There was a Rodney McMillian exhibit on while I visited. This was interesting to see if you enjoy that type of art. This is a small museum with only 2 floors of art displayed. The roof top area is beautiful. You don t get great views of the city but it s worth checking out. There s a few tables and chairs to relax. There is a small book cart with books to borrow onsite. I visited on a Tuesday when the museum has free entry. As the museum is quite small, I likely wouldn t pay to enter the museum if I didn t love the art work of the featured artist.
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The curation of the exhibits was excellent and the staff were friendly. It was also not too crowded when I went during a Sunday afternoon, which was welcome. The gift shop, although small, had lots of interesting gifts with that local "Austin" flavor. Last but not least, ticket pricing is really affordable for people from most backgrounds.
Seriously, the most ridiculous "art" gallery I've ever been to. The art loft had library books about Minimalism and art history. So I go to an art gallery to read borrowed books about art? And one floor was just a green hallway? Wow. But gave 2 stars because we killed ourselves laughing at how stupid this was.
There wasn't much of an exhibit to look at. The lady at the front was extremely helpful and informative about what to expect there. We went up to the roof top but there wasn't anything there. Good thing it was free
This place was not worth just going to downtown for. Dont get me wrong the place was interesting and gave me a different view of art but I think the other art museum on Laguna is where I would go. Not very much to see at this location.
This place is great! It's a good sized but intimate space. They've got rotating shows every 3-4 months with really cool artists. Being a member really pays off! The discount on art school classes and the member previews easily make up the price of membership.
If you love art as much as I do and you live in Austin you should get a membership to the Contemporary! The museum is beautiful. The rooftop is superb and this is only for the Congress ave location... Laguna Gloria is a beautiful fusion if art and nature. Have I mentioned the perks of the membership?
While in downtown Austin, I had a hankering for some art - saw a great show here and recommend the gallery. It's a smaller space (2 floors); there are no concessions. The modern design of the wood staircase between the floors is pleasing.
Worth a visit if you're in Austin. An inexpensive, interesting, and immersive art experience. Knowledgeable and friendly staff members, as well as a rooftop with a nice view of downtown Austin.
One of the first real exhibits that I had was at the original Arthouse, which has since been rebuilt and re-joined with AMOA. The modern architecture is fun as are many of their exhibits - at the least the artists that Arthouse features are interesting. I love the rooftop deck, and the usually festive events that they host. They also have a program called Club Arthouse which is for gifted or aspiring high school artists.
Studied this building in architecture school, and paid the $5 to check out the glass details from the inside, but they were COVERED. Supremely disappointed. Also, the only piece of art was a green hallway. Very disappointing museum experience.
While the collection fits is minimal floor space, The AMOA deserves five stars for its events (members only), which it hosts itself or in conjunction with the Jones Center. AMOA is affiliated with the beautiful Laguna Gloria and members also get discounts on classes and events there.
From one artist to the many others, there is nothing, and I mean nothing that can't stop, or define the inner peace, love and Harmony that surrounds us all and this time of passion, I have tried to reach out look for me I guess it's just lines and lines colors are colors but art is not just art, it sure soul it's your imagination coming to life it's your creations outside of a uncreated mentality thank you for everything that I have seen their it gives me a new meaning to damper for my horizon
The video installments were very eye opening and visually intriguing and interesting. Selection of displays was very limited and seemed to be a lot of wasted space. The architecture made up for the wasted wall space with their stimulating lighting. Overall a pleasant museum, but maybe not worth the price tag.
Main exhibit was disappointing. The worst was an artless boring amateur film about Klansmen having sex with a pergola. But the big bad of the day was the sculpture garden visit: to be included with admission. We were given open hours and took an Uber out there - only to be refused entry. "Special event". Wasted more on Uber fares than on the ticket to the Contemporary. What we find negligent is not having been told the gardens were closed for the day.
Extremely cheap admission and they participate in Bank of America's Museums on Us program. This place is an extremely small museum with only two floors and the floor plan is quite compact. Only a couple art works are currently on display. The other location housing the outdoor sculpture garden is much more impressive in my opinion. Staff is extremely friendly though.
We had an amazing experience here. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The art was very moving. For me especially The Boundary of Life . Many great artists work here! We enjoyed the day pass to the outdoor exhibit as well and was well worth it. I believe we only paid around $10 to get in which included the dual admission. Highly recommend to anyone and for all ages! Thank you for making our trip to Austin more memorable.
10$ is rather pricy for such a small museum. If you decide to go, be sure to also visit Laguna Gloria (included with the price) to get your money's worth.
I always believe in constructive criticism if there is to be criticism, but I am hard pressed to find anything constructive here, other than the sparse & select pieces that the rooms seemed to tolerate were quite well done. We were finished in 8 minutes only because the elevator to the roof took 4 of it.
It costs $10 to get in, but there's really not much to see. $5 would've been great. And an employee awkwardly stares at you to make sure you dont touch anything or take flash photography probably? The best part was the roof.
Been here three times. First time was an amazing exhibit from the lead guy of band DEVO. Last two times iv come the exhibits have been horribly boring and limited. It was ridiculous, couldn't believe they were selling admission....I felt like I was scammed out of $10 - and when you show up with your family or a group of friends it ends up costing like $50 - to see almost nothing. I enjoy contemporary art, but this place needs to up its game - its absolute nonsense what they have going on inside right now.
The building itself is cool and has a good atmosphere. However, the Rodney McMillian exhibit was laughable. I found it to have a serious lack of creativity. None of the showcases evoked any kind of reaction and I was finished very quickly. Visually, there is no base level appeal to the work. And, unfortunately, it wasn't thought provoking in the slightest sense either. To me, it rides on the coat tails of racial tension in America to try and garner attention without having any of the means to do so. The tarp, knitted to look like the white house, was especially bad to the point I was just laughing to myself. It looked like a third grade class project, but it was masqueraded as a collection of fine details representing slave history in American politics. I don't think art has to require some kind of difficult/unique skill to be great or make a point. However, if you're going to make something of simple skill and effort, the end product should have at least of some kind of unique features or synergy with the exhibit. The descriptions throughout the installation went into scathing detail about the process of making everything. I assume this is because the end product had little to talk about. This should have been free entry, as are other places with better local art.
Arthouse has great programs for kids still in high school; my work was displayed here once as part of a competition. It curates interesting, contemporary work of local artists around Austin. During SXSW it becomes a party venue one should be sure to visit!
Recently renamed The Contemporary Austin, The Jones Center has been a continued classy establishment for art and displays for over 100 years. Through the month of February until April, Charles Long has amazing pieces on display for hours of enjoyment before or a meal at La Traviata. Definitely check out the rooftop view overlooking downtown. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11am-7pm and Sunday 12-5pm.
TIP: Rental available for Private Parties. Check out website for workshops and educational classes. Additional location at Laguna Gloria.
The front desk clerk was helpful and nice. That was where the customer service ended. Everyone else seemed like they were glaring at us. It was a bit uncomfortable. That being said, the art was beautiful and unique. My only comment is... I felt underwhelmed. I felt like for $20 you would get to see a bit more art at the main location. I realize the ticket gets you into the sculpture park, but if you are traveling and have a booked day you can't always make a detour.
I truly thank the artists who have placed their art on location for this building, but I won't say I recommend it.
Very interesting current exhibit on display. Great location in downtown with great rooftop views of the city. Your entrance fee also gets you into the sculpture gardens.
They recently reopened the Jones Center after being closed a few months for renovation and have pieces from Monika Sosnowska on display. There are about 6 pieces downstairs and 3 upstairs. One of the staff members said the rooftop should be finished in a few weeks and open December 15th or 16th. If you plan on stopping by, I'd recommend waiting until the rooftop is finished.
The building looks large but the exhibition space is fairly small and appears to only host one or two shows at a time, with no permanent collection. The shows when I visited were interesting, but I was finished in well under an hour.
Nice exterior and front staff were friendly. The rooftop was technically the best part with the nice views but the first 2 floors of art exhibits were very uninspiring and bare bones. The price of $10 is not worth it unless you find an art exhibit that appeals to you in the future
Arthouse at the Jones Center has recently joined forces with AMOA; and I see nothing but good to come from the collaboration. The Arthouse is an accessible space for emerging and established artists. I've attended a number of openings and an Edible Austin food event there; and each time I found it to be a relaxed and exquisite gallery. The staff is available, but non-intrusive which makes for a lovely time to reflect and absorb the art. Highly recommended.
thecontemporaryaustin.org
