Austin, TX
Austin’s Blanton Museum reimagines its grounds as a place for a university campus, city and community
The Blanton Museum of Art’s recently completed $35m renovation of its grounds centres on a reimagined outdoor space that acts as both a gateway and a gathering place. Bringing together three major site-specific installations and led by the architecture firm Snøhetta, the redesign makes a statement that there is a museum here at the University of Texas at Austin (UT)—something that was once easy to overlook when its stately but subdued Spanish Revival buildings blended into the campus.
At one end of the museum’s 200,000 sq. ft footprint is Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin, evoking a secular chapel with its coloured glass windows since its installation there in 2018, and on the other are 12 new towering tulip-like shade structures by Snøhetta. Between them is a panoramic mural by the Cuban American artist Carmen Herrera—her only major public mural commission before she died in 2022 at age 106. Visitors now pass through the mural’s centre as they enter the galleries building, which faces the museum’s administration building across this revamped corridor. Called Verde, que te quiero verde (Green, How I Desire You Green), Herrera’s large-scale panels of green slashed with white recall her 1956 painting Green and White, the pinwheeling pattern now framed by the archways of the loggia that span the Blanton.
“There’s an interesting syncopation between the precise geometries and hard lines of the mural and the curvilinear shapes of the loggia that you see from your approach,” says Vanessa K. Davidson, the Blanton’s curator of Latin American art.
Herrera had previously created only two other (smaller) murals, in 2017 and 2020 for New York City Public Schools. Before focusing primarily on abstract painting, Herrera studied architecture at the University of Havana. She expressed her longtime interest in public work in a letter to the Blanton, writing: “The idea of murals always fascinated me as a lover of architecture; it is a delicate balance to any architect or painter. A space is somehow affected or altered by the altering of its surfaces. I love the challenge and respect the responsibility in the choices that are made.”
VIsitors to the Blanton sit in front of Carmen Herrera’s Verde, que te quiero verde (Green, How I Desire You Green) Photo: Casey Dunn, courtesy the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas
This thoughtfulness in transforming space extends throughout the renovation, such as Snøhetta’s architectural interventions on the museum buildings themselves with two buoyantly yellow vault shapes echoing the loggia arches, one playfully inverted to frame a staircase that acts as an elevated lookout.
Craig Edward Dykers, a co-founder of Snøhetta, studied at UT and drew on that experience. “We wanted to give the school a strong presence for the future, but we also knew that the campus aesthetic was somewhat conservatively focussed on the past,” he says. “Through our knowledge of the campus, we were able to create a completely contemporary narrative with inventive forms and structure, while still incorporating iconic elements of the past—such as the arches of the nearby buildings.”
This renovation project broke ground in March 2021 and was finished earlier this summer, but the Blanton’s metamorphosis from a small teaching museum to an institution presenting art on an international stage happened gradually over time, with the completion of Kelly’s Austin establishing its first exterior landmark six years ago.
Blanton director Simone Wicha says she has been interested in making the museum as much a community as a cultural space since she took the role in 2011. “Most museums have traditionally had these big, soaring atriums,” she says. “These [Snøhetta] shade structures play a really important practical role, but also provide a sense that you have entered into our atrium, and our atrium is, in a very Austin way, this outdoor space that is not singular to the museum experience. People linger, and it’s part of our civic life.”
Although Herrera became involved later in the process, Wicha wanted to specifically assign the commission to a Latin American artist in order to reflect the museum’s major Latin American art collection. In this way, the new exterior elements are in dialogue with the interior galleries.
Snøhetta’s architectural interventions include a playful elevated outlook onto the courtyard, an echo of the original building’s loggia arches (with Herrera’s mural visible in the back) Photo: Casey Dunn, courtesy the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin, Texas
Wicha also sees the museum as being in a larger conversation with the Texas State Capitol, a building directly connected to the Blanton since the 2022 completion of a green pedestrian mall. Especially at a time when budget cuts and proposed legislation continue to threaten the arts, the museum is in a prominent position to showcase the power of creativity—like how Snøhetta’s native-flora landscapes recognise a future of extreme heat and drought. The eye-catching petal structures funnel rainwater to irrigate the plants below, from the spiky-leafed dwarf palmetto to the green grassy bursts of Cherokee sedge.
“We can make the art museum part of a statement on the importance of the arts,” Wicha says, noting that this has extended to working with faculty to bring students from all disciplines into the museum. “One of the things that is really important to me is that the museum be a place like you would think of a library on the campus, it’s just part of your experience.”
That engagement now extends beyond the museum’s walls in unexpected ways, including a dedicated outdoor gallery for sound. Its debut installation is by Bill Fontana, who made field recordings in the Texas Hill Country, such as of cave bats and local birds. This auditory experience gives the grounds a permeable yet distinct feel. Likewise, an elevated walkway that meanders between historic live oaks at the museum’s southern edge is a path for both visitors and commuters on the adjacent Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard.
“We put a lot of thought into this arrival onto campus and this dual mission,” Wicha says. “There are so many ways that you come to the museum, and we wanted to make sure the moment you walked in, you had an art experience and a beautiful, welcoming, clear understanding of where you were.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A report released by the think tank Texas 2036 claims that ten state laws implemented between 2019 and 2025 led to “one of the nation’s most comprehensive strategies for connecting education to careers.”
The report is titled “The Next Generation of the Texas Miracle.” It can be read below.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, Texas 2036’s director of education and workforce policy, said in an announcement accompanying the report that the reforms have been steps in the right direction.
“Texas has a bright economic future ahead of it, but we have to make sure that Texas students are equipped to share in this prosperity,” she said. “Texas needs to double down on improving and investing in high-quality career pathways so that all Texas students can take part in the Texas Miracle. Thankfully, due to the Legislature’s great work over the past four sessions, we are on our way to that critical goal.”
The report gives several data points, such as a 532% increase in high schoolers earning “post-secondary credentials” since 2018, or that community colleges awarded 140,000 “credentials of value” in 2024.
It paints a rosy picture of the future Texas economy, but doesn’t source its data or explain how it reached these conclusions. It’s apparent that the think tank wants further laws related to Texas’ workforce and education.
“Texas 2036 is actively engaged in that process, pushing for data modernization and interoperability reforms that would allow the state to track whether credentials are meeting real employer needs in communities across the state,” said the think tank in its announcement.
Grace Atkins, policy advisor of postsecondary education for Texas 2036, called the think tank’s report “encouraging.”
“The early results are encouraging: more students are earning credentials that can help them move into good jobs, and that is real progress,” she said. “For students and families, these pathways can be the difference between getting by and getting ahead. The next step is making sure more Texans can earn credentials that lead to strong wages, real career options and greater economic mobility.”
AUSTIN, Texas — After Senator Charles Perry vowed to introduce another bill to ban THC in Texas next legislative session, an Austin cannabis shop owner is urging lawmakers to find a middle ground.
Estella Castro owns Austinite Cannabis Co., a family-owned shop that makes and sells cannabis and hemp products.
Austinite Cannabis Co. (Photo: CBS Austin/Audrey Wong)
Her business has faced a potential THC ban before. During the 2025 legislative session, Senate Bill 3 attempted to enact a broad ban on all cannabinoids except CBD and CBG.
Castro says she was most worried for her customers. “It was a big initial hit of like, what are we gonna do? How are we gonna pivot? How are we gonna keep the doors open for everybody to keep their jobs?” she said.
RELATED | Texas state senator plans to introduce new THC ban bill in upcoming session
That bill passed, but was later vetoed by Governor Greg Abbott. Similar legislation failed to pass during the subsequent special session.
However, the possibility of a total ban bill being introduced and passed next session could spell trouble for Austinite Cannabis.
During a hearing Tuesday, July 7, Senator Charles Perry vowed to present such a bill next session as public officials, medical experts, and others discussed THC’s medical uses, effects on minors, and regulation.
Castro says over half of the store’s revenue comes from products that contain THC.
“I would say it’s about a 60/40 split: 60% THC and 40 CBD… So feel like it is a huge number that affects my store in so many ways,” she said.
ALSO | Texas French Bread reopens dining room four years after fire
She feels that a total ban on THC would negatively affect multiple parties.
“Banning it is just hurting the consumer,” she said. “Making the consumer go and find a street dealer… killing any dispensaries… it’s gonna hurt your small business owner.”
If another THC ban bill is written, it will be introduced during the next legislative session, which begins in January 2027.
In the meantime, Castro’s two stores will continue to operate as normal. She hopes lawmakers will think twice about instituting a complete ban on THC.
“I feel like we’re better than that, you know, we’re Texas,” she said. “We need to find some middle ground where it’s not a complete ban, and we can still be able to come together.”
AUSTIN (KXAN) – Trevor Goosby is a projected first-round pick in the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft. The Texas offensive lineman anchors the group up front for one of the best teams in the country and was named a preseason All-American by Walter Camp.
But his football career felt in jeopardy when he was in high school.
“That was kind of my biggest question,” said Goosby. “I was really nervous because would I be the same football player coming back?”
Goosby was born with a congenital heart defect and had open-heart surgery when he was just 16 years old. He wasn’t sure how this would change his everyday life, including his football career.
“Definitely a lot of nerves just because you’re getting your ribs cracked open essentially and getting your heart worked on…It was a scary moment. I remember driving up to the hospital super nervous.”
Goosby was able to recover and become a great football player. He said not only has he become a person in learning to fight through adversity, but it helped him as a player as well with improved endurance.
Now, the star Longhorn is giving back as much as possible.
Goosby hosted a camp in Austin to benefit the Children’s Heart Foundation. The organization works to fund research on congenital heart defects.
The offensive tackle is matching all donations up to $20,000 made to the Children’s Heart Foundation through the event and campaign.
“It means a lot to me just because of the heart condition I did have back when I was 16. That just kind of changed my life. I just want to bring awareness to that.”
The camp was at Hyde Park High School in Northwest Austin. Goosby spoke about what he hopes the young campers took away from the event.
“I think it’s just more than football. Football is a big part of what I do but it’s not who I am…I just want to show all these kids that I’m just another great guy and just someone they can look up to.”
-
World2 minutes agoBurnham on course to become next UK PM with backing of 322 Labour MPs
-
News29 minutes agoTrump fires last members of election commission, inciting fears of midterm ‘chaos’
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoCalifornia teen e-biker baiting police to chase tracked by drone, arrested
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoOur picks for state\nSenate from Wayne Co. | Endorsements
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoMan reported missing in San Francisco
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoHow to buy France World Cup semifinal soccer tickets in Dallas
-
Miami, FL2 hours agoMiami-Dade Schools names six semifinalists for superintendent
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoLawsuit: ICE detained East Boston father despite legal status
