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Feel Like a True Insider with These Blanton Hacks

If you’ve spent any amount of time on the internet, you’ve probably seen articles with titles like, “10 Home Life Hacks to Make Your Life Simpler,” or “This One Simple Trick Will Blow Your Mind.” Life hacks—or simple, cheap solutions to common problems—are becoming more and more popular in our online sharing culture. But did you know there are also life hacks……for the Blanton? We’ve left no stone unturned in bringing you the best ways to get the most out of your trip to the museum—follow these tricks to feel like a true Blanton insider!

Screenshot of the Do512 website with B scene ticket giveaway

We know you want to visit the museum for free—and you can, every Thursday. But did you know that there are also ways to score tickets to other events, like B scene? The PR & Marketing team at the Blanton often teams up with outlets like Do512 to hold ticket giveaways, contests, and more—keep an eye out on social media for ways to attend events for free.

Not into being jostled by other visitors as you try to have a one-on-one commune with the art? We hear from top secret sources that Saturday mornings around 11am, or Friday afternoons around 3pm are the quietest at the Blanton. Check out these tips for visiting a museum alone, then head on over to enjoy a meditative experience in our galleries.

Hilary Elrod

Game-ify your visit! One way to make your experience more exciting is to play games in the galleries. Walk up to a piece of art and DON’T read the wall label. First, look at the artwork and come up with your own name for the piece. Then, see how closely you can guess what year or decade it was made in. Once you’ve figured out as much as you can (a minimum of 3 minutes of looking), then read the wall label and see how close (or not close!) your answers were to the information provided.

Looking for a more guided experience? Curators routinely give tours in the galleries as part of our Perspectives talks. You can find them on our website on our calendar of events.

Woman holding up her phone taking a photo of an artwork
Photo by AzulOx Photography

The Blanton really likes social media. And we know you do, too. There’s a real live person behind our accounts, and she keeps track of who mentions the Blanton online. Always post something to your snapchat story about your museum visit? Maybe you get a couple stickers. Consistently tag the Blanton in your Instagram posts? Maybe you get invited to an Instameet. We’re not saying the most active followers get sweet Blanton swag…but we’re not saying they don’t, either.

Speaking of social media, if you’re wandering around the galleries and your phone starts to die, keep an eye out for outlets in the floor where you can plug your charger in. There are also outlets located under the desks in the eLounge on the second floor. With lots of comfy seating and a view of the Capitol Building, the eLounge is a perfect place to sit and rest your feet while you wait for your device to charge, or if you have little ones that need to take a break during their visit.

Do you have a life hack for the Blanton that isn’t listed here? Let us know over social media or at the front desk the next time you drop by—we’ll add it to this post!

1 thought on “Feel Like a True Insider with These Blanton Hacks”

  1. I was a student at UT Austin in the late 80’s when Blanton was a small museum located near the Visual Arts center. Back to Austin in 2000, I was delighted to join in 2006 at the current location. Keep doing the wonderful work you do and I love the Blanton Hacks!

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