The Blanton Museum of Art's transformational new grounds are open to the public beginning today.
At the center of the revitalization project is the Moody Patio — a sprawling event plaza shaded by a dozen towering petal-shaped art installations. The Moody Patio also includes two new performance stages and the Butler Sound Gallery, one of the few museum spaces in the world dedicated solely to sound art.
To celebrate the new grounds opening, The Blanton is hosting a grand opening event on Saturday, May 13, with live performances by Gina Chavez, The Peterson Brothers, Adrian Quesada and DJ Ella Ella.
The Blanton's new grounds serve as the apex of the recently opened Texas Capitol Mall, an expansive outdoor greenspace that stretches up Congress Avenue from 16th Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, connecting the north end of the Capitol to the Blanton and the Bullock Texas State History Museum.
The Texas Capitol Mall features new public art installations, native shade trees and a giant terrazzo map of Texas’ geographical regions — creating a pedestrian-friendly connection from the “civic district” to the “museum district."
The opening of the pedestrian mall marks the completion of Phase I of the Capitol Complex Project, a multimillion-dollar transformation of the city blocks between the Capitol and UT Austin. Phase II, expected to be complete in 2026, will add an additional block of pedestrian space, community programming and two new state buildings.
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