Lit Happens

Inaugural Illumine Awards shine a light on Austin's best writers

Print might be a dying media, but when it comes to celebrating Austin’s literary geniuses, the time is now, says Tim Staley, executive director of Austin Public Library Friends Foundation.

The Foundation will honor a handful of Austin’s best writers with its inaugural Illumine Awards and fundraising event Friday, November 18th.

“Austin has a growing literary scene, and we feel that it’s incumbent upon the Library Foundation in particular to recognize that and to acknowledge some of the individuals who are part of that scene,” Staley says.

The first-ever Illumine Awards will honor the following Austin-based recipients in five categories:

Fiction:Dagoberto Gilb, whose book The Magic of Blood earned a PEN/Hemingway Award. His work appeared recently in Harper’s, The New Yorkerand Callaloo.
Non-Fiction: Gregory Curtis, an award-winning magazine author and editor. He was editor ofTexas Monthly from 1981-2000 and has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Time and Fortune.
Emerging Author: Carrie Fountain, former poetry columnist for the Austin American-Statesman and poetry teacher at St. Edward’s University.
Songwriting:Jimmie Dale Gilmore. The longtime musician collaborated with The Wronglers on their 2011 album Heirloom Music.
Luminary Award (Literary Patron Honoree): Marc Winkelman, CEO and co-founder of Calendar Club, part owner of Kirkus Reviews and part-owner of Tecolote Books in Montecito, Calif.

“All five of our honorees play a significant role not just in the Austin literary scene, but they’re national figures,” Staley says of the winners, who were selected by a panel made up of members of various libraries and the Foundation.

Books sales are struggling, but literature is still a thriving form of art, Staley says. In fact, virtual reading may be helping authors gain exposure.

A recent Pew Internet Project report showed that the use of e-readers doubled in the U.S. from six percent in November 2010 to 12 percent in May 2011. And while this statistic might not bode well for libraries—the last bastion of paper books—Stanley counters that, thanks to the online services and career resources they provide, libraries are more popular than ever.

“The American public library is being used more now than it ever has been,” he says.

The inaugural Illumine Awards will take place Friday, November 18th, from 7 - 10 p.m. at the Hilton Downtown Austin (500 East Fourth Street). Jake Silverstein, Texas Monthly editor and author of Nothing Happened and Then It Did, will emcee the event. Tickets range from $125 (individual seat) to $5,000 (sponsored table).

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For more information, call 512-542-0076 or email info@austinlibrary.org.

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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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