Names in Lights

Winners announced for the 2011-2012 Austin Critics' Table Awards

El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You About Africa
Art on the Green
Photo by Jon Shapley
Hairspray
Photo by Kirk R Tuck
Austin Lyric Opera
Photo by John Fitzgerald

The Austin Critics' Table Awards, the annual awards for achievement in Austin area arts, were announced last evening in a casual, open-to-the-public ceremony held at Cap City Comedy Club.

The Invincible Czars, Austin's whimsical symphonic punk band, provided the soundtrack for the evening, which perfectly matched the setting and mood of the awards show. As the categories progressed through visual arts, design, choral and instrumental music, and theatre and dance, nominees flowed between the ceremony in the main room and the socializing in the side bar.

In the Visual Arts categories, Laurie Frick's amazingly intricate Quantify Me exhibition at Women & Their Work Gallery shared the Best Artist award with the deeply emotional pieces of UT MFA Miguel Aragon, who most recently showed at Tiny Park Gallery's opening exhibition. AMOA-Arthouse won for Museum Exhibition with their current "Art on the Green" interactive exhibit. And the Blanton's exquisite "El Anatsui: When I Last Wrote to You About Africa" show won for best Touring Art Show.

Tapestry Dance Company's Acia Gray won for Dance Choreography for her work on April Fools and A Jazz Nutcracker. Ballet Austin's Hansel and Gretel won for best Ensemble performance, and Sharon Marroquin won both Best Dancer and Best Dance Concert for her breast cancer survival piece, The Materiality of Impermanence.

Among the big winners for theatre were Hyde Park Theatre's recent production of The Aliens, Austin Shakespeare's Arcadia and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde from the UT Department of Theatre & Dance. Hyde Park's Ken Webster and UT's Daria Davis shared the honor of Best Direction. The Aliens' Jude Hickey recieved a Lead Actor award along with Arcadia's Liz Beckham and supporting actor Shelby Davenport. And Dr. Jeckyll and Arcadia both received Best Drama Production honors.

Regional theatre, ZACH, also made an impressive showing with lead acting honors for Eugene Lee (The Book of Grace and God of Carnage) and supporing actor awards for the incomparable Janis Stinson in Hairspray and the outstanding young Kelli Schultz of Next to Normal. Lighting designer Jason Amato was recognized for his work on Hairspray and Next to Normal. And Willa Kaye Warren won a "Monumental Tease" special citation for her wigs in Hairspray.

Scenic designer Ia Enstera continued her reign as the most sought-after designer for new work theatre in Austin. Enstera turned out compelling set pieces for at least eight productions throughout the season, including the steampunk-inspired double set for twin shows, Paper Moon's The 21 Would-Lives of Phineas Hamm and Cambiare's Messenger No. 4.

Major Austin institutions like The Austin Symphony and Austin Lyric Opera received their share of Classical honors, along with the Cage: Musicircus event at the Blanton Museum. Relative newcomer, the New Music Co-op, the grass roots community organization that focuses on educating and increasing awareness of new music styles, won the Best Ensemble award.

Finally, the big winners for the evening were the 2012 inductees to the Austin Arts Hall of Fame. These individuals were artists and art lovers in the early days of Austin's cultural foundations. This year's Hall of Famers are: architect Hal Box, new work theatre artist Linalice Carey, philanthropists Gail and Jeff Kodosky, and music educator Margaret Perry.

Congratulations to all of this year's winners as well as to the nominees. Austin's arts scene is more vibrant than ever, and this is just a small way we can recognize and thank the hard work these talented, spirited, motivated individuals put in to making the city great. Now get out and see more art!

unspecified

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."

museums galleries history texas