Reopening Austin

Austin's premier art museum opens for first time since COVID-19 shutdown

The Blanton is among Austin's first cultural institutions to reopen since the pandemic began.

Photo courtesy of The Blanton Museum of Art

Austin's shutdown still hovers like a dark cloud, but one cultural attraction is providing a bright light in the reopening process. On Saturday, August 15, the Blanton Museum of Art will reopen for the first time in five months.

Austin's top art museum has already started its reopening plan, allowing museum access to Blanton members and University of Texas ID holders on August 12. This weekend, it will officially open to the general public with the safety guidelines and protocols one would expect in this time of social distancing, calling it "a top priority."

As part of those updated protocols, admission to the Blanton, which is located on the UT campus, will be available through timed reservations only. Reservations are available from 10 am–1 pm, Wednesay through Saturday, and 2–5 pm on Sunday. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Reservations are also required for Ellsworth Kelly's Austin, the groundbreaking chapel installation that opened in 2018.

Mandatory masks for both visitors and Blanton staff are required while inside the museum and Austin. Social distancing measures, limited capacity, and frequent cleaning will also be in effect. See a full list of the safety measures at the aptly named theblantonmuseumisopen.org.

Once inside, visitors can catch three of the city's most anticipated exhibitions, all of which got cut short when the Blanton closed on March 13 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Currently on view are The Avant-garde Networks of Amauta: Argentina, Mexico, and Peru in the 1920s, on view through August 30; Ed Ruscha: Drums Skins, on view through October 4; and The Artist at Work, on view through October 25.

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Sonic Boost

Musical gala spotlights 20 Austin acts including Nemegata, Quentin Arispe

Photo courtesy of Spaceflight Records

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On January 18, charitable organization Sonic Guild will award $150,000 in grants to 20 deserving local bands and solo artists at the Sonic Guild Ball. For the first time ever, tickets are available to the public for this ceremony and show.

This is the 11th year this organization has supported the Austin music scene, though readers might know the organization by its previous name, Black Fret. This public charity is headquartered here in Austin and is on a mission to support artists here (as well as in Seattle and parts of Colorado, now) with a publicly available annual membership.

In return for annual dues, members get to see a bunch of shows and attend private events; and their memberships support local music with grants. Over these years, the group has awarded grants and payments to local musicians, venues, and music businesses totaling over $6 million.

This year's grant recipients are:

Rob Baird
West 22nd
Cactus Lee
The Point
DAIISTAR
Parker Woodland
Nemegata
Deer Fellow
Elijah Delgado
Grocery Bag
Quentin Arispe
Shelley King
Geto Gala
Next of Kin
promqueen
Lew Apollo
S. L. Houser
Harvest Thieves
TV's Daniel
Stella and the Very Messed

These artists were selected through a year-long process where Sonic Guild members, advisors, and prior grant recipients nominated, lobbied for, and finally voted on their favorite artists.

These 20 winners will receive not only grants at the upcoming Sonic Guild Ball, but also mentoring, and will be paid for any performance they do for Sonic Guild audiences in the future. In fact, half of the awarded bands will be performing at the ball itself.

In between performances there will be videos and live testimonials telling the stories of how past grant winners have used their funds to boost their music careers with album recordings, tours, instruments, and more.

“Naming these 20 2024 Sonic Guild Artists puts us at over 200 individual acts we have recognized with a Sonic Guild grant,” said co-founder and Executive Director of Sonic Guild Austin Matt Ott in a press release. “Every member that joins Sonic Guild sends a powerful message to our city’s musicians that their contributions to our culture matters. We must support our music scene as our great city grows to make sure it thrives for generations to come.”

The 2024 Sonic Guild Ball will be held at the Long Center for the first time ever. Individual public tickets are available online and range between $24 and $130 depending on the seat.

Austinites can also become members of Sonic Guild and have access to more than 30 live shows this next season, and will get to vote for the lucky artists that will be awarded with grants at next year's Sonic Guild Ball.

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