HOW BAZAAR

Creators of popular Austin holiday bazaar conjure up new springtime market

You don't have to wait until the winter holidays to shop at one of Austin's favorite artist markets.

Photo courtesy of Blue Genie

One of Austin’s most treasured annual winter holiday markets is springing up a little early this year.

The creators of Blue Genie Art Bazaar, the holiday art show and market that takes place every year in the weeks leading up to the Christmas holiday, will host May Market, an all-new spring art and shopping experience. Running every Friday through Sunday April 30 to May 31 (plus Memorial Day) from 10 am to 8 pm, the May Market will be housed at 6100 Airport Blvd.

While fans of Blue Genie can expect the new event to dedicate the same level of devotion to Central Texas artists and their unique works, the May Market will also emphasize female artists. In fact, the majority of the more than 100 exhibitors at the May Market are female artists or run women-owned businesses.

Organizers say the May Market, much like its Blue Genie cousin, will be a destination for discovering one-of-a-kind Austin gifts for spring and summer holidays like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, graduations, and weddings. Some Blue Genie customer favorites will participate in the May Market, as will plenty of new artist exhibitors.

The new market seems a natural addition to Blue Genie Art Bazaar, a staple of the Austin holiday shopping scene for 20 years and an ideal marketplace for hundreds of local and regional artists to showcase their wares. Blue Genie had to get creative in 2020, adding an online store and a personal-shopper program, among other new safety measures. The new May Market is likely to be welcomed by local artisans and art shoppers alike, particularly since a variety of other arts events and spring markets have had to cancel in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Like so many businesses, COVID forced us to innovate and host the 2020 Bazaar on a range of online platforms while also adjusting our in-store experience,” says founder Dana Younger. “By drawing upon what we learned about conducting a safe and successful event over the holidays, we believe the May Market is a natural step for us and a chance to support artisans who have struggled to exhibit and sell during the pandemic.”

Like Blue Genie, the May Market is free to attend and family-friendly. Handmade items showcased at the market include jewelry, clothing, pottery and home décor, and an array of fine art.

May Market will follow the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and mask wearing.

shopping openings

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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