On Stage

Have a story about motherhood? Listen to Your Mother wants to hear it

If you’re a mom, or if you’re married to a mom, or if you have a mom, you might make a great contributor to this year’s Listen to Your Mother show in Austin.

Listen to Your Mother is a live stage production of local writers reading their stories about motherhood. The Austin show is part of a nationwide series of shows in 24 cities, including New York, San Francisco and Chicago. This year marks the show's third performance in Austin, which will take place just ahead of Mother's Day (Mother's Day is May 12 — mark your calendar).

Listen to Your Mother takes place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 9 at the AT&T Conference Center on the UT campus.

Producers for the local show are currently seeking a diverse collection of local writers to read their own words about motherhood. "People of all ages, backgrounds and experience levels are invited to submit their work," encourages the show's website.

Send your humorous, poignant or soulful words about the good, the bad and the ridiculous of motherhood to the producers via email for consideration, and if your piece is chosen, you'll perform a live audition before taking your piece to the stage. (If you need some inspiration, take a look at the variety of performers from the 2012 show.)

The deadline for submissions is March 1 and there is no submission fee, so there’s no reason not to send yours in, even if a live performance falls outside of your comfort zone. Because, as my own mom would say, you’ll never know if you don’t at least try.

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Essays should be submitted via email and included in the body of the email (no attachments). Each piece should be 5-7 minutes long when read aloud.

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New

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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