Overview
Reimagined. Refreshed. Recreated.
Austin’s art museum is changing, and soon you’ll get to experience it in a completely new way. From the moment you step onto our revitalized grounds, you’ll 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 will welcome and invite you in like never before!
Our new grounds initiative was 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. We’re delighted to be working on the project with the acclaimed international design firm Snøhetta; we’re especially proud that lead architects Craig Dykers, John Newman, and Elaine Molinar are UT Austin alumni. Hook ’em!
One of the highlights of this project is an expansive, dynamic work of art — specifically, 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. Stay tuned for future announcements!
“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.
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.“
—Simone Jamille Wicha, Director of the Blanton Museum of Art
You can learn more about the project by exploring this page, viewing the gallery of architectural renderings below, reading the press release, and watching our Virtual Groundbreaking Celebration, a free online event that took place March 9, 2021.