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| Jane Mattingly - Art Contributor for modaustin.net writes a regular blog regularmain.com focusing on Texas Artists. |
| Arthouse at Jones Center in Austin brightens its buildingand opens officially to the public October 27 by June Mattingly The October 23rd week-end and connected events for the re-opening festivities of this 21st century contemporary landmark at 700 Congress Avenue (on the corner of 7th Street), the oldest and largest non-profit, non-collecting museum in Texas, caused all downtown hotel rooms to disappear months ahead of time! |
| The location is perfect - in sight of the State Capitol, a short stroll to the Austin Museum of Art (formerly Laguna Gloria Museum with an emphasis on contemporary artists especially from Texas), the historic deluxe Driskell Hotel, and 6th Street’s live entertainment, dining establishments and tattoo parlors. Arthouse’s “roots” reach back 98 years, founded in 1911 as the Texas Fine Arts Association (TFAA), Besides renovating the building, Arthouse tripled the useable space to close to 21,000 square feet. Designed by the New York firm Lewis Tsurmaki Lewis (LTL), currently in an exhibit on New York’s “waterfront” at the Museum of Modern Art. |
| Highlights of the architecture include: an exterior perforated with 177 custom laminated units 4” wide by 16” high clustered and positioned to allow light in, and illuminated by LED lights at night that “animate” passerby’s faces; a glass-lined entry lobby allowing views from the sidewalk far into the building; a “playful, grand” center staircase in which the first three steps are concrete while the others of wood suspend up to 35 degrees down from the roof; and, the roomy 5,000 square foot roof deck made of wood and laminated glass light boxes, for movie screenings, panoramic views, parties and gatherings. The column-free second floor gallery above the ground level galleries has a mobile 57’ by 13’ high wall. There’s also a 90-seat community room and mezzanine lounge. This project is the fait accompli for their accomplished, visionary, non-stop enthused Executive Director Sue Graze. Sue is the force behind the “stunning” new facilities and their temporary year-round exhibitions of artists from the emerging to mid-career level from all over the globe and their programs especially for teenagers. Arthouse’ mission is to “deepen public understanding of contemporary art.” For instance, the 2010-2011 season featured 16 exhibitions, 15 special projects and four commissioned, site-specific works. |
| Under Sue’s directorship Arthouse’s biennial juried $30,000 Texas Prize came into existence to honor and nurture the careers of promising Texas-based artists with a substantial body of work over the previous two years. The winner is announced at a gala at the museum and receives a full-color catalog published just for this occasion. Sue was drawn to Dallas and the Dallas Museum of Art by a Rockefeller Scholarship in the 1980s; she was appointed the curator of contemporary art and that’s how we got to know each other. |
| Arthouse At the Jones Center 700 Congress Ave 512.453.5312 www.arthousetexas.org |
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