Everyone Loves Beer — and Art

Hops for HOPE combines two things Austinites love: beer and art

What do Austinites love more than a good beer? Not much. Except maybe art. And music. Luckily, we have Hops for HOPE, a free art show benefiting the Helping Other People Everywhere Campaign.

Held on November 24 at Vuka, Hops for HOPE featured work from 25 local artists, including Aaron Darling, Jason Eatherly, Efren "ER," Emily Galusha, Adreon Henry, Molly Maroney, Mark Yawn and Brandon Snow. Spratx put on a live art show, creating on-the-spot screen printing and custom designs.

Not to be outdone, the beer was equally impressive with donations from local breweries Hops & Grain, Live Oak Brewing, Austin Beerworks, South Austin Brewing Co., Independence Brewing, Adelbert's Brewery, Rogness Brewing Company and national brewers Deschutes Brewery, Firestone Brewing, Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head Brewery, Stone Brewery and Lagunitas Brewing.

Completing the ultimate Austin party trifecta? Great tunes from DJ Orion, the Chorderoys and T-Bird and the Breaks.

Those enjoying the views (and the brews) included Melissa McCall, Gina Boga, Cyndi Pyke, Trevor Dunn and Robyn Williams. Other folks milling around the co-working space turned art gallery? Angel Schatz, Joy Scott, Jessica Killeenand Dan Rader, Jason Eatherly and Sarah Forsberg, along with Febe Villagomez, Laislee Salazar, Charisa Hood and Sara Castro.

Febe Villagomez, Laislee Salazar, Charisa Hood, Sara Castro

Photo by Shelley Neuman

Febe Villagomez, Laislee Salazar, Charisa Hood, Sara Castro

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Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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