11-03-2025
Several pieces of art at Convention Center deemed ‘infeasible for relocation'
AUSTIN (KXAN) — This year's South by Southwest will be the last before the Austin Convention Center closes and the city starts its massive expansion and reconstruction process. But some have expressed concern about the art in that building that won't be saved.
'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,' a public information officer for the Economic Development Department said. A memo from the city stated staff analyzed more than 200 individual pieces of art in that process.
One of the few pieces that won't be saved — by the city of Austin at least — is John Yancey's 'Riffs and Rhythms' which has been in the convention center since 1996.
'With color and vibrant presence, this work celebrates the multi-culture phenomenon of the various genres of Texas music,' Yancey told council members.
'Riffs and Rhythms' is one of the many pieces of art commissioned by the city under its Art in Public Places program. But it's artists who pay the price, literally, to save art when a piece of work is deemed 'infeasible for relocation', as is the case here. That, or the art is destroyed.
According to a memo, Yancey was able to submit a removal plan to the city last month which was accepted — the art will be removed by Yancey and a contractor. But Yancey says not everyone has that option.
'In most cases artists cannot possibly afford to hire the conservators, expert crews and heavy equipment at their own expense to reclaim their work as is stated in the outdated policy,' he said.
'For artworks that cannot be saved, we are documenting them to honor their cultural significance. The AIPP deaccession process follows established City policies, ensuring transparency and artist involvement at every stage,' a public information officer for the Economic Development Department said.
Austin City Council Member Zohaib 'Zo' Qadri put forward a resolution to help artists, and the city, avoid this moving forward. The resolution passed on consent last week.
'It will allow for flexibility for the use of funds for maintenance, it'll allow for relocation and conservation, storage, deaccession and reinstallation of artwork,' Qadri said.
Qadri said it will also require the city to notify artists much sooner of their responsibilities in situations like this. He said the changes will not benefit the four pieces of art impacted in the Convention Center.
'Obviously it was a difficult situation where some artists were able to reclaim their work and others weren't and that's a situation that I think stung most importantly the artists, the ones that weren't able to claim it, but it was something that me and my colleagues were like, you know, 'we can't go back in time, but moving forward we need to make sure that this doesn't happen again,'' Qadri said.
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