Talk to me

New art sparks conversation on downtown Austin’s hike-and-bike trail

“Conversation Stones” by Diego Miroě-Rivera

The stones and grass paths encourage visitors to engage with each other in the space.

Photo courtesy of Diego Miroě-Rivera and the Trail Conservancy

A new art installation on the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and Bike Trail is inviting Austinites to engage in more conversations with their community. Titled “Conversation Stones,” the piece was created by local artist and native Austinite Diego Miroě-Rivera and is part of Tempo, a collaborative temporary public art program from the City of Austin Economic Development Department's Art in Public Places Program (AIPP) and the Trail Conservancy.

Aiming to cultivate curiosity, promote tourism, and engage the community in a meaningful dialogue about public art, Tempo invited local visual artists to create short-term installations at select locations that resonate with them. Each artist received $25,000 to design, fabricate and install their pieces at their respective locations, allowing for dynamic and ever-changing outdoor art experiences.

Diego Miroě-Rivera chose to install “Conversation Stones” on the lawn of International Shores, which borders the south shore of Lady Bird Lake east of Interstate-35. The piece consists of 32 alluvial stones (natural river rocks) from Williamson County, arranged in a formation that resembles and encourages different kinds of conversation.

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A post shared by Diego Miró-Rivera (@gogomiro)

“The goal is to give people on the trail and in the park a foundation to get to know other members of their community through face-to-face conversation in an outdoor setting,” Miroě-Rivera shared via email. “The social arrangements include everything from a group of six ‘roundtable,’ a teaching/performance arrangement, to more intimate arrangements in pairs, and even singular stones for inward conversation.”

Inspired by the Philosopher’s Rock at the entrance to Barton Springs Pool, the work is designed to connect and communicate in person: Placing yourself on a stone signals to the community that you are open to have a conversation. The artist intentionally let the grass grow and cut paths that would show the flow of social activity through the space.

"We believe art has the power to connect people to their environment in meaningful ways," shared Hanna Cofer, Interim CEO of The Trail Conservancy, via release. "By inviting artists to create temporary installations along the trail, we hope to foster a deeper connection between our community and the natural world that surrounds us."

Austinites can find more photos of “Conversation Stones” on Instagram and learn more about TEMPO’s other installations at the Trail Conservancy website.

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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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