Art Unites

Accomplished international art advisor creates new collective to shed light on Austin's growing art scene

Nick Campbell of Campbell Art Advisory is uniting art aficionados in Austin.

Courtesy of Nick Campbell

Nick Campbell wants to be your Austin arts guide. The international art advisor recently announced the formation of an Art Collective membership to inspire and help Austinites navigate the expanding art opportunities in Central Texas as well as offer up exclusive, curated experiences, events, and art outings.

The Collective’s mission is to shine a light on Austin's growing and unique art scene while bringing together a community of art lovers, collectors, and like-minded individuals through creative, curated cultural experiences in the Central Texas region and beyond.

“When I first arrived in Austin and started organizing art talks at Soho House,” Campbell said, “I quickly realized that there were a number of people similar to myself, recent imports, who wanted to get involved in the local art scene but needed to know where to begin. It was then that I had my lightbulb moment. I wanted to create a collective of people who could come together and learn more about the city's art scene, meet new people, and become part of a larger community.”

The idea for the collective grew out of the Campbell Art Advisory, which Campbell first created to source world-class contemporary and emerging art for global clientele in late 2021. Before moving to Austin in 2022 to join his Texas fiancée (now wife, actress Kelly Frye) he founded London's Narcissus Arts consultancy, which opened up the art world to a new generation of collectors by specializing in pieces below $12,000. There, Campbell advised clients who might be new to the world of collecting by helping them navigate the often confusing and intimidating art world by finding works in every medium (paintings, drawings, photography, mixed media, sculpture, kinetic, light installations, textile and interactive) to suit a wide range of budgets, styles and spaces.

Today, Campbell Art Advisory helps clients through every stage of their collections, whether it be a private collector, commercial art project, or corporate collection. And now, Campbell is expanding the Art Advisory and introducing the Campbell Art Collective.

There will be two types of memberships: The Local program, priced at $2,500 annually, will provide various events that Campbell has curated over the course of the year in and around Austin; and The Traveler membership, which goes beyond Austin and includes day trips to Houston and San Antonio. The Traveler is an add-on to the Local membership, starting at an additional $300 per trip.

At these events, members will meet the artists, enjoy private tours of their studios, gain exclusive access to exhibition openings, attend behind-the-scenes viewings of galleries and museums, and receive invitations to private and corporate collections. Anticipated 2023 events include a studio visit with Claire Oswalt inside architect Charles Moore’s former residence; a talk with acclaimed rug designer Kyle Bunting; a private tour of the new Eamon Ore Giron show at the Contemporary Austin; and an exploration of Austin’s best public sculptures. Members can expect to enjoy at least eight events per year.

Campbell also provided CultureMap with a sneak peek of other events planned beyond the initial offering:

“At present I am planning something around Big Medium's annual Open Studio Tour, a trip to New York City during auction season, discussing an event with architecture firms around AIA open house tour, as well as additional visits to galleries and collections,” Campbell says. “I've been fortunate enough to create relationships with the amazing artists and creatives behind Austin's art scene, and I want to give others the opportunity to do the same. At every event, I want people to leave feeling inspired by both the event itself and the community we're building together.”

You may want to make sure your passport is up to date; the Campbell Art Collective is even planning some art inspired field trips outside of the U.S., giving The Traveler members an opportunity to experience cultural events from international art fairs like Art Basel to marquee London auctions.

Only members can catch the inaugural event on March 1 at the Westlake Hills residence of artist and collector Sara Carter; sign up at campbellartcollective.com.

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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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