Austin On-screen

Austin Public invites viewers to step into the studio to celebrate 50 years of public television

Austin Film Society Austin Public studio interior

Austin's Channel 10 is 50 years old this month, and is celebrating by inviting the public behind the scenes.

Public television may call to mind images of children's shows and documentaries, but the format has lots more to offer — especially if staying in touch with local culture is a priority. Austin has a strong connection to the medium, as the city with the longest continually running public access station in the country, and now it’s celebrating 50 years by naming the month of June Austin Public Television Month.

A public event on June 25 will invite viewers to stop by the Public Access Television Studio (1143 Northwestern Avenue) from noon to 4 for an open house. Visitors can explore, take interactive tours, and mingle with complimentary refreshments by the Austin Film Society (AFS), which the state-of-the-art multimedia facility on behalf of the City of Austin.

Channel 10 (formerly Austin Community Television, or ACTV; not to be confused with KLRU, or Austin PBS) can trace those 50 years back to Mt. Larson, in Westlake, where some University of Texas students “[carried] their video production equipment on their shoulders,” according to a release. With the help of community activists and members of the Texas Commission on the Arts, they started the city’s first broadcast.

This was about more than entertaining Austinites — although Austin Public has done plenty of that over its decades. It was, and still is, a platform for locals to get messages out that likely won’t be picked up by major private networks. (Think of Austin’s wacky KOOP 91.7 FM on the radio today.)

“When community television ... launched, it was the only free-speech outlet available for residents that provided a voice for traditionally underrepresented groups and perspectives unavailable within mainstream media,” said Rondella Hawkins, the City of Austin’s Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs Officer.

“The City of Austin has continued its commitment to preserve and support the access TV channels," Hawkins continued, "to distribute the content created by the local community at the studio facility, using the state-of-the-art video production equipment.”

And even though these programs are for their viewers, they represent an irreplaceable opportunity for the people who work on them to start or continue their craft. “Leveraging these resources,” continued Hawkins, “it’s through our partnership with Austin Public to provide the training and the pathways for promising careers in the creative industry.”

Austin Public runs a paid workforce development program called Creative Careers, and broadcasts highlights on its producers. The station's many programs include lots of hosting opportunities, like on The Gene and Dave Show, which highlights the disabled experience with comedy, and in nerd-culture conversations curated by Kaiju Labs Media.

Austinites have Channel 10 to thank for attracting and developing talent like film director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), who founded AFS, and Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City). Now in addition to that main channel, Austin Public also runs Channels 11 (for Christian programming) and 16 (for music programming).

“The history of Public Access in Austin is intrinsically tied to the growth and success of the City’s creative sector, and public access remains vital to the culturally focused expressions of a diverse city," said AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell.

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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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