Everyone's favorite slogan, "Keep Austin Weird," certainly applies to this unique and funky museum. Heavily slanted towards music, the South Austin Museum of Pop Culture aims to preserve and exhibit art and artifacts that reflect Austin's influence on the larger realm of popular culture. Located on South Lamar in the venerated 78704 zip code, the SAMPC has permanent collections dating back to the 1960s, and mount exhibitions featuring the works of some of Austin's most exciting new artists.

The bulk of their collection is dedicated to what they consider to be the quintessential Austin art form, the music concert poster. Featuring works by Guy Juke, Billy Perkins, Danny Garrett, Henry Gonzales, Sam Yeates, Jim Franklin, and many others, the SAMPC poster collection makes a serious case for including Austin's artists in the pantheon of poster art codified by the Fillmore in San Francisco. These works tell the history of Austin music in colorful, interpretive ways.

Other art forms are found at the SAMPC as well as poster art, including a permanent exhibit by University of Texas graduate, G.L. McElhaney. This multi-talented artist studied under sculptors Charles Umlauf and David Deming, and his work includes bronze, marble and hydrostone cast sculptures. Gonzales conceived and helped create the Dia de los Muertos wall, a permanent fixture in the parking lot beside the museum which is lined with dozens of hand-painted portraits of deceased musicians and artists from Texas, all adorned with flowers and offerings.

The museum features paintings, album covers, portraits and Ken Featherston's giant "Peyote Dream" mural, which was recently extracted from a private home. An entire wall of the museum was torn down and built up again to keep Featherston's work in one piece. One of the most iconic artists highlighted by the SAMPC is Texas-born Gilbert Shelton, whose famous comics, such as "The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers," are known world-wide. His work has appeared in Help!, Playboy, Zap and Rip Off comics, as well as on the walls of the Vulcan Gas Company club.

Initially a project of the Phogg Foundation, the SAMPC got its start as part of a citywide poster exhibition during South by Southwest in 2004. Shortly thereafter, they mounted the first of many one-man shows, featuring work by the late artist/historian Jack "Jaxon" Jackson. These focused exhibitions have become the trademark of the museum, and they continue to produce up to eight exhibits and five events per year. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, they work with a part-time, all-volunteer staff, including many of the artists who are still painting, drawing and beautifying the city - truly a labor of love for all.

Now a membership organization governed by a Board of Directors, their community outreach efforts are split between adding to and improving their holdings and programs, and the difficult but essential task of raising funds to support a grass-roots non-profit museum. Although there is no admission, donations are suggested, and memberships of all different levels are available.

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One of the most beautiful and popular art museums in the Austin Area is the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, which is an Italian style villa that was originally the home of Henry and Clara Driscoll Sevier, and is situated on the shores of Lake Austin in the west-central Austin area.

The original home that later became the museum was built in 1916, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places; the museum was the first home of the Austin Museum of Art and was named for the natural lagoon which was originally considered part of the Colorado River prior to the construction of Lake Austin. The land on which the original home was built belonged to Stephen F. Austin in 1822, and he intended to build a home there himself, but never did, and his descendants later sold the property to Hal Sevier, who was the editor of the Austin American Statesman, and his new wife, Clara Driscoll, in 1914.

The Seviers completed their home in 1916 in the style of an Italian Villa after traveling to the Lake Como area of Italy on their honeymoon, and after years of gardening and planting trees, flowers, and foliage, Clara Driscoll donated the homesite to the City of Austin for the new museum. In 1961, the home was converted to an art museum and began offering art classes as well as exhibits and other events and attractions to the public.

In 1983, an additional 5,300 square foot facility was built specifically for the art school, and in 1992, the museum changed its name from Laguna Gloria Museum to the Austin Museum of Art, although four years later the Austin Museum of Art relocated to Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. Despite the move, Laguna Gloria remained home to the Art School, which in 2003 was renovated again and added exhibit halls featuring local and regional art, among other exhibits.

Laguna Gloria is right next door to Mayfield Park, a lovely park adjacent to the Driscoll Villa which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Laguna Gloria is located just west of the intersection of Loop One, also known as the Mopac Expressway, and West 35th Street, and is also very close to Camp Mabry, another local Austin attraction and historic military base. AMOA-Laguna Gloria, as it is now known, offers outdoor and indoor venues, and is situated on twelve acres of scenic and carefully landscaped grounds, a mile of which are on the shoreline of Lake Austin, and the museum is only 15 miles from downtown Austin and the main Austin Museum of Art structure on Congress.

Many weddings, concerts, parties, and other social functions are held at the museum and grounds, including numerous fundraisers for local charities such as AnyBabyCan and others. Since the museum has various event spaces including an amphitheater, sunken gardens, and a gazebo named the Temple of Love with an original rock trail and gorgeous walk to and from the museum proper, it is the perfect location for most outdoor as well as indoor events.

In addition to the above, there is also a four seasons garden with statues from Italy brought back by Clara Driscoll, and there is also a solarium on the grounds as well as a front oval lawn with a fountain for larger events. The sunken gardens include an original sculpture by local sculptor Charles Umlauf, who is now very well known nationally and is for whom Umlauf Gardens in Zilker Park was named.

AMOA-Laguna Gloria is a must-see location if art, natural beauty, and historic museums appeal to you, and it is also one of the most scenic and diverse locales for holding or attending an event or wedding, so be sure to visit Laguna Gloria and enjoy the many sculptures, exhibits, events, gardens and other attractions when in Austin or the surrounding area.

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The Blanton Museum of Art is a part of the College of Fine arts in The University of Texas at Austin, with a permanent collection of substantial range and depth. It is the principal art museum in Austin, with collections and exhibits on a par with art museums throughout the country. Positioning itself as a gateway between the University community and the general public in Austin, the Blanton is committed to building the finest collections possible, being a vital resource for teaching in a broad variety of disciplines, and to making their offering available to art lovers of all ages.

Originally known as the University Art Museum, the Blanton dates back to 1963, when a new building for the art department designated some gallery space. The Blaton Museum began collecting in earnest throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and gained a large group of important paintings from a private donation from the acclaimed author James Michener. The Blanton took an early leadership role in the promotion and preservation of Latin American art, founded on the donation of some two hundred paintings and 1,200 drawings from the collection of John and Barbara Duncan. Other permanent holdings include the C. R. Smith Collection of Paintings of the American West, and nearly one thousand contemporary prints donated by Charles Clark of McAllen, Texas. Now, the museum has over 17,000 works in its permanent collection.

The museum also offers a great number of traveling exhibitions, with topics that range from cultural to political art. Whether featuring the sculpture of New York's Park Place Gallery Cooperative, the performance-installation work of Michael Smith and Joshua White, woodcuts and engravings by Albrecht Dürer, or Rembrandt's etchings, the rotating exhibitions are world-class.

The public programs available at the Blanton are diverse and exciting. They offer public tours of the museum, guided by knowledgeable docents who can answer questions about the collections and exhibits. Each month, they host an art party known as "B-Scene," featuring live music by Austin bands, gallery tours, art-making activities, light snacks, and a cash bar featuring their signature cocktail, the Blantini. The last Tuesday of the month brings the Bach Cantata project, a choral performance held in the majestic atrium of the museum. Hot Art Hip Kids is a program for children, and for adults, they also offer educational lectures on their exhibitions, as well as Third Thursday, a themed event held in the evenings. Classes and workshops on many different subjects are also available.

With the opening of the new Blanton in April 2006-following a 2 1/2 year building project—the museum was for the first time able to house all of its collections under one roof, becoming the premier art museum in Central Texas. In its new home, with its rich and versatile collections, magnificent galleries, fun and diverse programming, and an enthusiastic and committed group of staff and volunteers, the museum continues its mission to promote the arts in Austin to the students attending the University of Texas of Austin and the general public.

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The Mexic-Arte Museum is the Official Mexican and Mexican-American Fine Art Museum of Texas, as designated by the state legislature. Although focused primarily on the arts from Mexico, their scope includes Latin America as well as Latino arts, both contemporary and ancient, as well as Chicano art. Its diverse and eclectic collections, exhibits and programs reflect the heritage of the area, which was once Mexico. The population of Texas remains heavily Hispanic, and the Mexic-Arte museum celebrates this culture.

Located in the heart of historic downtown, the Mexic-Arte Museum offers a modern, contemporary space through which over 75,000 visitors a year travel. The main gallery is normally used by traveling exhibitions of traditional and contemporary art from Mexico and other Latin American countries as well as for national, local and regional Chicano and Latino artists. One of the few museums to support fresh talent, their back gallery provides space for emerging artists to exhibit their works.

The museum's Permanent Collection has developed with the intent of showcasing the rich and diverse art and culture of our unique region. The collections include prints from the Taller de la Grafica Popular/Workshop of Popular Graphics, a collection of etchings, linocuts, lithographs and silkscreens created by prominent artists as part of a populist art movement in Mexico. The Ernest De Soto Collection was named for the first Mexican American Master Printer, and consists of contemporary Latin American and American lithographs, fine prints, and etchings by renowned artists. One of the most colorful and attractive exhibits is the Masks from the State of Guerrero, a collection of traditional ritual masks made by Nahua Indians. Over 200 silkscreen prints by regional artists comprise the Serie Print Project.

Traveling exhibitions have included Retablos: Miracles from the Border, Embracing Chaos by young Latino artists, and La Caja Museo Contemporáneo de Arte / The Box Contemporary Museum of Art. The diversity of the arts is clear when exhibitions include Aztec mummy movies as well as The Aztec and Maya Revival exhibition, which illustrates a fusion of Pre-Columbian visual patterns with modern Mexican material culture.

The museum's flagship event for over a quarter of a century, and one of Austin’s favorite celebrations, falls every year near Halloween. Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is traditionally the day when Mexicans remember their loved ones who have passed on. The Mexic-Arte Museum celebrates with music, entertainment, and food in downtown Austin on 5th Street, between Congress and Brazos. Altars adorned with traditional offerings including candles, flowers, and images of calaveras (skulls) are on display, as a lively procession of people dressed in skeleton and Frida Kahlo costumes join other revelers for dancing and fun.

Educational outreach is paramount at the Mexic-Arte, which offers after school classes, free guided tours, and an entire program in anticipation of the Dia de los Muertos celebration. A corner of the museum is designated an Interactive Family area, and they host highly regarded scholars in a gallery lecture series. The Mexic-Arte Museum is located at 419 Congress Avenue in Austin Texas.

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802 San Marcos Street, Austin, TX 78702 // (512) 472-8180 The French Legation Museum provides a uniquely historic experience. Both a historic site and a house museum, the story behind the establishment of the museum is fascinating, and helps to illuminate a way of life experienced by the residents of old Austin – before Texas was a state. Visiting the house and grounds, with its carefully chosen artifacts, brings the story to life. With many cultural events, educational programs, and supplementary information on their web site, the museum preserves and perpetuates a unique piece of Austin’s colorful heritage. The French Legation is located in central Austin just south of French Place.

The word "legation" originally referred to a diplomatic representative office just below the status of embassy. Sent by the French Legation of Washington D.C. in 1840, Monsieur Jean Pierre Isidore Dubois de Saligny intended to establish the French Legation of the fledgling Republic of Texas. Renting quarters on Pecan (now Sixth) Street at the corner of Guadalupe, de Saligny was appalled with Austin’s lack of urban sophistication, evidenced most egregiously by the pigs a local farmer allowed to run free in his yard. He determined to build a home and office worthy of a French diplomat.

De Saligny found himself at odds with the locals, both culturally and politically, and he was soon recalled from his post, leaving his servants behind in the building he had designed. A short time later, when the seat of the government was moved from Austin, the building was abandoned. When Texas was annexed as a state, the structure and its surrounding grounds were sold, eventually being purchased by John and Lydia Lee Robertson, who raised their eleven children in the house. When the last of those children died, in 1940, the property was placed under the custodianship of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, who have operated the site as the French Legation Museum since 1949.

Restoration of the property began in 1953, with an effort be faithful to the period in which it was built. Although only three pieces of furniture currently on view belonged to de Saligny, many pieces remain from the Robertson family's ownership of the home. Gardens and outdoor landscaping, although not authentic to the bare dirt yards of early Texas, provide a refreshing oasis of green in a busy city, and make this one of the premier locations for weddings and other formal functions.

The French Legation Museum is committed to education, providing guided tours in addition to having curriculum supplements for elementary and middle school teachers available on their web site. During the summer, the museum often hosts a history-based summer camp, allowing children to immerse themselves in 1880's Austin. They offer different cultural events as well, including a twice monthly tournament of the traditional French game petanque on the lawn, and evening concerts under their beautiful old oak trees. Their annual Bastille Day celebration features French music and food, and their association with the Alliance Française d'Austin helps perpetuate a unique piece of Central Texas heritage.

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Austin families are lucky indeed to have a facility such as the Austin Children’s Museum. With 7,000 square feet of interactive and educational permanent exhibits, inventive traveling features, story-times and public events, this museum serves as a hub of Austin’s family community. Upon entering, kids are delighted to board a scaled down Austin Metro bus. Sitting in the driver’s seat or holding a strap in the passenger section, this exhibit is cleverly planned to distract the kiddos as the adult pays admission and learns about the day’s events. Other permanent exhibits include the dairy cow, an oversized milk-cow statue with a looping video about dairy farming, with a doll-house sized barn and toy cows to play with. The Rising Star Ranch provides a wonderfully varied sensory experience especially designed for the under-two set, while the Tinkerer’s Workshop allows older kids to experience creating their own structures by inventing, designing, building and testing their ideas. This being Austin, music is emphasized in the amazing Austin Kiddie Limits. Fun for all ages (including adults), this room is a kid-oriented interactive version of the acclaimed live music television show Austin City Limits. With toy instruments, cowboy hats and other costume pieces, a stage and a video monitor, kids can play along with their favorite Austin musicians including Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Miss Lavelle White, Asleep at the Wheel, Kelly Willis, Flaco Jimenez, and Toni Price. The best part is that the kids can see themselves on the video monitor, making it a real rock-star experience. Their program offerings include something for every age group. Baby Bloomers is a weekly opportunity for kids under three to explore the entire facility with only toddlers and their caregivers in the museum. Discovery Time offers daily, hands-on activities that enhance the permanent and changing exhibits. Storytime, held in their large foyer, is offered for different age groups, and often includes music making, bubble blowing, and other interactive elements. Gallery programs include the popular Wednesday Community Night, featuring different performances, storytelling, music and activities, and Science Sundays, featuring hands-on activities led by real honest-to-goodness scientists. Checkout the Childbloom guitar program for a cacophonous and hilarious take on combining story telling with accompaniment by the kids, or the Austin Keyboard Orchestra program to learn how to build and play an instrument. Located in downtown Austin the Austin Children’s Museum is centrally located for people in different areas of the city. It is also located close to other Austin attractions like Zilker Park the famed bat bridge so that visitors can see a number of fun Austin attractions in an afternoon. The Austin Children’s Museum offers camps during the summer and spring break, for ages 4 to 10. They offer seasonal programs including the popular Gingerbread House workshop in December. The facilities are available for birthday (and other kids of) parties, including sleep-over parties. Special events can also be held on the premises. With a stated goal to help Austin’s kids and families become more creative, more inventive, and more competent, the Austin Children’s museum combines fun and education in a world-class facility. Ki lives in Austin and enjoys the local music scene. He works as a realtor in the Austin real estate market. He also regularly writes on his blog about updates on Austin Texas real estate. His site features a graphical search of the Ausin MLS.

823 Congress, Austin TX 78701 // West 35th Street, Austin TX, 78703 // 512-495-9224

This is truly a museum for the casual and creative Austinite. With two locations and loads of interesting exhibits and programs, AMOA is a great cultural destination for students, adults, and even parents and caregivers of young children.

The downtown location is a sleek and modern space, while the Laguna Gloria campus, AMOA’s original home, is housed within a 1916 Italiante villa. The primary home of the AMOA Art School, Laguna Gloria is located on property once owned by Stephen F. Austin, and was the residence of the legendary Clara Driscoll. Overlooking Lake Austin, and with 12 acres of beautiful grounds and gardens, Laguna Gloria is worth a visit purely on historical merit. Both locations have permanent and changing exhibits, and both have space available for private functions.

One of the hallmarks of both AMOA locations is the informal structure and feel. No stuffy, hallowed grounds here – instead you find welcoming, easy to navigate floor plans full of surprising and interesting exhibits. You can tour at your own speed, reading the descriptions that are mounted next to each exhibit, or you can book a gallery tour, which are available with different age groups in mind. The compact size of the exhibit space adds to the experience – the visitor can spend time with each exhibit, getting more from the experience than one where you rush through to make sure you see it all. The exhibits are right out there – something to keep in mind when you bring kids – there are no barriers between fast little critters and the actual exhibit.

Still, the AMOA makes a point to be accessible and interesting to children as well. In addition to offering a number of free events for families, the museum has a permanent FamilyLab. The FamilyLab is a fantastic experience for kids of all ages. It is a hands-on, interactive place to make art with creative and colorful items supplied by the museum. They also have children’s books on hand, along with bean bag chairs, in case your little one just needs a cuddle. The mirror tunnel is endlessly fascinating, and all activities in the FamilyLab are offered at no additional cost to museum admission. The second Saturday of every month AMOA offers a reduced admission for families, with art instructors leading families in creating art projects to take home.

AMOA offers art classes for children and adults, with a limited number of scholarships available. Class themes include ArtPlay, ArtABCs, Life Drawing, Watercolor, Children’s Book Illustration, and many, many more. They have for the Art School. They offer periodical education programs for teachers, docents, adults, children, and groups. They offer a myriad of interesting events, sometimes pairing visual arts with music, both for their valued members and for the public. Events include their annual fundraisers, the Art Ball in June, and their fantastically popular international food and wine tasting event, La Dolce Vita. Their museum store offers cups, shirts and other items with their distinctive logo, as well as art-inspired gifts.

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