We loved our visit. I didn't know anything about the art before coming here but was very pleasantly…read moresurprised. I'm drawn to classically influenced, figurative sculpture, rather than highly abstract contemporary styles. Umlauf's work was precisely that -- it focused on the human form primarily and touched upon themes of religion, war, love, beauty. There were some pieces that took my breath away, particularly the refugee mother and baby pieces. The garden itself is small (you'll likely spend an hour here, at most) but very pleasant to stroll around. The trees were bare when we visited but I can see it being even lovelier in spring/summer. Very reasonable admission fee ($8 per adult). Children 0-4 are free. Super friendly staff. The woman working the front desk was very kind to us and made our family feel so welcome (we brought our two small children). Small parking area but it wasn't crowded when we came (despite it being a weekend afternoon). If you're visiting Austin and you like classical and figurative sculptural work, make sure you add this spot to your itinerary.

A friend of mine was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend and he then committed suicide. Today my…read morefriend's family had a celebration of life ceremony for her. This celebration of life ceremony was a deeply moving and beautifully planned tribute to her life well-lived. The ceremony took place in UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum. The grounds are serene and peaceful with art sculptures sprinkled throughout the garden. UMLAUF is strategically hidden behind Zilker Park in Austin, TX. The garden was a perfect place for my friend's celebration of life. She would have loved the tree canopy, small ponds, and the bronze and stone works in the garden. My friends passing caused me to think about life, death and the dash in between the two. The commentary today came from her younger brother, two friends and her aunt. Their glowing remarks intertwined with snippets of humor helped to soften the moment. One of the comments from her brother is that you need to keep in touch with family and friends, tell them you love them and do not miss those very important moments. Those thoughts resonated with me. Sometimes in this microwaveable society, we do not make time to be intentional and spend uninterrupted time with family and friends. I committed today to be more intentional from this day forward. When my mom and sister passed, I was selected by our family to do the eulogy, which is one the hardest things you can possibly do in life. How can you capture one's life in 15-20 minutes? What topics are most salient to discuss? Inevitably, my mind drifted to gratitude. I am so grateful for my family who loves me unconditionally. I am grateful to all my friends and especially those friends who have been riding with me for 25+ years. "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." Eleanor Roosevelt

Are you looking to enrich your knowledge with art ? Do you want a fun evening with cocktails, art…read moreand also meet the artist in person ? Then the Ao5 Gallery in the Arboretum in Austin is your place. The gallery is daily open with a large art exhibition where you can stroll around and admire the art displayed. Free admission for the exhibition. The posted events may ask for a cover charge. One of my favorite events is the evening with cocktails , art and meeting the artist. Ted the manager is a talented entertainer and a must meet personality. The events are thoughtfully curated and make for a blissful experience. Some of the events include live music. If you either visiting Austin or are a resident this place calls for a visit

Have you ever gone some place and felt totally transported to another place in time? That is…read moreexactly how I felt today. The is the one of the coolest art galleries I have ever been to. A05 gallery features work from a variety of artists in so many mediums. Dr. Seuss collection is one of their consistently highlighted pieces. In addition, they also have a Disney section. The key thing I like most about this art gallery is the uniqueness of the pieces - from African inspired pieces to Austin-centric pieces. There are works of art portrait-like to many items that are abstract, my personal favorite pieces of art. Today, I wanted to see if they had any lacquered pieces. The ones on display were of Marilyn Monroe and Madonna. Not sure I want to view these ladies every day... Smile. It was great to see Todd again, the manager of the store. He reminded me that they were open 7 days a week and that they had more pieces online. Todd is always so pleasant to talk to. Another joyful aspect of visiting A05 gallery is that you do not have any high-pressure salespeople putting you in a chokehold trying to sell you something. Some of their art pieces are quite pricey, and some very affordable. Net, net, I love frequenting this gallery.

As much a working artist space as it is a gallery, Flatbed really does a wonderful job of…read moreencapsulating the marriage of East Austin and bleeding edge inspiration. It is, essentially, a large warehouse that's been divided into the aforementioned working spaces and gallery strolls, and the provocative and intriguing nature of the work here is always worth lingering over. I might describe what I've most often seen as 'modern art with a conscience' but ultimately one of the things I think that they offer that really moves the creative needle are the classes they offer. Lithography, monotype, relief work, there's plenty going on if you want to learn how to express yourself. Who knows, maybe one day it'll be your work adorning these walls...or others.

"Let me take you upstairs and show you my etchings..."…read more I am a BIG fan of Flatbed Press. I happened upon their printmaking shop not long after they opened in 1989 and I found their compassionate and intense outlook on printmaking and life to be a haven of creativity and brilliance. Katherine Brimberry and Mark L. Smith have the midas touch for choosing an excellent location for their business and committed people to work with... they also retain an artistic integrity in what they do and HOW they do it. Flatbed is a publishing workshop which means they do collaborative work with artists. They also work with other entities on printing limited editions of etchings, monotypes, lithographs... prints. ORIGINAL prints. which may seem like an oxymoron to some, but it makes sense if you have ever seen an edition of etchings. Each print is pulled by hand, each one an original print, from a piece of copper of a piece of zinc that an artist has labored over for years sometimes. Their location in East Austin has an exhibit space, printmaking studio, and office. Gerald Manson, Master Printer Emmeritus, is also the Master of Dry Humor and he loves NPR and great classical music... Flatbed World Headquarters shares space with 8 other creative professionals. Flatbed's workshops are stellar and I would always recommend anything Kathy Brimberry is teaching... Solar Plate would be a good start. Another great beginner class would be Intro to Copperplate Etching with Teresa. If you are a printmaking afficionado, maybe you would enjoy PhotoPolymer Film Intaglio. Mark Smith offers individual 90 minute critiques, which, for the active artist, can be informative, intense, and fun. Flatbed also offers business courses for artists including one about tax tips from a CPA and an internet promo class for artist on how to promote work by increasing web presence. My yelp disclaimer is that I taught printmaking to UT Architecture students at Flatbed for a summer ... If you are looking to buy original art for your home, stop by at one of their gallery exhibits or make an appointment... so you, too, may someday soon be able to say "Let me take you upstairs and show you my etchings..."

Free day? I'll take it…read more My experience here was nice. The staff was helpful and I was able to check in easily. The art exhibit was cool and it make a statement. The gallery was busy, but spacious. I loved the view upstairs and got really good photos. I want to attend more events here. The bathroom was clean.

I appreciate it as a quiet, cool space for thought-provoking art in the middle of downtown, but if…read moreyou have a limited capacity for museum-viewing, it wouldn't be my top recommendation. It's very small, just two floors plus the rooftop, and can easily be seen in roughly 15 minutes. There are regularly scheduled free admission days, which would be the time to go, if you're curious. I'm glad that I saw it so that I know, and I don't feel like I need to go back.

Modern Rocks Gallery is a small gallery of eye-catching framed music (and actor) icon themed photos…read moreand posters from the 60s thru today. As someone who appreciates both classic rock and current contemporary pop and alternative, I thought that the pictures of David Bowie, Willie Nelson, too many to mention really, up thru Billie Eilish and Ed Sheeran posters were a great journey thru Rock's well-known icons, bands and history. What I didn't know and wished I had was that the owner who I met during my visit to the gallery was the guitarist from Modern English.

Amazing one of a kind photos of music legends. Best photo I've ever seen of Charlie Watts hangs on…read morethe hall here.

We love the Bee Cave Arts Foundation summer camp program. My daughter has attended several camps…read moreand always had a wonderful experience there. The instructors are great and very passionate about teaching young ones various art technique. Her favorite part of the summer camp program was having the opportunities to display all of her artwork and the art gallery and inviting her friends and family to come view it it made for such a special experience. I would highly recommend the summer cfor all little ones.

Beautiful selections of local fine art, jewelry, sculpture at reasonable prices…read more Beautiful gallery space that also has classes for the community and kids summer program. A terrific place to spend an afternoon seeing what artists and artisans are up to!

So my plan was to originally visit for free because I heard they had an event on the weekend but…read moreThe Contemporary has TWO locations and it was free for the downtown museum only that day. This is Laguna Gloria, and it features sculptures all outdoors. We ended up paying since we were already there. BUT Laguna Gloria is FREE on Thursdays. Other days is $10 pp and if you didn't pay in advance online, they can take payment at the gift shop. Though, I'm not sure how they enforce it because it looks like you can just pass by the gift shop and enter the park. As a former art student, I just wasn't that impressed or intrigued by the art. You have to walk a ways away to visit the next sculpture. They provide a map at the gift shop, but since I'm not good at geographic directions, I just allowed my husband to plan the walking route for us. We got to see all the sculptures (there aren't a lot...15?) In total, we were probably there for less than an hour. I didn't understand some sculptures. I saw a lonely, abandoned light pole covered with spiderwebs and joked to my husband, "look at this artwork!" It turns out, it was actually art because there's a sign next to it introducing the art piece and everything. Awkward. Anyway...appreciated walking around the grounds. My favorite is the crying Miffy fountain, which is one of the first things you see when you enter the grounds. Street parking only (unless you are an art student or staff there).

The Contemporary is an outdoor museum that felt like a mini adventure all in one! We were greeted…read moreand given a map to all the installations on the property. Make sure to bring some sunscreen, water, especially on a sunny/hot day! There were several sculptures/ installations that were in shaded areas, but the sun can be very brutal since you will be outdoors. Not sure if there was parking on the property, but we parked down the hill and walked about 5 mins up.

This place is new and exciting. The exhibits there are varied, different, inspiring and fun to…read morelook at. A nice little neighborhood gallery that should soon take over the spolight in Austin's newest art goers.