‘Work of art to rubble': Austin reevaluating public art program, addressing concerns
'Created in 1985, by action of Austin City Council, the City ordinance establishes 2% of eligible capital improvement project budgets as a set-aside commitment to commission artists or purchase art for City-owned property and facilities,' the AIPP website reads.
As part of the AIPP reevaluation, city staff said they would look at the program's public-private partnerships, public art requirements and accessibility, use of funds, solicitation and artist engagement, barriers to local artists' participation, and stakeholder engagement.
'We appreciate the City Council's leadership in this effort and will provide updates on our assessment and program improvements. ACME looks forward to collaborating with the City Council, artists, and the community to uphold the integrity and impact of Austin's public art program,' said Austin's newly created Office of Arts, Culture, Music and Entertainment (ACME) in a Wednesday memo.
One set of concerns was about the artists selected for large-scale art contracts at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, leading to reevaluation of those contracts.
Three contracts for artwork at AUS, totaling $10.6 million, were initially scheduled for discussion at the March 27 Austin City Council meeting. But ACME withdrew those items from the agenda.
Agenda items on art at Austin airport removed from next council meeting
The three contracts would go to: Saya Woolfalk, Jim Campbell and Yvette Mayorga. According to biographies for those artists online, Woolfalk is based in New York, Campbell in San Francisco and Mayorga in Chicago.
'Phase I of the public art plan has been temporarily paused to ensure meaningful participation from Austin-based artists. ACME, in partnership with AUS leadership, is reassessing the selection process to better reflect Austin's unique cultural identity,' the memo said.
City staff said a revised process would be presented to the city council within a month.
This year's South by Southwest was the last before the Austin Convention Center closes for a massive expansion and reconstruction process. Some Austin artists raised concerns about what was being left behind.
Several pieces of art at Convention Center deemed 'infeasible for relocation'
'Four pieces were identified as infeasible for relocation due to site-specific design constraints, but artists were given the opportunity to reclaim their work where possible,' said an Economic Development Department public information officer earlier this month. 'For artworks that cannot be saved, we are documenting them to honor their cultural significance.'
Margo Sawyer, who made 'Index for Contemplation,' a piece of art identified as 'infeasible for relocation,' called the city's process 'very opaque' at a Tourism Commission meeting earlier this month.
John Yancey's 'Riffs and Rhythms,' which has been in the convention center since 1996 is another artwork set to be destroyed with the building.
'In contradiction to this assertion, I have secured a bid on my own and have a company lined up to do the installation for $40,000. However, there are currently no funds to pay this company,' Yancey told the Tourism Commission earlier this month. 'Consequently, on or about May 1 the city is still scheduled to reduce this valuable work of art to rubble and toss it into the dumpster like so much garbage.'
But ACME's memo appears to backtrack on that.
'ACME has taken immediate steps to preserve and relocate these pieces. Based on input from artists, stakeholders, and the Tourism Commission, ACME is actively exploring meaningful alternatives to ensure these culturally significant works remain accessible to the public,' the memo reads.
KXAN has reached out to the city of Austin to understand the change in stance. You can read the city of Austin's memo on the subject here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
The Arch Manning hype TAKES OVER the Heisman Trophy odds
As Week 1 of College Football inches closer and closer, the Heisman Trophy odds continue to show favor towards Arch Manning's way. Could the Texas Longhorns QB REALLY be the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy? What are real and honest expectations for the wildly popular quarterback in Austin? Andy & Ari break down this and much more. 0:00 Intro: Taylor Swift on New Heights 3:31 Arch Manning Mania & Heisman Odds 18:53 Does Arch represent what people LOVE about CFB? 30:25 Ty Simpson on being named QB1 37:25 Notre Dame QB Battle 46:18 LSU at Clemson Preview 51:24 Conclusion: Dear Andy & Ari Q's Afterwards, Andy & Ari dive into if more quarterbacks will follow suit with Arch Manning's path. Will more quarterbacks stay at the same school, or will quarterbacks transfer at a high rate in college football? Ari's column here: Next, the fellas head down to Tuscaloosa to hear from newly-announced starting quarterback in Ty Simpson. Can the veteran QB lead Kalen Deboer's offense to new heights in Tuscaloosa? Later, Andy & Ari head up to dive into the Fighting Irish's quarterback battle. Is this the biggest QB battle in the country? Will it be CJ Carr or Kenny Minchey? To close, Andy & Ari announce that they are planning to be in Clemson, South Carolina, for week one. Ari voices his excitement for visiting Clemson for the very first time.
Chicago Tribune
11 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Blind models work the runway at fashion show for the visually impaired
Brenda Nicholson waited in the Nordstrom fitting room, listening intently as the staff described the colors, textures and cut of the outfits hanging on a rack. She typically gravitates toward clothing with pops of color, but this time Nicholson selected a gold, mesh-embroidered dress that cut down to her ankles. She chose the outfit based on the staff's vivid description and the way it felt when she touched the material. When a partially blind model's eyes can't help, she must rely on her other senses — touch and hearing, in this case — to help ready her for the runway. Nicholson was one of 10 visually impaired models who walked in the Beautiful Lives Fashion Show earlier this month at the CD Peacock Mansion in Oak Brook. The inaugural event celebrated the idea that everyone can enjoy clothing — even if they experience it in a different way than most. 'Good fashion feels like the textures that send tingling sensations through your fingers,' said Beautiful Lives Project co-founder Bryce Weiler, who has been blind since birth. 'Textures mean something.' The show's models were students at the Chicago-based Illinois Center of Rehabilitation and Education-Wood, which offers vocational and life skills training for blind and visually impaired adults. Students can receive instruction on everything from cooking and computers to reading braille and crossing eight-lane streets. The event gave many participants their first exposure to modeling — something several said they had never considered. 'Is the runway ready for me?' model Monty Rogers, who lost his sight more than three years ago, asked his fellow models. Rogers said he has always had a sense of style. Prior to selecting his runway outfit, he wore a patterned kilt with 'pride colors' and knee-high socks. A former telephone engineer and photographer, Rogers motioned to his outfit: 'I still have aesthetics,' he said. Rogers, who feels almost all his clothes before buying, selected jeans and a striped, navy blue sweater with a soft jacket. The sweater's collar, lifted and distinct from the sweater's main material, framed his neck, which was accessorized with a thin chain. 'I'm blind as hell and I'm still a fashionista,' he said. In a 'vacation vibe' salmon shirt with khaki pants, Lawrence Lacy made his runway debut alongside experienced model Jennifer Cruz, the reigning Mrs. Illinois International 2025. Moments before walking, Lacy, who's blind, gave Cruz tips on one aspect of runway modeling that she had never encountered: how to be his guide. On a daily basis, Lacy said he uses the application 'Be My Eyes,' to assist in planning outfits. The app helps users who are blind or have low vision by providing visual descriptions of daily tasks such as navigating unfamiliar surroundings and explaining the color of an object. From his clothing needs, Lacy uses the 'Be My Eyes' to match outfits to a hanger, including specifics, 'like the color (patches) on his socks,' he said. Prior to the show, runway walkers filled out surveys, describing the styles, textures, feelings and colors they wanted to showcase most. The show's organizer, 16–year-old Aria Holtzman, then worked with the Nordstrom staff to select outfits that matched the model's personal style. 'A lot of models wanted patterns,' Holtzman said. Holtzman also accessorized the outfits with shoes and jewelry, borrowed from CD Peacock, to complete the looks. The Hinsdale teen, who is beginning her junior year at Culver Academies in Indiana, came up with the idea for the show after attending a summer camp at Vogue's New York office. She came home inspired to make fashion accessible for everyone regardless of their abilities or medical conditions. With the support of her father — CD Peacock Chairman Steven Holtzman — she teamed up with Weiler and the Beautiful Lives Project. Along with Beautiful Lives Project co-founders Weiler and Michael Gudino, Holtzman worked with CD Peacock interior designers to make sure the event space resembled a runway and was clear of obstacles that could prove difficult for models and spectators as they moved around the mansion's first floor. She also ensured the 6-foot-wide runway was wide enough for both the models and their escorts. With just 39 days to put on the show, Holtzman wrote the script and served as the evening's emcee. She also encouraged the models to make their own personalized introductions before they headed down the runway. After Holtzman introduced Lacy, he took the microphone and offered a short message of appreciation. He thanked the ICRE-W program and the Beautiful Lives Project for 'transforming me into the person you see before you.' 'Just know that anything that you love, that gets a little help, you can be a part of,' he told the audience. Rogers, during his runway walk, sang a rendition of 'Feeling Good' to the spectators' delight. 'Monty lives his life knowing that the only thing he can't do is see, ' Holtzman told the audience. But Roger wasn't the only model with a talent to display. Nicholson, who lives in downstate Bellview, was the night's last model, concluding her walk with a dance to Rebirth Brass Band's 'Do Whatcha Wanna.' Before her stepping onto the runway, organizers reminded her of the song's six-minute duration, 'I can do it,' she said without hesitation. Nicholson substituted her white cane for a translucent umbrella as the music played. The audience rhythmically clapped to keep the beat. Although the music was cut off by applause before the full song could end, Nicholson said she 'was born dancing to this.' She could do it in her sleep, she said. The models kept their Nordstrom clothing, which had been purchased for them by the Holtzman family. Although this is the first fashion show the Beautiful Lives Project participated in, Weiler said he hopes for other opportunities like it. 'We are surrounded by people who want to help (others) live out their dreams,' he said. 'To help you to find employment, and to say that there are no barriers that can hold someone back with a disability.'
New York Times
17 hours ago
- New York Times
Corrections: Aug. 16, 2025
An article on Wednesday about the shooting outside a Target store in Austin, Texas, on Monday, misstated, using information from an initial police report, the name of the Target employee who died in the attack. The name was Rosa Machuca, not Hector Leopoldo Martinez Machuca. (The article was updated after the police released an update on the employee's name.) An art review on Friday about MoMA PS1's 'The Gatherers' show misstated the gender of the artist Karimah Ashadu. She is a woman, not a man. A film review on Friday about the documentary-musical 'Songs From the Hole' misidentified the city where a man was killed. It was Bellflower, Calif. — not Long Beach. An article this weekend on Page 120 about censorship of creative works contains several errors. It refers incorrectly to the artist Dread Scott's 1989 installation 'What Is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?' The exhibit offered visitors the choice of stepping on a flag while answering that question in a guest book; it did not require them to step on the flag. The article misstates the number of photographs of soldiers' coffins draped with American flags in the installation. There was one such image, not multiple images. The article also misstates the artist Andres Serrano's number of solo exhibitions in his career. He's had about 20 solo museum exhibitions in Europe and abroad, and many fewer in the United States — not about 20 solo in Europe and only one in the United States. And because of a production error, the article misquotes John Waters on what a Maryland film censor said to him about his 1974 feature 'Female Trouble.' Waters said she told him, 'You can't have that cunnilingus scene,' not 'You can have that cunnilingus scene.' A picture caption with an article this weekend on Page 140 about the artist Robert Longo, relying on information from a publicist, misstates the materials used in one of his works. It is a charcoal drawing of a pit of snakes, not an ink-and-charcoal drawing. Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions. To contact the newsroom regarding correction requests, please email nytnews@ To share feedback, please visit Comments on opinion articles may be emailed to letters@ For newspaper delivery questions: 1-800-NYTIMES (1-800-698-4637) or email customercare@
