05/10/2026
A new story out today in the Austin American-Statesman from Michael Barnes starts… “The Elisabet Ney Museum is slated to reopen in spring 2027 after a thorough renovation, already well underway, and a virtual revolution in its public role as part of Austin’s larger culture.
The pioneering German American sculptor’s 1892 limestone studio, which she called Formosa, has always been a jewel.
Yet under director and curator Jade Walker, the little castle in Hyde Park, as well as its restored meadow gardens above Waller Creek, will become a beehive of activities that combine art, history, education and a sense of place in fresh ways.
After guiding this reporter around the site last month, Walker and some museum advocates chatted with me about Ney, the woman, who can be credited with helping found the city’s arts scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Beyond her artistic triumphs, Ney’s personal story — her outsider status, eccentricities and progressive ambitions — makes this history even more compelling. Spend any time exploring Austin’s past and you’ll run into anecdotes about Ney’s unusual presence on the social scene, distinctive manner of dress, vegetarian diet, status as an unmarried woman living with a male partner, and other then-peculiar habits, sometimes recounted humorously.”
Read the rest at https://www.statesman.com/news/history/article/austin-elisabet-ney-museum-reopening-2027-22242690.php
