Blanton Museum of Art
Art museum · Arts District
200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78712
Highlights
University art museum with diverse collections, free Tuesdays.
University art museum with diverse collections, free Tuesdays.
"A major university-affiliated art museum that welcomes visitors with rotating exhibitions and offers free admission on Tuesdays, making it an affordable cultural stop for a girls' getaway." - Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist and co-founder of Be a Travel Writer, an online course for the next generation of travel journalists. Her photos, videos, and words have appeared in print or online for Travel + Leisure, Time, Los Angeles Times, Glamour, and many more. You'll usually find her in an airport. If you do see her there, please say hello. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"A digital, museum-style Instagram gallery run by a Texas fast-food chain in partnership with Austin agency McGarrah Jessee, this feed curates polished fan art and commissioned works that lean into the brand’s iconic orange-and-white aesthetic and deep regional nostalgia. Contributions span painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, wearable art and more — from a Max Guarnaccia oil still life of a branded paper bag rendered with museum-quality light and shadow to a Dali-esque melting table tent made with resin and acrylic by Patrick Pardee. The account commissions pieces (notably timed around national heritage months) and spotlights creators — for example, an Atlanta nail artist’s press-on set that riffs on spicy-ketchup-packet imagery and order-sticker motifs, and a fiber-work called Playhouse featuring orange-and-white woven yarn and tassels — while also sharing interview videos that reveal each artist’s process and intent. Launched as a digital alternative after plans for a physical exhibition were derailed by the pandemic (the idea first formed in 2019 and the gallery went live in summer 2021), the project aims both to amplify diverse voices and to channel grassroots brand loyalty into real exposure for makers, with organizers even exploring an eventual in-person manifestation." - Eric Webb
"A University of Texas art museum currently undergoing a multi-phase renovation that began in 2021, with a first major portion completed in 2023 and a second phase that includes a new, lobby-adjacent dining concept replacing the museum’s previous café (which operated from 2008–2020). The renovation links the institution’s physical upgrades with culinary programming that will feature indoor and outdoor seating and menus occasionally coordinated with seasonal collections and exhibitions." - Nadia Chaudhury
"At the Blanton Museum, the annual bake-off challenge is back: entrants recreate artworks from the collection in dessert form across three categories (under 8, adult amateur, adult professional) with submissions accepted via email or social media through Wednesday, May 15 and open voting beginning Friday, May 17." - Nadia Chaudhury
"Explore over 19,000 works including European paintings and modern American art." - Amanda Ogle Amanda Ogle Amanda Ogle is a writer and editor who specializes in travel, food and drink, sustainability, and general lifestyle topics. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, National Geographic, Condé Nast T
