Art All Around Us

Austin's whimsical outdoor art installation is about to fall down forever

Only four of the original five huts remain.

Photo courtesy of Pease Park Conservancy

For the past 18 months, Pease Park has been home to a not-so-secret secret art installation called Yippee Ki Yay. Five freestanding huts composed of willow, elm, and ash sticks and saplings have become one of the city's little darlings, a place for reflection, inspiration, and, yes, a great photo.

But the art piece is quite literally falling apart, and by January 2020, it's estimated it will be gone forever. Of course, this was always the intention.

Yippee Ki Yaywas commissioned by Pease Park Conservancy and completed in January 2018 by artist Patrick Dougherty as part of his world-renowned "Stickwork" series. The conservancy, a nonprofit tasked with restoring and protecting the famous park, estimates that more than 180,000 visitors have witnessed the installation since it opened to the public in February 2018.

"'Stickwork' is a wonderful example of art for all, sparking the imagination park patrons and passersby of all ages," said Kristen Brown, CEO of Pease Park Conservancy, in a 2018 release announcing the installation.

To create the Yippee Ki Yay(which, like other Stickwork pieces, wasn't named until after completion), Dougherty sourced materials from Stonewall, Texas. Volunteers joined Dougherty on the Custer's Meadow portion of the park to help construct the huts. As part of his creative process, the artist did not sketch or plan his idea prior to installation, instead using the materials as inspiration.

Sadly, one of the park's huts has already fallen victim to Mother Nature, leaving just four structures standing. As the remaining huts collapse, indigenous materials from the installation will be mulched and used in projects around Pease Park.

According to a rep for the conservancy, the estimate of the rest of Yippee Ki Yay falling down byJanuary 2020 comes from the artist, who has built more than 200 similar structures across the globe.

For a piece that is meant to illustrate the impermanence of things, it's still sad to see Yippee Ki Yay succumb to nature. Make sure to visit this whimsical Austin treasure before it all falls down ... for good.

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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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