Art in the wild

Sculpture in a strange land: Tush Hog is first up for newly merged AMOA-Arthouse

Each of the "hog ball" polyhedrons contain tasty feed that is distributedthrough holes lining each side.
An abstract tower allows patrons to overlook the clearing where many of the TushHog sculptures reside.
Buster Graybill rolls one of his Tush Hog sculptures to a new location,distributing feed as it rolls.
An indoor collection of Graybill's sculptures resembles the assemblage of alitter of wild hogs.
Captured video of wildlife—in this case, a ram—interacting with one of thestructures.

On Sunday, members of the now-joined AMOA-Arthouse enjoyed a sneak preview of Buster Graybill's Texas-centric sculpture exhibit, Progeny of Tush Hog, housed at AMOA's Laguna Gloria campus. Graybill, a San Antonio-based artist who won a prestigious Artpace artist residency in 2010, was on hand to answer questions and demonstrate the interactive nature of his practical and artistic sculptures.

In a thought-provoking statement on the collision of urban and natural environments, Graybill builds sturdy industrial sculptures that he places in easy reach of rural Central Texas wildlife. His sculptures are filled with feed grain for the animals as well as cameras that allow Graybill to record the interactions of the animals with the sculptures.

The results, as displayed in video displays and screen captures, show a tremendous amount of dialogue between the various animals—deer, rams, wild hogs—and the sculptures, as they negotiate the conditions of these unworldly man-made shapes. The results can be quite violent or comical, depending on the animals and the surrounding conditions.

Watching the intentions and interactions of the animals with the sculptures is an excellent way to see where the two worlds collide.

Of all the species that appear in the videos, it is the wild hogs that captured Graybill's attention especially. Known colloquially in the South as "tush hogs," these feral, tusked porkers show a keen community problem-solving approach to attaining the feed inside the sculptures. The tush hogs mirror the smarts and spirit that Graybill's sculptures convey to the viewer. Graybill even calls the sculptures tush hogs, or more affectionately, hog balls.

During a walk-through of the Laguna Gloria grounds, Graybill explained how the sculptures often end up being moved by the animals into packs or clusters, much like the animals themselves. After a period of time, he might find a series of smaller sculptures orbiting one of the larger sculptures, like a mother hog and her babies.

"With the cameras inside, we can see who put what where and maybe discover their motivation," explains Graybill, as he rolls one ball to a new location. "Watching the intentions and interactions of the animals with the sculptures is an excellent way to see where the two worlds collide."

The sculptures are intended to be jostled and transported from one place to another. Therefore, they must be able to withstand some pretty nasty interactions with wildlife. Rams, in particular, prefer an offensive approach to obtaining the food inside. Therefore, Graybill uses aluminum diamond plating, which can withstand both abrasion and weather.

After considering the types of wildlife present in and around Laguna Gloria, Graybill's cameras will likely find a different level of species sniffing for easy food from the Tush Hog sculptures. "I hear there are hogs to the west of here, but mostly it's possums, nutrias, squirrels and deer," offered a helpful AMOA-Arthouse volunteer.

Progeny of Tush Hog is an ideal first exhibition to begin the new venture between AMOA and Arthouse, showcasing intelligence and creativity from a strong Texas-based artist.

"The next generation of [Graybill's] project explores the relationships between animals and humans, rural and urban cultures, tradition and modernity," says AMOA-Arthouse Curator of Exhibits and Public Programs Andrea Mellard. "His sculptures become feral, migrating through rural, suburban, and urban areas. Like the animals they encounter, they remain in a state of constant adaptation, searching for a more hospitable habitat."

Even more profoundly, the merged museums themselves seem to mirror the intersection of the natural and urban worlds in Graybill's exhibit. With documentation, we'll learn the outcomes of both of these exciting developments.

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Buster Graybill: Progeny of Tush Hog is on display at Laguna Gloria from Nov 22 - Feb 19, 2012.

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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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