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7 Things You Must See at the LBJ Library

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LBJ Library Austin TX

The LBJ Presidential Library

You eavesdrop on a phone conversation. You realize the voices are President Lyndon Baines Johnson and former First Lady and now widow Jackie Kennedy on the line. It’s an emotional discussion. Even though the phone call happened more than 50 years ago, you feel like a kid sneaking on the extension. Your ear’s glued to the earpiece, listening to these two have a personal and almost awkward discussion about Jackie’s access to the President. You hear Jackie confess she’s received more letters from LBJ in the last 10 days than she ever received from John F. Kennedy.

You put the receiver down, a bit drained and surprised at the closeness of the phone call, as though you’d listened to a friend talking on their smartphone set to speaker.

Two presidents from Texas have built libraries in Texas in the last two decades. But you need to see LBJ’s library. [Read more…]

The Story of Umlauf Sculpture Garden’s Beloved Artist

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Umlauf Sculpture Garden Ballerina

Umlauf Sculpture Garden, with Ballerina in the foreground (1977, bronze)

“You don’t have to know. It’s just beautiful,” a man said while shrugging, after his friend seemed confused about a piece at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum.

It’s true; visiting the Umlauf can be enjoyable with little or no knowledge about Charles Umlauf (1910-1994) or his artwork. The grounds feature nice gravel paths, lush native plants, a waterfall, two ponds and a museum all nestled in the heart of the city next to Barton Springs and Zilker Park. [Read more…]

Elisabet Ney Museum: Meet a Woman Ahead of Her Time

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Elizabet Ney Museum

The Elisabet Ney Museum in Hyde Park

You don’t know it, but you know Elisabet Ney.

Her sculptures are part of your mental landscape. She’s credited by many for making Austin the Austin it is today – a center of culture. For anyone interested in the arts or Texas history, visiting the quiet little museum in the midst of a wildlife habitat at 304 E 44th Street in Hyde Park is a must.

Elizabet Ney Self Portrait

Elisabet Ney self portrait

In the Austin of the 1880s, German sculptor Elisabet Ney insisted she be treated as an individual. The daughter of a stonemason, she won over misogynists and pushed herself to the highest power circles in Europe and United States. She always had short hair, which was extremely unusual for the times. She wore comfortable clothes, refusing corsets. She never took her husband’s name. [Read more…]

Art.Science.Gallery. Is Intriguingly Innovative

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Art.Science.Gallery.

Art.Science.Gallery in East Austin (Photo credit: Art.Science.Gallery.)

This guest blog article is by Madison Torres.

Art AND science? Though they’re typically viewed as unrelated subjects, Hayley Gillespie, founder of Art.Science.Gallery., understands the two disciplines actually merge together in a unique way.

Hayley first opened Art.Science.Gallery. as a mobile gallery in 2012. After more than a year and much anticipation, the gallery launched its first exhibition at its permanent location in the center of East Austin. It’s one of the nation’s first art  galleries to feature exclusively science-related artwork. The gallery strives to make science more accessible through visual arts. As a result, the venue is building a community of artists and scientists who want to share their knowledge and experience with the public. [Read more…]

Join in the Big Sing at Blanton Museum of Art

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The Blanton Museum of Art

The Blanton Museum of Art (Photo credit: BlantonMuseum.org)

Have you ever been caught singing in public, in your car, in the grocery store, at work? Now’s your chance to belt out melodies in participation with the Austin community, at Big Sing – where the audience is the choir!

Grammy-nominated Conspirare will be hosting this season’s first Big Sing event on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 6:30 PM. The free event will take place at The Blanton Museum of Art, located at 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

Big Sing & Carillon 09 034 - Copy sm man & music fr back

Photo credit: E. Stuart Phillips

Emphasizing the current installment of artwork on display at The Blanton, this edition of the beloved and free Big Sing event invites Austin locals to participate in the singing of songs from the German Renaissance era, featuring Hans Leo Hassler, Johann Walter, and Martin Luther.

There will also be popular music featured from other times and places. In the past, Big Sings have included familiar rounds, spirituals, Beatles songs, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and popular 20th century standards from the Great American Songbook. [Read more…]

Coming Soon: Thinkery, the New Austin Children’s Museum

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Light Lab Austin Children's Museum

Playing with colors in the new Light Lab at Austin Children’s Museum

Perhaps you have noticed that the Austin Children’s Museum is currently closed? Don’t fret, construction on the Thinkery (the official name for the ACM) is only temporary, and the museum is currently scheduled to reopen in December. Future museum guests will be heading to a new location, a brand new facility in the rapidly expanding Mueller Development.

In Austin’s continuously changing landscape, relocations are inevitable, and the best moves involve careful planning and long desired improvements. One of the most obvious limitations of the downtown location was the limited space for both existing and future exhibits. The new museum in Mueller is almost quadruple [Read more…]

Museum of the Weird on 6th St. Draws National Attention with Oddities

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Steve Busti Owner of Museum of the Weird

Hanging out with Steve Busti, enthusiastic owner of Museum of the Weird

Austin is weird, right? It’s how we’ve branded the city.

We’ve all seen the tie-dye shirts, but how weird is Austin really? Is it mermaid mummy weird? Is it shrunken head weird? The Museum of the Weird on 6th St. is that weird.

The Iceman Cometh

When Steve Busti was just a young lad, he went with his aunt to a K-Mart. In the parking lot was a man with a truck, taking money from a line of people as they peeked into the back of it.

Steve’s aunt paid the man and lifted Steve up so he could see into the back of the truck. He came face to face with the world famous Minnesota Iceman – an ape-man frozen in ice, of controversial origin, which has attracted the attention of the FBI, Smithsonian Museum, U.S. Customs and Vice President Walter Mondale. The world famous moniker is not hype. The Iceman has attracted the attention of international paleontologists and scientists. [Read more…]

Pushing Boundaries at AMOA-Arthouse’s Austin Art Exhibit

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Austin art is the heart and soul of this city. Dallas has its shopping malls and sky scrapers. Fort Worth has railroads and industry. Lubbock has…sand.

Our art is what makes this city so characteristically weird and eclectic. From live music to oil painting – it doesn’t matter. There is nothing more Austin-esque than creating, appreciating and supporting local Austin art.

Luckily for us Austinites, the AMOA-Arthouse at the Jones Center is currently hosting its annual Five x Seven art exhibit and fundraiser. You can support one of most eclectic museums in town by purchasing inexpensive and handmade local art. Which is much better than sand.

The Five x Seven exhibit is based on a challenge. Years ago this Austin art museum challenged artists to submit works of art that were no bigger than five by [Read more…]

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