC Watch Party, Balloon Fest, and More!

  For summer camp information, check out our page for Best Summer Camps in Austin for 2022!  If you would like to discover more Things to do in Austin this Week & Things to do in Austin with Kids this Weekend, check out Facebook for immediate notifications.

Things to do in Austin this week

10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of July 4, 2022 include Round Rock Express Vs. Albuquerque, Cedar Park Fourth, and more!

Austin is now among the fastest-growing metroplexes in the US! Keeping up with the growth, luckily there’s plenty going on in Austin all days of the week. There are things to do on Monday in Austin, of course, things to do in Austin on Saturday night, and everything in between! Some of you may be […]

Things to do in Austin with kids this weekend

Top 10 Things to Do in Austin with Kids this Weekend of July 1, 2022 include Bastrop Patriotic Festival, Family Game Night, and More!

If there’s one thing about this city, it’s that there is always something going on. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Austin with kids this weekend of July 1, 2022, there’s plenty of fun to be had, including Dive In Movies – Wells Branch, Bastrop Patriotic Festival, and more!   Top […]

texas swimming holes near austin

Texas swimming holes near Austin – 10 watering holes for a fun swim this summer

If you have been looking for free places to swim in Austin or googling ‘swimming holes near me’, you are in the right place! Texas is known for a lot of things and one of them is relentlessly hot summers. The temperatures are rising in Austin and across the state. Luckily, there are also many […]

Austin trampoline parks - Urban Air Adventure Park (Cedar Park)

Austin Trampoline Parks – Best Indoor Jumping Places for Kids and Adults!

Trampoline parks were among the decade’s most unique leisure attractions. They offer a playful atmosphere where people can defy the laws of physics and have a good time hurling themselves around. It consists of a large room filled wall to wall with trampolines. On the weekend, you may get rid of your boredom and have […]

Recent Posts

  • 10 Fun Things to Do in Austin This Weekend of July 8, 2022 Include Austin FC Watch Party, Balloon Fest, and More!
  • 10 Fun Things to do in Austin this week of July 4, 2022 include Round Rock Express Vs. Albuquerque, Cedar Park Fourth, and more!
  • Top 10 Things to Do in Austin with Kids this Weekend of July 1, 2022 include Bastrop Patriotic Festival, Family Game Night, and More!
  • 4th July events in Austin: Independence day 2022 fireworks, parades, concerts & other celebrations!
  • Texas swimming holes near Austin – 10 watering holes for a fun swim this summer

Welcome to The Austinot

We are all about Austin: the vibe, the people and the uniqueness of the city. We love to explore. Get to know us! We’ll respond if you comment. Heck, we’ll probably invite you to come and hang out with us!

Follow along to help support and learn more about local businesses, artists, and events.

-The Austinot Team

Privacy Policy

Trending Posts

  • 10 Best Lakes in and around Austin
  • 7 Popular Lady Bird Lake Activities to Experience This Year
  • 20 Restaurants Open Late in Austin – Best Late Night Food Places For Tasty Eats
  • Day Trip in Austin: 10 Places To Visit Like a Tourist
  • 8 Laid-back Waterfront Restaurants in Austin (Besides The Oasis)

Copyright © 2022 · Log in

wpDiscuz