Light Work

One of Austin's oldest parks lights up for immersive art, music, and dinner

Austin's Pease Park Conservancy is ready to light up the night with its annual fall fundraising event, Luminarium. As the sun sets on Saturday, November 11, the Live Oak Meadow will transform into an otherworldly realm filled with illuminating art installations, surreal rhythms, and an atmosphere of wonder and enchantment.

The event invites attendees to wander through the glow of the greenspace and become immersed in the magic and community of one of Austin's first public parks. As Pease Park event coordinator Lily Coffman describes, "We try to curate and create a space, not just for people to come and have an auction and a nice dinner, but we make it an experience."

This particular experience involves several senses: guests will be treated to an Indian-inspired menu punctuated by delectable bite-sized desserts. Limalo, a psychedelic beat duo based in Austin, will provide the musical backdrop, while generative artist and software engineer Phill Pasqual immerses guests in the natural beauty of the Spanish moss-draped space.

For the uninitiated, this basically means there will be an experimental, multi-media art dinner — and much of it is too uncommon to describe simply by genre. Pasqual explores the convergence of creativity and technology by merging sensors, software, and light to reimagine natural environments; In a recent piece called "Flux Emanation," he projected a pastel-colored fluid simulation onto a freestanding frame and interacted with the movement using lasers.

See on Instagram

Luminarium will also feature the work of Noaa Rienecker, who improvises poetry on South Congress with a 1939 Royal Aristocrat typewriter. Reinecker is joined by fellow poets Abby Holdsworth and Adam Jones.

"Everyone's showing up with their own creativity and their own idea of how they want to support and make sure the park continues," says Coffman.

This special event is not just about the experience, but also about community impact. Luminarium sheds light on Pease Park Conservancy's efforts like replacing invasive species with native ones and keeping the area clear of trash. Proceeds from the event will support the Conservancy's expanding responsibilities for the operation, maintenance, and programming of the greenspace within the park.

Formed in 2008 to "restore, enhance, and maintain" the park, while documenting its history, Pease Park Conservancy welcomes both residents and visitors to explore its intimate nooks and sprawling greenery.

"[Luminarium] is our biggest fundraiser every year and is just such a beautiful event," says Pease Park director of community engagement Allison Johnson. "It supports our operations and maintenance in programming throughout the year."

Tickets (starting at $250) for Luminarium are available at peasepark.org. The event will take place on November 11 at 6 pm. Sponsorships are also available.

Photo courtesy of Pease Park Conservancy

An immersive outdoor art and music event, Luminarium, will light up Pease Park this fall.

dinner art parks nature

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."

museums galleries history texas

Light Work

One of Austin's oldest parks lights up for immersive art, music, and dinner

New

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

Famous Austin omakase restaurant moves into bigger space with new bar

Former Food Network host debuts Round Rock bar with fancy comfort food

Austin cafe Mozart's adds luxe igloos to its sprawling light festival