Laguna Gloria begins its re-opening cautiously

Before opening to the general public, the 14-acre Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria will be open to museum members

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Beginning this week, the Contemporary Austin will be cautiously welcoming visitors to its outside sculpture park at Laguna Gloria.

Both of the museum’s locations have been closed since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Though Governor Abbott’s re-opening plans allowed for museums, libraries and movie theaters to open May 1, the Contemporary was among those Austin arts institutions that opted to remain closed out of an abundance of caution.

For the time being, the 14-acre Marcus Sculpture Park will be open to museum members only and reservations must be made in advance. Only the grounds are currently open: The Driscoll Villa remains closed to the public.

Museum spokesperson Nicole Chism Griffin said that the Contemporary will evaluate members-only visiting days to refine plans for opening to the public.

“We hope that we will be able to extend (opening) to the general public very soon,” Griffin said.

Directional signage throughout the sculpture park has been added to guide social distancing. See the updated map at thecontemporaryaustin.org/LG-Map_Summer-2020.pdf

Group size is limited to six people total, including children. Public hours are currently 9 a.m. to 12 noon Thursdays through Sundays, and 6 to 8 p.m.

The museum’s protocols are outlined at thecontemporaryaustin.org/visit/

 

 


Jeanne Claire van Ryzin
Jeanne Claire van Ryzin
Jeanne Claire van Ryzin is an arts and culture journalist who has covered visual art, performance, film, literature, architecture, and just about any combination thereof. She was the staff arts critic for the Austin American-Statesman for 17 years. Her commendations include the First Place Arts & Culture Criticism Award from the Society for Features Journalism. Additionally, Jeanne Claire has been awarded professional fellowships at USC’s Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and NEA/Columbia University Arts Journalism Institute. In 2022, she was awarded the Rabkin Prize in visual art journalism. For two years, she taught arts journalism at the University of Texas College of Fine Arts. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Architecture magazine, Dwell, the Review of Contemporary Fiction, Art Papers, and ICON design magazine, among other publications.

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