The rather extensive overhaul/reinvention of the grounds of the Blanton Museum of Art, begun in February 2021, is officially complete. The museum threw open its doors, metaphorically, on May 13, with a public party and community celebration.
Designed by internationally acclaimed Norwegian firm Snøhetta, the the revitalized pavilion and grounds on the museum's west side feature towering columns that funnel up and out into curvy, petal-like shapes that join to create a shade canopy, with perforations that created a dappled light effect on sunny days. The curves are meant to echo the arched vaults of the Blanton building's loggia. At night, when the canopy is illuminated, the pavilion might also remind some of Great Work Room at the Johnson Wax (now SE Johnson) headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the late 1930s.
On rainy days, the petals catch rainwater for use on the new native landscaping. Yellow, arched vaults on the two main museum buildings frame a new check-in entrance for visitors and a lookout vista onto the new outdoor space.
“Snøhetta’s design expands the museum’s world-class art collection beyond the museum’s galleries and creates a highly visible public place of—and for—the arts and Austin,” said Craig Dykers, founding partner of Snøhetta and alumnus of the UT School of Architecture, in a press statement.
Included in the redesign are four large-scale artworks created with the new architectural spaces in mind: two new murals, an expansive installation in the new visitor check-in, and an outdoor gallery for sound art. The mural Verde que te quiero verde (Green How I Desire You Green) spans the loggia of the museum’s gallery building and is the first public mural commission by the late Cuban American artist Carmen Herrera. To the east of the Blanton’s iconic Austin by Ellsworth Kelly is the Butler Sound Gallery, one of the few spaces in the world dedicated solely to sound art.
