Arts in Austin

Austin's Blanton Museum of Art names new director of public programs ahead of major redesign

Kenyon Adams is the new director of public programs at the Blanton Museum of Art.

Courtesy of Blanton Museum of Art

As the Blanton Museum of Art prepares to reveal its comprehensive redesign next spring, the museum at the University of Texas at Austin has announced a new director of public programs, Kenyon Adams.

A Senior Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College and Resident Artist at Texas Performing Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, Adams moved to Austin from Brooklyn in 2021. Among numerous accolades, he previously served as strategic development advisor to Fusebox Festival and as founding director of the Arts Initiative at Grace Farms and the SANAA-designed River Building in New Canaan, Connecticut. There, he developed and led public arts programming for an award-winning international institution that welcomed a variety of audiences.

“We are delighted to welcome Kenyon Adams to the Blanton,” said Blanton director Simone Wicha in a release. “He brings a wealth of experience in the arts and a proven track record of success in visionary public programming. Our new grounds have been designed to open the museum into the city, inviting people in to experience creativity and community throughout. I’m confident Kenyon will help us create programs that make the most of these beautiful new spaces, our collections, and our exhibitions—ensuring the Blanton is a vibrant and beloved destination.”

According to the release, Adams will lead the Blanton’s public programming in this new role with a goal to further strengthen the museum’s presence among its audiences here in Central Texas and beyond. The lineup will pair with the museum's already-popular events series such as Curated Conversations and SoundSpace while also inaugurating the outdoor performance spaces on the new Moody Patio. Currently under construction with a projected completion date of spring 2023, the patio will become a centerpiece of the Blanton’s revitalized grounds.

“I’m thrilled to join the Blanton during this transformational stage and lead its public programming in a reimagined space,” said Adams in the release. “The unique potential of public programs is the opportunity to activate spaces in ways that connect audiences, mission, and institutional memory. I greatly look forward to working with the team to further engage Austin’s diverse communities.”

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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