In Austin, Texas, the Blanton Museum of Art is changing for the better, and the public will soon get to experience it in a completely new way.
From the moment you step onto the revitalized grounds, folks feel the difference…how the artistic spirit inside the Blanton’s galleries has been extended throughout the museum’s outdoor areas.
From the elegant shade canopy that stretches to the big Texas sky, to the colorful native plantings, to bold art installations, the new Blanton grounds welcomes and invites visitors like never before.
The newly-restored grounds were designed to unify and revitalize the Blanton campus—which is approximately 200,000 square feet and contains two buildings and Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin—through architectural and landscape improvements and art.
“I believe that landscape has the power to transform a community, very much in the way that great art can transform our hearts and minds. The museum’s new grounds initiative designed by Snøhetta and the public mural by visionary artist Carmen Herrera will transform the Blanton, opening the museum into the city, inviting people in not just to see great art, but also to linger, gather, and be inspired before and after each visit. We want to create a destination — a beloved destination — for families, students, tourists, and art lovers alike,” says Simone Jamille Wicha, Director of the Blanton Museum of Art.
“Of course, an undertaking of this scale would not be possible without the incredible generosity of the Moody Foundation, with special thanks to Trustee Elle Moody for her immediate enthusiasm for this initiative. This project is also being realized thanks to the support of the Still Water Foundation, an estate gift from beloved former docent Ann Bower, and other donors,“ she concluded.
The museum hired the acclaimed international design firm Snøhetta, and the lead architects—Craig Dykers, John Newman, and Elaine Molinar—are all University of Texas – Austin alumni.
One of the highlights of this project is an expansive, dynamic work of art…the first major public mural commission by noted Cuban-American artist Carmen Herrera. Titled Verde que te quiero verde (Green How I Desire You Green), the mural will grace the outside walls of the Mari and James A. Michener Gallery Building, spanning both sides of the entrance; you can read more about it below.
There will be additional public art installations to experience when the project is completed late 2022.
All images courtesy of Snøhetta.