WALLER CREEK CONSERVANCY AND THE CONTEMPORARY AUSTIN ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF A NEW COLLABORATION WITH THE INSTALLATION OF A LARGE-SCALE PUBLIC SCULPTURE
Set to change the landscape of public art in Austin, Waller Creek Conservancy and The Contemporary Austin today announced a new partnership that will serve as a catalyst for creating new public art initiatives. The first exhibition will feature a new, large-scale interactive art installation by internationally renowned artist Orly Genger, near the mouth of Waller Creek.
“This is an exciting time for the community as we collaborate with The Contemporary Austin to bring artists such as Orly Genger to engage and shape a vibrant public art space for Austinites,” said Peter Mullan, Waller Creek Conservancy CEO. “As we begin the transformation of Waller Creek, we have a unique opportunity to integrate a significant public art program into its future, bringing art and landscape together in the heart of Austin to create unique and uplifting experiences for the public.”
The installation of Orly Genger’s Hurlyburly (2016) is the first realization of a new and ongoing partnership for public art initiatives between Waller Creek Conservancy and The Contemporary Austin. Future installations will include works by significant local and national artists, including Austin-based artists Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler, whose interactive sculpture Missing Truffaut (2014) will be installed first at The Contemporary Austin’s Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at Laguna Gloria and, in the future, along Waller Creek.
“At The Contemporary Austin, we are so thrilled to watch as our ‘museum without walls’ philosophy begins to take shape,” said Louis Grachos, Ernest and Sarah Butler Executive Director of The Contemporary Austin. “Living among original works of art of this caliber has a positive effect on individuals and on a citizenry as a whole. Thanks to the visionary support of the boards of directors of both The Contemporary and Waller Creek Conservancy, Austinites and visitors will have the chance to develop relationships with incredibly important works such as Hurlyburly by Orly Genger. I expect this and future collaborative installations will become beloved parts of the city’s fabric.”
Genger’s first work in Austin, Current (2014), was installed in the amphitheater at The Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park at The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria in 2014. This previous work, an elegant, serpentine-like sculpture painted in gray that cascaded down from the hill and out onto a platform at the edge of the lagoon, invited the public to interact with and move around it. Genger’s new work Hurlyburly likewise will respond to and evoke the nuances of its context, inviting the public into its midst and bringing renewed attention to the environment around Waller Creek.
The installation of Orly Genger’s Hurlyburly is made possible through the generous support of Michael and Jeanne Klein and Suzanne Deal Booth. Hurlyburly is located on City of Austin parkland and the Conservancy would like to thank the City for its continued partnership.
“Great cities do big things, and Orly Genger’s sculpture at the mouth of Waller Creek is big in all senses of the word,” said Austin Mayor Steve Adler. “I am proud to be Mayor of a city where we can have a public-art installation like Hurlyburly. This feeds our soul as a community, and I hope it will spur further work along Waller Creek.”
YOU’RE INVITED TO THE OPENING OF HURLYBURLY ON MARCH 5.
Please join us as we celebrate this new, site-specific work of art in Austin. We’ll start the day by participating in Austin Parks Foundation’s Its My Park Day with a Waller Creek Clean Up. In the afternoon, enjoy interactive, family-friendly activities and complimentary treats from GoodPop.
Waller Creek Clean Up: 10am-12pm. Register here.
Hurlyburly Opening Celebration: 12pm-3pm. This event is free and open to all. For more information and to invite your friends, click here.
Volunteers needed!
We have lots of great opportunities for interested volunteers on March 2 and March 5. Please click here for more information and to sign up for a shift!
PHOTO CREDIT: Orly Genger, 2013, Red, Yellow and Blue, recycled lobster rope and paint, Madison Square Park, New York, NY, Photos by James Ewing.