Arts in Context

Arts in Context uncovers the history and heartbreak behind this dramatic art form

Flamenco Sephardit puts a dramatic twist on an art form that many considered to be lost.

Photo courtesy of KLRU Austin PBS

Editor's note: CultureMap is proud to present the latest installment in our partnership with KLRU's documentary series Arts in Context Shorts. This unique series celebrates stories about the arts in Austin and the people who make this such a vibrant and creative city.

This month, KLRU’s Arts in Context Shorts looks at a unique interpretation of traditional Ladino music as it is interweaved with Flamenco rhythms and harmonies. Produced by Maestro Jeffrey Eckstein, currently conducting Ballet Austin’s The Nutcracker, this unique musical tradition joins together Judaeo-Spanish culture and Spanish folk music for a dramatic experience that captivates and entrances audiences.

Ladino music — and language — is fused together with Flamenco music inFlamenco Sephardit, a musical experience that brings together eight musicians from varying disciplines including opera singers, guitarists and string instruments. The Ladino language, a Romance tongue derived from Spanish, has changed considerably since Sephardic Jews' exodus from Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. During this diaspora, Sephardic Jews could speak it only in secret, and over the past five centuries, Ladino has changed and evolved as its speakers have migrated across the world.

The result of this modern fusion is a bold display of skill, grace and passion. Drawing in audiences with its intensity, Flamenco Sephardit puts a dramatic twist on an art form that many considered to be lost.

KLRU-TV, Austin PBS is dedicated to telling stories that entertain, inspire and change our lives. KLRU highlights what makes Austin unique — whether music, arts or public issues — by creating and distributing award-winning original content. KLRU produces several series including Austin City Limits, Arts In Context, Central Texas Gardener, Civic Summit and Overheard with Evan Smith. As a nonprofit educational organization, KLRU also prepares children to succeed in school and creates lifelong learning opportunities for all.

New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Elisabet Ney Museum Austin

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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