Artistic Upgrades

Downtown Austin museum unveils artistic upgrades ahead of reopening

After major renovation and remodeling efforts, The Contemporary Austin's Jones Center is poised to reopen. This fall, the beloved downtown museum will celebrate by unveiling an anticipated exhibition, a large-scale outdoor sculpture, and exciting upgrades to the space.

On November 22, Jones Center galleries will reopen to the public alongside new exhibition Monika Sosnowska: Habitat. This is the Polish artist's largest solo exhibition in a U.S. museum.

"Sosnowska will fill the museum with large-scale sculptures and constructed spaces that transform the galleries into site-specific backdrops for her works, drawing on the artist's experience living and working among the post-Communist architectural detritus of Warsaw, where she has been based since 2000," notes a release. Museum admission will be free on opening day, and Monika Sosnowska: Habitat will be on view through February 26, 2017.

At the same time, the Jones Center will unveil Jim Hodges' With Liberty and Justice for All (A Work in Progress), a large-scale installation that will be prominently showcased along Congress Avenue and Seventh Street. The sculpture comprises 7-foot-high letters installed 51 feet above ground level. Coated in iridescent dichroic film and lit at night from within, the letters seem to shift colors with changes in light and the observer's location and angle.

A previous version was installed at the Aspen Art Museum in 2014, and the reconfigured version for The Contemporary Austin is on long-term loan.

The Jones Center closed earlier this year to undergo extensive renovations. With the help of a $1.3 million grant from The Moody Foundation and individual gifts, The Contemporary Austin has increased gallery space by approximately 2,000 square feet and updated the museum's cherished rooftop. Now called The Moody Rooftop, it will feature a permanent open-air canopy to enhance use of the space.

"The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center's rooftop has always been a favorite location for Austinites to enjoy the arts through programs such as our Rooftop Architecture & Design Film Series," said Andrea Mellard, director of public programs and community engagement. "I am so excited that these changes to the roof will enable more of our programming for adults, families, tours, teens, and more to take place in this beloved and inspiring space."

The museum will host a members-only party on December 16 to celebrate the reopening and new additions.

The Jones Center will reopen in November.

Contemporary Austin Jones Center rooftop rendering

Courtesy rendering

The Jones Center will reopen in November.

museums

Get Mesmerized

Buzzy art collective Mesmerize opens new immersive space in Austin

A woman walks up the exhibit's rainbow stairway to the clouds.

Photo courtesy of Mesmerize.

Living Dream features over 14 interactive, psychedelic art installations, like this dreamlike stairway to the clouds.

On November 13, a new immersive art experience in South Austin officially opened its trippy, dream-like doors. It's by Mesmerize, the team that operated a similar and hugely popular exhibit from 2020-2021 at the now-closed Native Hostel on 5th Street.

Living Dream is a series of mazes and more than 14 installations created by local artists. Guests can move through, interact with, and of course, take psychedelic photos with the space. It's sort of like Meow Wolf, but smaller and with a different storyline and theme.

In Living Dream, the story is that this regular, rather plain-looking warehouse facility in South Austin has been fractured by a strange force of nature: the eight-foot-tall Colossal Crystal. Now lines between ordinary Austin life and fantasy are blurred, and Austinites are welcome to explore it.

See on Instagram

Aside from this crystal centerpiece, other art installations include a dreamy, rainbow mural that you can step inside by artist Inne Aguilar; a projection-mapped room featuring Bill Tavis's signature psychedelic painting style; a tufted hidden crawlspace by Hannah Buserkus; the nightmarish but whimsical "Mulligrub Meadow" by artist Liza Fishbone; and a rainbow stairway to the clouds.

Of course it wouldn't feel right to walk through such a dreamy space in utter silence, so the creators brought in musicians like Alex Scott, A.M. Architect, Austin Ray, Andrea Magee, and many more to create an original score for the experience.

Mesmerize Living Dream Mesmerize shared this photo thanking Inne Aguilar for her work.Mesmerize/Instagram

This multi-sensory and family-friendly adventure may be one of Mesmerize's most in-depth. It operated its Native Hostel exhibit, This Is Mesmerize, for nine months, and racked up countless Instagram posts. The exhibit closed in 2021, about two years before Native Hostel closed. Mesmerize has also collaborated with various artists and and collectives over the years to throw some of the trippiest art parties in town.

Living Dream by Mesmerize is located at 820 Shelby Ln., and is open Wednesdays through Fridays from 3 pm to 11 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 11 pm.

interactive exhibits immersive