Thank you to everyone who came out to enjoy art and nature this year at Waterloo Park! While we reflect on 2024, our sights are also set on the new year and the exciting progress being made at Waterloo Greenway: Phase II.
Art in Waterloo Park
Waterloo Greenway aims to showcase free, public art, set to the natural backdrop of Waterloo Park. In 2024 alone, we unveiled a multi-year video art installation, Past Deposits from a Future Yet to Come, created by Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler; a unique bronze sculpture, Serpent of the Sun and the Moon, by Guadalupe Maravilla; and numerous one-of-a-kind murals by Ruben Esquivel and East End Eclectic.
These installations served as a powerful reminder of the importance of creating opportunities to engage with public art in Austin. We witnessed people connecting with art in meaningful and unexpected ways, sparking reflection on both our shared experiences and individual selves. As a staple of Austin’s culture, art belongs to all Austinites.
Additionally, we worked with LOLA (Local Opera, Local Artists) to bring opera music to Waterloo Park. An especially memorable night with LOLA took place during our Wild Waterloo: Sensory Science event in August. After an evening of interactive workshops and tours, local opera singers, scattered throughout the park, began to sing as park visitors followed their voices during an operatic scavenger hunt. At the end of the journey, everyone met up in the Lebermann Plaza for a sing-a-long, wrapping up the magical evening with an old Sesame Street favorite, “Sing, Sing a Song!”
Nature & Wonder in Downtown Austin
Every time we’re at the park, we see a notable moment of nature, whether it’s a chatty mockingbird atop one of the trees, or a new family of tiny Black-Bellied Whistling Duck ducklings in Waller Creek. One of the highlights from nature’s displays this year at Waterloo Park was the sighting of a rare Painted Bunting in April during a bird walk with our partners from Travis Audubon.
We also continued our new summer tradition of watching the Mexican Free-Tailed bats fly out from their roosts underneath the walkway that winds through Waterloo Park. When the park reopened in 2021, we had no idea that we would become home to thousands of tiny bats for 6-7 months out of every year!
And of course, the butterflies! Not a day goes by when something in the park isn’t in bloom, attracting our winged friends. In the fall months, when the Greg’s Mist and Native Milkweed are flowering, the regal-looking monarch butterflies make their way from up north back toward Mexico. Waterloo Greenway volunteers were there to watch in awe and to partner with monarch-protecting organizations to tag and track the monarchs along their journey. These activities contribute to important scientific research, which will help us better understand their migration patterns and overall population health.
Keep an eye out in 2025 for opportunities to volunteer at Waterloo Park, or join a nature walk to learn more about the beautiful landscape and accompanying critters throughout the park.
Waterloo Greenway: Phase II
Waterloo Greenway made tremendous progress on the construction of Phase II, the portion of the project just north of Lady Bird Lake, while also moving forward on design plans for the revitalization of historic Palm Park. We’ve stabilized creek banks, installed one-of-a-kind bridges, built new pathways and trails, and realigned the relationship between land and creek in downtown Austin.
The WG team engaged with the community over a six-month period, seeking input on the design of Palm Park, which will become a reimagined creek-side park that inspires nature play, discovery, and community. Over the summer, Austin children were invited to submit ideas and inspiration for a one-of-a-kind play structure that will be part of Palm Park. Our team was highly impressed with the creativity of these youngsters, and we look forward to collaborating with them through future connections and activities.
We can’t wait to see y’all out in the park in 2025!
Check out our 2024 Recap Part 1: Programs, Concerts, and Festivals at this link.