Funding The Arts

Texas Women for the Arts grants funds to 10 organizations across the state

Thanks to an initiative created by Texas women, 10 nonprofit arts organizations around the state are celebrating additional funding that will help them fulfill their missions. Texas Women for the Arts, a program under the umbrella of the Texas Cultural Trust which unites the financial force of Texas women with funding initiatives for the arts and arts education, has announced its 2013 grant recipients.

The organization has selected 10 programs that will be awarded a total of $200,000 in grants. Organizations submitted proposals that were judged by a grants committee comprised of Texas Women for the Arts members, and finalists were presented to the full membership for a vote. This year's recipients were announced during the organization's annual meeting in May.

While recipients represent the state as a whole, two Austin organizations and one future Austin event received funds. The Blanton Museum of Arts received $12,000 for its Second Sundays: Free for All at the Blanton pilot program; Anthropos Art was awarded $15,000 for its music mentoring program; and the Menuhin Competition, an international violin competition that will take place in Austin in 2014, was awarded $15,000.

"I am pleased that the Blanton Museum of Art and Anthropos Arts were chosen as grant recipients this year," said Sandra Gilliland, chair of Texas Women for the Arts. "Investing in arts education programs is extremely important. We hope to awaken and nurture the artist in every child in Austin."

In its eight-year existence, Texas Women for the Arts has awarded over $1 million to arts organizations across the state.

The remaining recipients for 2013 are:

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Arts, Houston
Arts for Rural Texas, Fayetteville
San Antonio Symphony
Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, San Antonio
Imagination Celebration of Fort Worth
Kids Excel El Paso
Texas Young Masters Program (Statewide)

Blanton Museum of Art was chosen as a Texas Women for the Arts grant recipient.

Photo courtesy of Specinteriors

Blanton Museum of Art was chosen as a Texas Women for the Arts grant recipient.

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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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