Art Finds a Home

Local homeless artists get spotlight at Mondo Gallery

Social outreach ministry Mobile Loaves & Fishes is teaming up with Mondo Gallery to present one of the more unique art shows in Austin this summer. Featuring the work of nine local artists who also happen to be homeless, the special exhibition looks to change the way that the local homeless community is perceived.

“Part of the mission for this gallery is to change the paradigm of how you stereotypically see the homeless,” says Alan Graham, president of the Mobile Loaves & Fishes charity and social outreach ministry. “Our vision statement is to empower this community and to help connect people all around.”

Featuring the works of nine local artists who are also homeless, the special exhibition looks to change the way that the local homeless community is perceived.

With this exhibition, Austin will get a chance to see work from members of Art House, the Mobile Loaves & Fishes art program. Twice each week, Art House gives nine homeless artists access to an art studio with their own personal tools, allowing a safe place to craft their work.

As with most of the art featured by Mondo in the gallery space, these pieces are inspired by pop culture and movies, from iconic superheroes like Captain America to classic Hollywood films like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Graham believes that Mondo and Mobile Loaves & Fishes are a natural fit, thanks to the “community first” spirit practiced by Mondo’s parent company, the Alamo Drafthouse. “They are in our community, recognizing creative art and distributing it. That fits in with our vision of empowering the homeless community and providing them with dignified work.”

The Art House exhibition at Mondo Gallery kicks off with an opening reception on Thursday, July 10 at 7 pm, featuring the artists in attendance. The exhibition will be on display on July 11 and 12 from noon – 6 pm at the gallery, with all art available for purchase and with all profits benefiting the artists.

“We understand that if this is a success for Mondo, they will be extremely willing to do it again,” says Graham. With continued positive exposure for the homeless community, Graham and all of his fellow volunteers will keep doing what they can to help them back on our feet. “After all, they are our neighbors.”

The Art House special exhibition at Mondo Gallery starts with an artists' reception on Thursday, July 10 and is open on July 11 and 12. Featured artwork includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Cathy Carr-Haynes.

Captain America The Winter Soldier by Cathy Carr-Haynes

Photo courtesy of Mondo Gallery

The Art House special exhibition at Mondo Gallery starts with an artists' reception on Thursday, July 10 and is open on July 11 and 12. Featured artwork includes Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Cathy Carr-Haynes.

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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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