The Contemporary Austin: Laguna Gloria

Lord Cultural Resources was part of a team led by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture selected by The Contemporary Austin to develop a master plan for its lakeside property, Laguna Gloria. Currently home to the organization’s community art school and the historic, Italianate-style Driscoll Villa, a popular special events destination, Laguna Gloria will be transformed into an dynamic public space in which Austin residents and visitors can experience site-responsive contemporary art in a beautiful natural setting that also communicates the site’s importance to Texas history. Plans for Laguna Gloria will include the establishment of the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park and consider connections to Austin’s vibrant, multidisciplinary arts scene, which is a global attraction.

The Contemporary Austin is an evolving institution formed from the merger of Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) and Arthouse. As part of the master planning team, Lord Cultural Resources advised on the vision, goals and programming at Laguna Gloria in the context of the mission of the parent institution as well as its downtown exhibition space, the Jones Center, to consider how the two sites can function together to deliver on the Contemporary’s overall vision.