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Museum Day
Sunday, September 14, 2008

The Austin Museum Partnership celebrated the 11th Annual Austin Museum Day - a free, city-wide rediscovery of Austin museums on Sunday, September 14, 2008. This year, more than 22,000 visitors enjoyed local exhibits and activities at 31 participating institutions!

Click here to see a photo gallery from Austin Museum Day 2008.

Special activities planned included sculpting demonstrations at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum; a "dino dig" at the Texas Memorial Museum; a chance to search for treasures in Elisabet Ney's castle; an opportunity to go "behind the plexiglass" at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum; and really cool bugs at the Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve.

The Austin Museum Partnership is a consortium of Austin-area museums organized in 1998 to promote collaborations for the mutual benefit of the public and the museums.

The membership includes art and science museums; historic sites and history museums; nature preserves, natural habitats, and botanical gardens; the University of Texas library and art repositories; a Presidential library; a children's museum; a museum about Texas music; and the spectacular Texas State Capitol. And best of all, it's all right here in Austin, Texas!

Find the participating Museums and a complete listing of 2008 events below.

You can download a pdf version of the map of participating museums as well as a pdf of the list of activities by clicking on the links below.
Museum Day map
Museum Day activities

Special thanks to our media sponsors the Austin Chronicle and News 8 Austin/Time Warner Cable, to Capital Metro and to AMP's newest sponsor, Clif Bar.

Museum	Hours	Museum Day 2008 Activities
Arthouse at the Jones Center 700 Congress Avenue	1-5 pm	RESET/PLAY, guest curated by Paul Slocum and Marcin Ramocki, is an exhibition attempting a critical exploration of contemporary art inspired by video games. Questioning the history, control mechanisms, political and art-historical implications of electronic games, RESET/PLAY assembles a formidable group of international artists who made a significant impact on this growing post-game artistic sub-genre. Artists include Cory Arcangel, Michael Bell-Smith, Brody Condon, Alex Galloway, JODI, Guthrie Lonergan, Kristin Lucas, Joe McKay, Michael Smith, and Eddo Stern.
Austin Children's Museum 201 Colorado Street	10 am - 5 pm	Explore the art and science of tinkering with sound in the last day of feature exhibit Play It By Ear. Enjoy other exhibit favorites such as Tinkerer’s Workshop, Funstruction Zone, Austin Kiddie Limits, Kid Metro and more. Come explore, learn and play!
Austin Museum of Art - Downtown 823 Congress Avenue	12-5 pm	Take in the Impressionist art on view in AMOA's Fall exhibition Modern Art, Modern Lives, and find out how contemporary artists address issues of the 21st Century in the exhibition Where Are We Going? Explore modern art, from then and now! Enjoy performances by Aztlan Dance Company in the AMOA Community Room that combine traditional and contemporary dances into new, beautiful art forms. Try your hand at creativity with Impressionist-style masterpieces that celebrate the merging of art and life.
Austin Nature and Science Center 301 Nature Center Drive	1-5 pm	Help certify Austin as a National Wildlife Federation (NWF) Community Wildlife Habitat! Volunteers from the Boy Scouts and other local groups will offer educational presentations and interactive activities on how to certify your backyard as an official certified Wildlife Habitat™ with NWF. Booths include information and activities to teach about what wildlife need to survive in your backyard, how to create a wildlife habitat that provides different food and water sources, proper cover, and places to raise young for wildlife as well as how to practice sustainable gardening.
The Blanton Museum of Art MLK at Congress	1-4:30 pm	Hot Art Hip Kids! Celebrate Austin Museum Day and discover who’s who at the Blanton through creative art-making activities, theater performances, storytime tours and more during this special day for kids and families.
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum 1800 N. Congress Avenue	12-6 pm	Free admission to exhibits.* Celebrate the 11th Annual Austin Museum Day at the Museum where you can witness Texas history first hand with historical re-enactors and enjoy hands-on family activities. You won't want to miss Artifacts in Action, a new learning station program where you can investigate objects similar to those featured in the exhibits and discover how they contribute to the Story of Texas. * Regular admission charges apply for IMAX and Texas Spirit Theaters.
Butridge Gallery at the Dougherty Arts Center 1110 Barton Springs Rd	10 am – 5 pm	Come by the Julia C. Butridge Gallery at the Dougherty to view the TPS 17 – National Competition Exhibit. Each year, Texas Photographic Society sends out a Call-for-Entries for The National Competition, a traveling show of exceptional talent, juried by internationally acknowledged experts in the field of photography. Please join TPS members for a discussion about the society and featured artworks at 1 pm.
Capitol Visitors Center 112 East 11th Street	12-5 pm	Take your place in history by visiting the new exhibit, Land of My Dreams: Settling the Republic of Texas. Assume the identity of an actual Texas settler and follow in their footsteps. Travel in a covered wagon, step inside a log cabin, try on 1800s clothing and trace your settler's property in the same room where the original map was drawn more than 150 years ago.
Elisabet Ney Museum 304 East 44th Street	12-5 pm	Kings, Knights and Hidden Doors! Search for treasures in Elisabet Ney's castle! Children and adults welcome.
French Legation Museum 802 San Marcos Street	1-5 pm	Celebrate Austin Museum Day at Austin’s oldest home! Take a trip back into Texas and Austin history through free guided tours and viewings of the new film, “A Glorious Opportunity: The French Legation in the Republic of Texas.”
George Washington Carver Museum & Cultural Center 1165 Angelina Street	1-5 pm	The Carver will be hosting a fun filled day with demonstrations of "Art In A Nutshell", film screenings on Dr. Carver (shorts), games on Black Inventors and more. Join us, we'll save a space for you.
The German Free School 507 East 10th Street	11 am - 4 pm	Come tour this 150 year old rammed-earth building. Built in 1857 by German immigrants to serve as the first charter school in Austin, it is now home to the German-Texan Heritage Society, a non-profit dedicated to preserving the German cultural heritage of Texas. Colorful guided tours. Historical displays. Genealogical information. Free refreshments & free admission.
Harry Ransom Center 21st and Guadalupe	12-5 pm	Come explore how creative minds work in two new Harry Ransom Center exhibitions, The Mystique of the Archive and A Cabinet of Drawings. Let one of our expert docents guide you through these exhibitions which feature many never-before exhibited materials from the Center’s collections. Tours will meet in the lobby at noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. The First Photograph and a rare copy of the Gutenberg Bible are on permanent display.
Jacob fontaine religious museum 1195 Comal Street	12-4 pm	The Jacob Fontaine Religious Museum collections include materials that represent the history of African American churches in the Austin area. The museum is named for Jacob Fontaine, a slave preacher who founded several churches in Travis County, ran a newspaper and various other enterprises. The museum is located adjacent to the historic Southgate-Lewis House. When you visit, you will find bibles, books, church history, sheet music, newspaper articles, portraits & religious iconography.
Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms 1400 Pioneer Farms Drive	1-5 pm	1840s Tonkawa Camp — See how these early Texans once lived and worked, along with our 1860s German Immigrant Farm, an 1870s Texian settlers farm and a 1880s Cotton Planter's homestead. New exhibits, more real history, more fun.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 4801 La Crosse Avenue	9 am – 5:30 pm	Join the Wildflower Center for our annual Women in Science program, which encourages and inspires young women (and young men) to pursue science careers. Participants will be able to talk to plant biologists, mathematicians, chemists and other women scientists from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Visitors Gallery. Before that, visitors can enjoy guided tours of the Wildflower Center’s gardens each hour between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and walking trails and other center features throughout the day. Have Jerry Wermund sign his newest children’s book, “Earthscapes,” along with “Soil: It’s Not Just Dirt.” In addition, Debbie Leland signs “Jalapeno Man.”
Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum 2313 Red River Street	9 am - 5 pm	WE ARE OUT OF THIS WORLD! Experience the U.S. space program from its beginnings to Apollo 11 by visiting the new exhibit, To the Moon: The American Space Program in the 1960s.
Mexican American Cultural Center 600 River Street	12-5 pm	The Mexican American Cultural Center presents The Serie Print Project Retrospective: 15 Years of Printmaking. The Serie Project has created more than 200 limited editions of hand-pulled serigraph prints by artists. Opening reception with Gallery Talks from 3 - 5 pm.
Mexic-Arte Museum 419 Congress Avenue	12-5 pm	Running through September 16, the Aztec and Maya Revival exhibition illustrates the resurgence of Pre-Columbian motifs and patterns in the modern art and culture of Mexico. The Museum will offer hands-on art activities pertaining to the iconography of Pre-Columbian cultures. Families are invited to create stamp designs based on the Pre-Columbian sellos documented by Mexican artist Jorge Enciso.
Neill Cochran House Museum 2310 San Gabriel	10 am – 5 pm	Enjoy cookies and ice cream or drink lemonade on the porch before crossing the threshold of this Greek Revival gem that Abner Cook built while he worked on the Texas Governor’s Mansion. Civil War re-enactors will be on hand again this year to talk about the era just before Reconstruction when the Neill-Cochran House served as a hospital for Federal troops. As usual, a surprise is in store for all!
O. Henry Museum 409 East Fifth Street	12-5 pm	Celebrate O. Henry's birthday with cake and lemonade. Tour the home of the famous American short story writer, famous for the classics, "Gifts of the Magi" and "The Ransom of Red Chief".
Sheffield Education Center 2201 Barton Springs Rd (Barton Springs Bathhouse)	1-5 pm	Visit the Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center at Barton Springs. Learn about Austin's great underground treasure by visiting the Splash! Into the Edwards Aquifer Exhibit. Visit the Barton Springs Pool Gallery to find out about Austin's crown jewel.
South Austin Museum of Popular Culture 1516-B South Lamar Blvd.	1-6 pm	Collecting, preserving and exhibiting music related graphics and ephemera from Austin's 1965-1985 counter culture, this is the place to discover and enjoy what made Austin's culture famous world wide. See psychedelic music posters, photographs, clothing and other artifacts. The Museum's 120 foot long memorial wall includes photographs of visual and musical artists who have contributed to what makes Austin so special.
Susanna Dickenson Museum 409 E. 5th Street (Next to the O. Henry Museum on Brush Square)	12-5 pm	Learn about Austin's newest restoration project -- the home of Susanna Dickinson. Tour guides will tell the story of this remarkable women who survived the Alamo, and who became known as the "Messenger of the Alamo" for her courageous deed in recounting the horrific fall of the Alamo and warning General Sam Houston that the Mexican Army was fast approaching, ready to destroy the Texas Army.
Texas Folklife Gallery – Downtown 1317 S. Congress Ave. (behind 10,000 Villages)	12-4 pm	Don't miss your chance to catch the popular photo exhibit, Pasatiempos de la Frontera: Images from the El Paso/Juarez Borderlands, which has been held over at the Texas Folklife Gallery. The exhibit, a series of images conveying the vitality of life in this Texas border town, has attracted viewers from across Texas, the nation, and even from Europe.
Texas Memorial Museum UT Campus: 2400 Trinity	1-5 pm	Free admission! Free activities: fossil identifications, presentations by paleontologists, storytime, fossil dig pit, and paleontology-themed crafts and activities. Enjoy a 15% discount in The Museum Store on all merchandise.
Texas Military Forces Museum 2200 West 35th Street at Camp Mabry	10 am - 4 pm	The Texas Military Forces Museum explores the history of the Lone Star State’s military forces from the formation of the first militia muster in Stephen F. Austin’s colony in 1823 through the present. The museum displays dozens of military vehicles from trucks and jeeps to tanks and armored personnel carriers, as well as uniforms, weapons, equipment, photographs from throughout history. Special exhibits include the Texas Air National Guard, Armor Row, the Lost Battalion, POW’s and the 36th Infantry Division in World War I and II. Living history programs and battle reenactments take place throughout the year.
Texas Music Museum 1109 E. 11th Street	1:30 - 4:30 pm	Enjoy photos, bios, recordings and other artifacts in a special Texas Country Music exhibit. There will be a free live Country Music program between 2 and 4 pm.
Texas State Capitol 11th and Congress Avenue	12 - 3:30 pm	Office hours 9 - 5 with self-guided tours and brochures available. Guided tours every 30 minutes from noon - 3:30 pm.
Texas State Cemetery 909 Navasota Street	8 am - 5 pm	Cemetery Grounds will be open. Gallery and Visitors Center closed.
Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum 605 Robert E. Lee Road	10 am - 4 pm	Surrounded by their own work, more than 25 sculptor members of the Texas Society of Sculpture will demonstrate their techniques for working in a wide variety of different materials, including wood, stone, wax, plaster, metal. Sculptors of all ages are welcome to sculpt a piece of their own to take home at our one dozen clay tables.
Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve 805 N. Capital of Texas Highway	9 am - 3 pm	At Wild Basin we're Wild About Insects! Investigate a variety of live insects and arachnids and learn about the creepy, crawly life that surrounds us every day. Peer through microscopes to see butterfly wings under microscopes, make bug-themed arts and crafts, and participate in family-friendly guided hikes of the preserve.

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