The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center

Wonderful small art museum! Worth the $5 entry plus anything you can donate. Knowledgeable and wonderfully friendly staff. Love what they do and where they are. This place needs all the support to help them grow.

Very cool museum! 5$ for students and seniors. There are two areas downstairs and one area on the second floor. Very cool rooftop with views of congress and the capitol building. Beautiful works of art. I will definitely be back.

This museum does such an amazing job with school tours! I went as a chaperone on a field trip and was so impressed by how friendly and organized the staff was. From meeting us at the bus, to redirecting our students as soon as they stepped out of line, they did a wonderful job guiding us through the museum and giving an age appropriate tour! Highly recommend a visit.

Wonderful Raven Halfmoon Exhibit & gallery talk by Sculptor, Tammie Rubin. The venue is a great space for large pieces of art.

Went on a free admission day. It was much smaller and having much less artwork than we thought. Two floors have artwork from only one artist. Also we wish there would be more descriptions for each artwork to make visitors more engaged. Overall good location, friendly staff, and nice rooftop. There was nothing going on at rooftop when we visited, but it was good view. I will probably go back on a free day for new exhibition sometime.

It's not that fair to review and our museum after only seeing one exhibit, but this was a pleasant experience regardless. The art was insightful. The facilities clean and quiet. The staff was very helpful. Also the prices were not bad at all! It's a great way to support local and Texas artist as well!

Very limited. Only some good exhibits on 2 small floors. The third floor was closed due to a scheduled evening event. That made the visit even shorter and more limited. If feels like a mini museum. Why don't they hold events on days when the museum is closed to the public, like Monday and Tuesday?

I really enjoyed my time with my mentor at this gallery space. Downtown mid-day on a Saturday is tough parking-wise and there’s no lot designated for this venue. Bought a ticket in advance, and it quick and easy to check in! The main artist’s had two exhibits that we saw and they received tons of praise. The host behind the desk was very helpful in giving background for the work, the layout of the different experiences and also had some suggestions on what other galleries we should visit as well. This space is much smaller than the Laguna space, from what I’ve heard/experiences. I enjoyed my time!

Very beautiful building. They are free on Thursdays. They sometimes have event on their rooftop which is cool.

Unique museum downtown. It's pretty small, you can be done in about an hour if that. The rooftop is really neat, and I believe they host events.

My boyfriend and I adored the daniel Johnston exhibition. He is one of my bfs favorite people and he almost cried looking at all the work. I like how it was presented on the first floor and how there were so many works. We will probably come again and see it. The ladies working were very nice and helpful. We thought the second floor wasn't really our taste, like a lot of the reviewers said. I think the Blanton has better works in the area of modern/contemporary art. It was so random we couldn't tell if the chairs you can sit on were "art" or not LOL.

Came here during Austin Museum day so entry was free and it looks like Thursdays are also free. Just check in at the lobby. This is a small space just two floors (art gallery sized) and an outdoor multi-level viewing deck on the third floor. The building is photo worthy with Liberty and Justice for All on the museum marquee. Inside is a simple layout with a wooden staircase to take you to the second level. Each floor has a a side room for interactive presentations. I would say that this museum will probably take less than 45 minutes to complete. The third floor is accessible through the emergency stairwell or extremely slow elevator and this is where there is a viewing deck that has a stellar view of congress avenue. Would I pay $10 would depend on who's showing otherwise I'd just wait for a free day. As for parking it's 7th and congress so good luck - it's cheaper to ride share or take the bus here.

Beautiful architecture and fantastic rooftop area. I imagine events on the rooftop are wonderful, but on a normal day it's wide open to let your kids run around while you sit on the wrap around benches. We actually caught a protest while resting there. There are two floors, which had two different exhibits when we visited. These two exhibits weren't necessarily kid friendly (language in audio and sexual positions in art) so we navigated through some portions quickly. Free for military families.

Really great that they are free on Thursdays! The kids had a great time exploring the several levels of exhibits! The staff was well knowledgeable on the art and the artist. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am a fan of Laguna Gloria and have already been twice since the pandemic. I was looking forward to the Jones Center because I love the Liberty for All work on the walls outside the center. The exhibits or the space did not engage me. It was labeled left-to-right when you had to walk right-to-left. So either you have to go back-and-forth a lot or simply rely on your own interpretation. The whole experience felt amateur. Some of the newer art galleries in town do a much better job curating and creating the walk-through experience to draw you in to the pieces. Some of the exhibits here were multimedia but the acoustics were poorly setup because they could be heard over each other, taking away from the experience of both. The staff at the front desk was friendly but everyone else throughout the floor looked miserable. You're supposed to call when you get there at the time of your ticketed entry, but the phone lines were engaged for quite some time (while the museum was nearly empty). Someone happened to notice me and unlocked the door - then a young girl walks out with the phone saying oh I guess you want this back. Was she on personal phone calls yapping away on her job? I will say - the rooftop is a hidden gem. I could've taken a book and spent time reading there but of course, there has to first be something worth paying for entry. Fortunately, I had signed up for the free week.

Attended their photography exhibition and the building itself is special and modern. I like those green rectangular glasses with the wood decorations. The experience is also very enjoyable where they offered both plain photography exhibitions and films and audios. The staffs are super friendly.

Great time with a friend. It only took us about 30 minutes to complete but it felt like an hour (in a good way!)

I really enjoy this art space. Over the years I've stumbled into some really cool events and art here. I remember how cool it was seeing Nick Cave's pieces here to Daniel Johnston. Once I saw a movie on the rooftop. Now that Covid has slowed, I hope to be part of more events here. Definitely feel enlightened every time I go!

So it was a BofA complementary weekend so I was able to visit for free. I guess I'm not very artistic as I would not have paid to get into this museum. It's tiny and it was mostly visual media (aka videos that you watch). There's two floors and a roof. I suppose if you stayed and watched all the videos, you could be there for a couple hours. I only watched a few minutes of each. There's a few exhibits. And then I actually spent the most time on the roof, enjoying the nice weather. There's a giant "With Liberty and Justice for All" sign up there too. Anyways I don't think I'm the demographic for this museum. Hope you all enjoy it.

A solid 3.4 stars. I am not necessarily the biggest fan of contemporary art, but I do think it's worth seeing all types of art and appreciate there is a space in Austin dedicated to contemporary art and artists. This is a small exhibit space (two floors), but they pack a lot in. Not all of the art was my taste, but I did appreciate getting to see the pieces on display and catching up with my friend Sylvie G as we went for one of the evening events they were hosting. The rooftop is an incredible event space (I've coordinated and hosted an event there before) that is basically a blank canvas that you can mold to the tastes and needs of your event. The evening event we were attending on this visit had some free snacks and drinks on the roof with a DJ spinning tunes as well. It was a nice little catch up opportunity with a cultural experience built in.

I felt like I just got mugged for 20 dollars just walking in that place. It actually smelled quite bad as soon as you entered, probably a sign of things to come now that I think about it. Only two exhibits for the entire museum, both not great. The roof was advertised as another exhibit, which we found empty upon arrival. This place has got to be the worst art museum of all time. We got scammed, they got us good.

We came on the free day and I'm so glad we didn't pay. This place is super small and parking is tough even on the middle of a weekday. The employee who welcomed us was nice but the employees on the two floors of the museum were too much. They told us we can't use flash photography - ok no problem. Then they said we can't take video...ok. The employee (an older woman in a plaid skirt) proceeded to follow us around, never being more than two feet away. Her pretentious attitude towards us was apparent from the moment we entered. We didn't do anything wrong, and we aren't teenagers so I don't know what we did to deserve this treatment. It was utterly unnecessary. All the art was wacky, and only from one artist. Parking in a structure nearby was $3/15 minutes. Unbelievable. Please save your money and time, go to the Blanton art museum instead.

The Daniel Johnston exhibit was totally worth the trip alone. Such an amazing, creative, and peculiar artist. Staff was super friendly and answered any questions we had about the exhibits and the facility. The craft area was a high point for my wife who carried on a long conversation with the gentleman working that station. We will definitely be coming back for future exhibits.

This was a monumental waste of time and money. The exhibit I wasted money on was just a bunch of homemade machines connected to instruments and various woodland and household objects. It's like some dude sat tripping in his garage and connected a bunch of weird things together and labeled it as art. I was really hoping to see something more impressive, but it looked more like manipulating a pile of trash more than anything else. Please consider exhibits more like what they have at wonderspaces or Moma.

This is a nice museum that has some interesting stuff exhibits! We went on Museum Day, so I can't speak for a regular day, but they had a raffle and clay that you could make pots of some sort of sculpture with! All of the staff were so nice! Something a little different about this museum was that they had 3 theaters with film/video presentations. I only watched 2, but they were quite thought provoking. The space is quite large, but pretty sparse. I think they show movies on the roof sometimes. It's a great view from the roof and you get to be behind those big reflective letters'

First visit to Austin and I started with a visit to the Contemporary "art" museum as I love modern art. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this was a complete waste of time and a clear tourist rip off. Was advertised as $10 for access to two floors of art and a roof top deck. The second floor was the better of the 2 as they were packing an exhibit (not mentioned when they took my money) and there was literally nothing to see. It was better because on the first floor was some old printers and computer equipment which a 2 year old slapped some paint on in random places and attached to a bookshelf and somehow presented as art. I truly enjoy and appreciate most forms of art but found this exhibit and value horrible. When I expressed my opinion to the front desk I was informed that i could derive more value if I find a sculpture garden somewhere else in the city where i get a discount. No thanks. Save your money!

I can't shake the feeling that it's not quite fair to judge The Contemporary Austin on just one exhibition, but here we are. I was visiting Austin and generally whenever I'm playing solo tourist in a new city the first thing I do is check out the local art scene. I arrived at The Contemporary Austin and was immediately surprised to learn how small it is. With only two exhibitions, there's just not much to it. And with such a limited showing at any one time, your experience is made or broken on the quality of the art and how you connect to it. Long story short, the time I visited, I definitely didn't connect with the art. Well, maybe that's not true. One artists (who had a film and then an installation of pieces inspired by the movie) was in my opinion very bad. The other was more interesting, an artist of African descent whose work seemed to have a really strong POV. I simply wish they'd have offered up more information about the individual pieces. Very little in the way of context, which for Contemporary Art is everything. They offered up that the roof was open and definitely part of the museum. I went up and there was literally nothing up there. Whomp whomp. I suspect that on occasion The Contemporary Austin gets great exhibitions. I just missed them. Pro tip: go on Tuesdays, as it's free admission. I'd be super annoyed if I had paid to get in. Another pro tip: Their sculpture park (at a different location) is much, much better.

The Contemporary Austin is like the result of an art gallery and museum coming together and having offspring. It feels more like a modern art gallery than museum, as they are small, and don't have any permanent displays. They have an ever changing rotation of art exhibits that come through with creative events that compliment the show. But, they also have a wonderful interactive loft, like a museum, for the children to get hands and learn more. The space is beautiful and I love the wooden beamed stair case. Your experience here could vary dependent on the exhibit at the time, and your level of love for modern art. You can't go wrong with a $5 admission fee that also includes a visit to their outdoor gallery located at Laguna Gloria.

My first trip here was for a Yelp Elite event. I didn't really pay much attention to the actual museum as there was free booze and food on the roof. So like the good Yelper I am, I followed the Yelp Event rules and returned for a "normal" visit. The museum itself is two floors and not very big at all. The exhibit on display was Robert Therrien: Rooms within Rooms. I guess I'm just not a big fan of Contemporary Art. I mean when you are stacking bricks or floor tiles in random patterns on a floor and calling it art, I just don't get it. Dumb is the first word that comes to mind. Hell, why not just throw out a couple packages of jumbo franks and call that art. To me this exhibit was just that. Dumb. On the first floor were a couple of 10' X 12' constructed rooms with varies objects in them. One had a couple of tambourines and the other had postcards and a chest-of-drawers. Moving on up to the second floor was just as dumb. There were a couple of metal tables 16' high and some big ass 8' high metal folding chairs. Call me dumb but looks like Robert won't be able to get the tables and chairs into his rooms. I just didn't get this exhibit at all. Is it about perspective? Possibly so. Alice in Wonderland? Probably not. Oversized chairs and tables that won't fit into a room is boring and dumb. If contemporary art is your thing, then maybe this is for you. This museum itself is a great place for this kinda stuff and the staff there are very friendly. We got in for free on this visit and I gotta say, had I paid admission I would have been screaming for a refund! No offense at all to the artist, but, this just wasn't for me.

The staff greeted us upon entering and we felt quite welcomed. We were nervous because, ​at first glance, it looked like it was kind of empty. That is until we went in and then up the stairs. All the fun stuff was happening upstairs. We really enjoyed our visit here and are planning to come back the next time we visit Austin. It is a small museum but they really know how to utilize their space which is awesome. We plan to come back on museum day.... if not this year, next year.

The front desk clerk was helpful and nice. That was where the customer service ended. Everyone else seemed like they were glaring at us. It was a bit uncomfortable. That being said, the art was beautiful and unique. My only comment is... I felt underwhelmed. I felt like for $20 you would get to see a bit more art at the main location. I realize the ticket gets you into the sculpture park, but if you are traveling and have a booked day you can't always make a detour. I truly thank the artists who have placed their art on location for this building, but I won't say I recommend it.

I totally loved this museum. The galleries are beautifully laid out and the space itself is so easy to navigate. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. The exhibits we saw ranged from OK to fantastic. I had such a great time here and would recommend it for art lovers of any age.

I had been wanting to visit this museum for some time! It's fairly small but also very inexpensive to get it. They also have a nice rooftop patio with nice downtown views.

The curators here just suck donkey balls. The space is small, which means that the quality has to be top notch to have any sort of real impact. Since that is not the case, it ends up being just a waste of time. If you're already walking down Congress and have 10 minutes to kill and want to walk up some stairs, then whatever. But if you're looking to be engaged, challenged, enlightened, inspired or any of the other things people seek in experiencing art, prepare yourself to feel disappointed. Literally no one I know ever goes here, and all of my friends are artists, musicians, writers and composers. Austin is trying desperately to develop any sort of relevance in the art world, and the Contemporary *should* be at the forefront of that - like ICA has been in London in the past. Sadly, it is quite the opposite. It's not even relevant locally.

Big thanks to Kelly and Courtney for finding a hidden jewel to show us how awesome the Contemporary ATX Jones Center is! Coming in, I was gently greeted and told where everyone was located. We walked up to the exhibit and couldn't believe the boomboxes throughout. All pumping beats and vocals. I would have thought I was in an expensive digital music environment. We then proceeded to 2nd floor to find more boomboxes. Some looked like they pulled together the necessary elements at home and miraculously developed a boombox. I could see that this art may be disappearing because our technological advancements make getting music so much easier. When we arrived on the roof, the view was absolutely gorgeous.

We had our wedding reception here in April 2018. The venue is gorgeous and is perfect for a lively day to night event. So many of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was and how it decorates itself. It was the perfect size for about 100 guests with a cocktail hour area and a dance floor. Views of the city are incredible, lighting was great, and sound was excellent. This outdoor venue also has a roof overhang with a built in rain plan that won't cost you a fortune. Maggie and Andrea from the Contemporary were incredibly organized, communicative, and flexible. I highly recommend this venue to any looking for a venue for their wedding/other events.

Literally only like 10 pieces. So small and short, waste of money. Don't bother coming here.

I was so disappointed. We were there all of 5 minutes. I have been excited about coming here since I moved to Austin and thought the exhibition lacked everything. Underwhelmed and over priced.

Contemporary Austin is a very small museum but it really packs a punch. For only five bucks, with discounts for students and seniors, you can wander around for about an hour or so and soak up a little culture. Just a few blocks down from the rather impressive Texas State Capitol, CAM is a beautiful contemporary building that sits on the corner of 7th and N Congress with floor to ceiling windows that provide wonderful lighting to the reception area. The museum is not overwhelming and so there is plenty of time to read about the artist and contemplate each piece. On my visit, I enjoyed the Tom Sachs' "Boombox Retrospective" which included a series of very amusing mini-movies in the viewing room behind the stairs. There are a few drinks and snacks sold from a cart, also behind the stairs. I was a little confused because there were cans of beer in the cooler with prices on them but I was told that they couldn't be sold. So, I'm not sure if some of the items were supposed to be a part of the exhibit or what. But, you could get a non-alcoholic refreshment or snack and walk around with it. The second floor is the larger exhibit hall and Sachs' pieces were scattered throughout in a very striking way. I thoroughly enjoyed meandering around. Photos are permitted, but you can't use a flash. Restrooms are on the second floor at the back. The gal who helped me at the desk was very friendly and informative. My receipt also gave me same-day admission to the second location on 35th street. I was told you probably will need to take a cab there. Overall, a very worthwhile stop as part of a day of sightseeing!

Do not recommend! I literally walked into potatoes and onions on a wood table. I know Austin is weird but, this was just a HUGE no for $10... No thank you I'll just go by potatoes and onions at the grocery and inspect them. I will say the ladies at the front desk were super sweet!

BEST TEEN PROGRAMS IN ALL OF AUSTIN (and guess what... They are 100% FREE)!!!!! The jones center is especially awesome during events where the fabulously hip rooftop is open! They bring in many cool artists for exhibits and artists talks and even though the museum is a little small you have to remember there is another location of the museum at Laguna Gloria!

You hear about Austin being such a great art place but this was disappointing. It's two big rooms. Room One had someone with a "hot glue gun" exhibit. Room two was "found stuff" exhibit. The only interesting thing about the space was the exposed framework.

This place is totally rad. I really enjoyed the new exhibit (A Secret Affair, selections from the Fuhrman family collection). I went to the opening. It was awesome! I am now a member. Their roof top deck is really really cool. It looks really beautiful and has some of the greatest views of downtown.

Okay, the Contemporary is a LOT cooler than I ever imagined it could be. Here are the deets on this hidden gem: - Under 18 & military, free. Students, $3. Adults, $5. - 11AM-7PM, with the exception of Sunday, 12PM-5PM. - A badass rooftop where they have equally badass events. Design architecture x social good film series, bring your own basket or buy goodies from the posted up Royal Blue stand. Art 101 talks that hone in on topics like biennial cultures and technology/nature, etc. - Second location at Laguna Gloria with a sculpture park, also where they host the family friendly Second Saturdays where they offer hands-on art making workshops. Before you pass this guy by on the street again, check out their calendar!

The worst museum I've ever been to. The only bad museum I've ever been to. I'm all for artsy shit, but the only exhibits were a burnt piece of wood and a film that is just some dude driving around holding a camera upside down and talking in French. There is also a small library with a few books on a table and some Ipads with an interactive music exhibit that was so boring I've almost completely blocked it from my mind. The only way this is an acceptable museum is if, the whole time, a secret artist was filming us in order to create a later exhibit where they examine the human reaction to utter bullshit. If that was the case, five stars.

This museum is worth visiting. The best thing about the museum is that they have two locations. When you pay your admission at one location then your visit at the other location is free! (just remember to keep your receipt or admission sticker) You'll find something new at each location about every 3-4 months. At the Downtown location, Jones Center, it has two levels of exhibition space. The shows I've seen here have been strong and diverse The other location is Laguna Gloria, keep in mind this is an outdoor location where you will find large scale site specific installations. It's quite picturesque with gardens and trails to explore. Go inside the Driscoll Villa to receive more information about the sculptures and grounds. This site is perfect for exploring with the whole family. You may even get to see a peacock!!

What is this place? A temporary gallery for homeless art of some sort? Am I missing something? Sorry, but there was hardly anything here when I went but a few random "paintings" on the wall and an area with half-finished "sculptures" which was roped off. There was a dark room displaying a film. Upstairs is entirely an area to watch more film. There was a movie playing on a tiny tv in the elevator of an Asian guy dancing in random locations which cracked me up! That's about it. I was here for 10 minutes total. Not worth the time, travel and paying for parking on the street.

Kiki Smith! Louise Bourgeois! Maurizio Cattelan! Free Tuesdays! Yes!

Small but interesting museum. Your $5 entrance fee is good for both the downtown & Laguna Gloria locations. It's a fun date to do both in a day.

If you have incredulous amounts of time and money to waste, then by all means you can indeed waste your time and money here, but that's all you would really be doing wasting time and money. The staff was nice but that was the only redeeming quality after all of the boring garbage dumps on display. And now with a artfully dirty taste in my mouth I will waste no further amounts of time talking about it and put it all behind me.

This space had been on the decline in terms of its offerings and accessibility. Exhibits are less and less interesting. Something seems to be wrong, as the ArtHouse used to be free to the public and offer amazing varied exhibits. A beautiful space that's sorely underutilized. My husband and I stopped in, shelled out $10 for a not great video, some books on coffee tables and a burnt bridge. Meh. I'm not sure what's gone wrong here, but we won't be back for a long time.

My husband and I stopped in on our way to dinner because we had a coupon for the AMOA (not honored-see below) and we wanted to check out the art. Overall, we were disappointed with our visit. The staff was a bit rude. The security guard awkwardly followed us as we ascended the staircase to view the second floor exhibit. He stood in the corner and watched us like we might steal something even though we were very nicely dressed on our way to a dinner downtown. There were no other visitors there at the time. There was one large installation upstairs that was interesting and a film downstairs- that was it! You do get free entry into Laguna Gloria with your paid receipt which is a bonus. PASSBOOK HOLDERS BEWARE: The Contemporary does NOT honor the Passbook coupon for AMOA which it merged with over a year ago (before the current book came out)- Very disappointing.

When AMOA and Arthouse merged, the board combined existing names and called the new entity AMOA Arthouse, which made sense for a time of transition. Now under new leadership, the organization's name has changed again to The Contemporary Austin, with the names of its locations (The Jones Center, and Laguna Gloria) remaining unchanged. Recently on a weekend bike ride, I stopped by the Jones Center downtown to check out the new exhibits. While studying an upstairs installation, I met Louis Grachos, The Contemporary's new executive director, who graciously stopped by for a chat. Sharing some details being planned for the future, he said they will upgrade the Jones Center to museum-level climate controls and other standards to allow much higher level exhibit opportunities. In the past, they've been unable to exhibit much in the way of high value art, because of owner concerns for their art's welfare. Soon however, all that will change, and this is good news indeed! I've always loved Laguna Gloria, with it's expansive Lake Austin location, quiet wooded walking paths, and well equipped art school. The Jones Center is another favorite art space, because of its generous efforts to educate, inspire, and support the local arts community. Recently renovated, the building is becoming a landmark - easy to spot with its scores of long glass blocks fitted vertically into a contemporary stucco exterior. What isn't as readily apparent, is the vast wood deck which covers most of the roof. Known mostly to its patron/members, this deck holds one of Austin's best kept secrets, an open air screen, which is easily the best film viewing discovery you'll ever experience. Every spring and fall, The Jones Center hosts it's architectural film series. There's nothing quite like sitting on a rooftop, enjoying a gentle breeze amid the surrounding tall buildings, viewing some of the world's most memorable architecture, and learning about architects and their unique concepts and solutions. All said, it's great to see Austin's two oldest art institutions joining forces under a unified banner, with renewed vision. If you love the arts, I recommend supporting The Contemporary at both of its locations with regular visits and donations. And treat some friends to one of those rooftop films!