Landmarks

Thank you to everyone who joined us last month for the opening of Howardena Pindell’s “Autobiography: Circles!” Featuring curatorial contributor @casseloliver and Dean @rriveraser , the warm discussion contextualized how Pindell’s own autobiography and language of abstraction is unified in the luminous multi-story glass composition. If you missed the opening, a recording of the talk is now available on our website. Visit the link in our bio to watch and learn more. “Autobiography: Circles” was generously funded by Ginni and Richard Mithoff and the @utexascoe and supported, in part, by the Still Water Foundation, @viaartfund , Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. 📸 Ben Porter

Landmarks, UT Austin’s public art program, is celebrating the unveiling of a new work Thursday by pioneering Black artist Howardena Pindell. Autobiography: Circles is a multistory composition on the glass facade of the College of Education’s George I. Sánchez Building. It depicts a constellation of colorful dots, some of which have arrows or numbers on them. Each contributes to themes of social justice and forward movement — ideas that have been constant in the 83-year-old artist’s career. The genesis of the circle comes from a trip Pindell took through the Deep South with her father as a child. The pair stopped at a root beer stand where she noticed the bottom of her mug had a red dot. “She asked her father, ‘What is this?’” @LandmarksUT Deputy Director Kathleen Stimpert said. “He explained to her that that is how dishes were marked for Black customers in the South during that time. It made such an impact on her that she decided when she became an artist to take ownership of the circle and to turn this really negative experience into something beautiful and powerful.” The dots can be found scattered throughout Pindell’s collages, paintings, prints and now on the glass installation. The numbers on the piece serve a twofold purpose, representing her father — who taught math — and the badges that enslaved people were forced to wear. The arrows symbolize forward motion. “This is what she is calling a legacy project, because she’s quite older,” Stimpert said. “This is such a monumental work for her because it includes elements of symbols and motifs from across her career all combined into this one project.” The Landmarks program, best known for the canoe sculpture outside the Norman Hackerman Building, maintains a collection of modern and contemporary works installed across the UT Austin campus. “The wonderful thing about public art is that it is available free of charge, 24/7, and students can engage with it on their own terms,” Stimpert said. Tap the link in our bio to read more from Angelina Liu for KUT’s Art Beat. Video: Joe Ferrara (@jow.ferwara ) Video produced by Trina Quinn (@allthingstq )

Nightly light sequences in James Turrell’s “The Color Inside” are taking a summer break! Through August 24, sunset viewings will be suspended due to the seasonal closure of the William C. Powers, Jr. Student Activity Center. The Skyspace will remain accessible during the day when the WCP is open. Programs, including Songs in the Skyspace, Wellness Wednesdays, and Sunset Reset, will return in the fall. We look forward to welcoming you back then!

NOW SCREENING “Solo No. 1,” 1974 Simone Forti In “Solo No. 1,” Simone Forti performs a slow, hypnotic sequence of walking, circling, and crawling, inspired by the movements of animals. What starts as a simple repetition gradually becomes a reflection on evolution, the body, and the process of aging. Simone Forti emerged in the 1950s and 60s, shaped by dance improvisation (which she studied with Anna Halprin) and the experimental energy of Judson Dance Theater in New York. Her work has had a major influence on contemporary dance, from her early minimalist “dance constructions” to her studies of animal movement and later interdisciplinary projects. “Solo No. 1”  is on view through the end of the month in the ART building atrium. Located on the corner of East 23rd Street and San Jacinto Blvd, the building is open Monday through Friday (8 am - 5 pm).

For this month’s edition of Listening with Landmarks, Latin pop band @chicoselfie_ takes inspiration from José Parlá’s "Amistad América," building a mix that moves from Latin alternative and cumbia to indie pop, disco-funk, psych rock, R&B, and neo-soul. Listen for tracks by Café Tacvba, The Marías, Bandalos Chinos, Cleo Sol, Chet Faker, Men I Trust, and more. Now streaming on our website and Spotify. More at the link in our bio. @kutx serves as media sponsor for Listening with Landmarks.

TOMORROW! Join Landmarks this Sunday, May 3 at 11am for Full Circle, a docent-led public art tour exploring the circle as a recurring motif across the collection. Beginning at Mark di Suvero’s "Clock Knot", the tour will continue to Sol LeWitt’s "Circle with Towers" and Howardena Pindell’s newly opened "Autobiography: Circles". Free and open to all! Meet your docent at Clock Knot, located on the berm between the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering (CPE) and the Engineering Teaching Center (ETC), 204 E Dean Keeton St

A big THANK YOU to all who supported us during our 40 for Forty campaign. Every gift, at every level, helps bring us closer to launching a welcoming “front door” for UT’s public art program. Stay tuned for more details as the Art Cart comes to life. If you missed our match, it’s not too late to give! Learn more at the link in our bio. #ut40for40

The Landmarks Art Cart is getting more real by the minute, and with your help, we can bring the full-size version to campus! Your gift will help us: -offer tours and interactive experiences -share guides and resources -welcome new audiences -make public art a more visible part of campus life 40 for Forty ends tonight at 10 PM. Thanks to early support from the Still Water Foundation, every gift will be matched 1:1 up to $5,000. Give now (or at 2PM and 4PM to TRIPLE your gift!) at the link in our bio and help us get this show on the road!! #UT40for40

It’s official: Landmarks is hitting the road! Meet the Landmarks Art Cart, our new mobile hub for public art at The University of Texas at Austin. Landmarks brings world-class art to campus that is free and open to all. But without a gallery or front desk, we can be easy to experience…but hard to recognize. The Art Cart will help change that by bringing the art to YOU! For this year’s 40 Hours for the Forty Acres, help us bring the Art Cart to life. Thanks to early support from the Still Water Foundation, every gift will be matched 1:1 up to $5,000. Want to make your gift go even further? Donate $5–$250 at 10 AM or 4 PM today and your donation may be matched by UT, tripling your impact. #UT40for40 ends April 30 at 10 PM. Your support at any level truly makes a difference! Give now at the link in our bio.

Landmarks is rolling out something big this week... Stay tuned for a new initiative launching this Wednesday during The University of Texas at Austin’s annual 40 Hours for the Forty Acres campaign.

Today is the big day! Join Landmarks this afternoon for the opening of “Autobiography: Circles,” a permanent public art installation by Howardena Pindell. Valerie Cassel Oliver, curatorial contributor, and Dr. Ramón H. Rivera-Servera, Dean and Professor in the College of Fine Arts will be in conversation to discuss the legacy and practice of Pindell’s pioneering career. This talk is free and open to the public. Thursday, April 23 4:30–5:30 PM George I. Sánchez Building, 1912 Speedway Elizabeth Shatto Massey Honor Hall, SZB 2.500 This project was generously funded by Ginni and Richard Mithoff and the College of Education and supported, in part, by the Still Water Foundation, VIA Art Fund, Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

We’re celebrating the opening of “Autobiography: Circles” — and tomorrow you can take a piece of it home! Join us in commemorating Howardena Pindell’s monumental glass installation, commissioned for the @utexascoe at the George I. Sánchez Building. Guests at tomorrow’s free public lecture with Valerie Cassel Oliver and Dr. Ramón H. Rivera-Servera will have a chance to pick up a limited-run poster created for the installation. Reflecting the composition of the glass façade, the design features signature motifs Pindell has explored throughout her decades-long career. RSVP and learn more at the link in our bio.