Arts in Context

Unique after-school program teaches Austin kids the art of drumming

Roots & Rhythms founder Sevylla del Mazo at work.

Photo courtesy of KLRU-TV PBS

Editor's note: CultureMap is proud to present the latest installment in our partnership with KLRU's documentary series Arts in Context Shorts. This unique series celebrates stories about the arts in Austin and the people who make this such a vibrant and creative city.

Every time Sevylla del Mazo walks into a classroom, she considers it walking onto a stage. With an impressive career as a drummer, playing in the Latin jazz trio Acoustic Jungle and performing onstage with legendary musicians like Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, del Mazo has found that the most important thing she can do as an educator is to teach her students the love of learning.

This is exactly what she does at the Austin-based Roots & Rhythms a cultural arts and music education after-school program. With drums created from recycled buckets, the students of Roots & Rhythms collaborate, create and have some fun all while learning the basics of percussion. Roots & Rhythms inspires hope for students in Austin's neediest neighborhoods by celebrating what makes them unique, special — and worthy of a bright future.

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS is dedicated to telling stories that entertain, inspire and change our lives. KLRU highlights what makes Austin unique — whether music, arts or public issues — by creating and distributing award-winning original content. KLRU produces several series including Austin City Limits, Arts In Context, Central Texas Gardener, Civic Summit and Overheard with Evan Smith. As a nonprofit educational organization, KLRU also prepares children to succeed in school and creates lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Roots & Rhythms after-school programs teach kids the art of drumming.

Roots & Rhythm

Photo courtesy of KLRU-TV PBS

Roots & Rhythms after-school programs teach kids the art of drumming.

New

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

Elisabet Ney Museum Austin

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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