AUSTIN, Texas — The Arts Commission is asking the Austin City Council to endorse a plan that involves expanding the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden and Museum, located just east of Zilker Park.
On Monday, the commission received a presentation on the UMLAUF Historic Preservation, Expansion, and Unification Plan, which proposes breaking the 8-acre site into four parts, with work taking place in three phases. The first phase would include improvements for existing facilities to address accessibility issues.
UMLAUF staff said the garden and museum has been having trouble expanding.
"We currently have one small indoor gathering space that cannot accommodate most of our needs. The expansion piece as a plan is in reference to both the need for more physical space as well as the expansion of the main programs that we offer to the community," Katie Robinson Edwards, curator and executive director of UMLAUF, said.
The four areas the site would be broken into are a welcome zone; a natural zone with trails on the southern portion of the property; the existing sculpture garden and museum; and a "Treehouse" structure.
The plan states that its main objectives are site unification, by way of bringing together the historic homestead of sculptor Charles Umlauf and his wife and the sculpture garden itself; historic preservation; sustainability and environmental rehabilitation; community connection; and arts education expansion.
"The goal is to become one beautiful, approachable and accessible venue with a number of programmatic offerings to support the UMLAUF as a top destination in Austin," the plan reads in part. "The UMLAUF will become the arts destination in Austin to learn, discover and reflect. Our vision is to make the eight acres accessible and available to the public, connecting Charles Umlauf's artist studio, the Umlauf family home and property to the existing museum and sculpture garden. We seek to make improvements to the grounds, expand access to the permanent collection and broaden our ability for rotating exhibitions and community activities."
At this time, there is no cost estimate for the plan. The recommendation from the Arts Commission means the city council could take the issue up at a future meeting.
To learn more, take a look at the full plan presentation the Arts Commission received.
