The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center — Attraction in Austin

I’ve wandered in here spontaneously a few times, and despite the space not being “full,” I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits. Even some of the “smaller” ones usually had an interactive aspect or two that I remember spending more time getting lost in. For the price, I think it’s always worth it, especially considering the free entry to the Laguna Gloria site, my absolute favorite!! (W a view, less staff oversight, and tons of selfie ops)

Several bad reviews mention the Blanton, but I see quality over quantity here.

The one time I went to the Blanton, sure it had “more,” but I was not impressed. It was Andy Warhol and we spent most of the time making fun of the art. Lolol it’s super repetitive. Yeah the Campbell soup one is iconic, but that same “filter” on everything? Very repetitive.

I will say, sometimes the staff is a bit curious…. Speaking of which, I was once reprimanded for touching the art, yet I experienced “curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.” 😆🤘🏼

I only touched it bc there was a cabinet in one exhibit, so I opened the door.

I may have been told it wasn’t ok BUT THERE WAS INDEED a few things to see inside the cabinet! I’m still satisfied I opened it 😁🤟🏼

Membership offers even more perks. Special events, etc.

Always call in advance no matter what.

Can’t wait to check...

I cannot convey how magical the current (or past, depending on when you read this) exhibit is. This was the first time I'd seen so many of Daniel's works gathered in one place before and the result was kind of overwhelming. I visited on a Thursday (free admission day!) at 7pm and while there was a few other people in the space, it was spaced out and organized in a way that it felt like I had it all to myself. Bravo to whoever curated the exhibit as I found it extremely thoughtful with just a touch of the playfulness that comes with Daniel's work. I have seen some other reviews of people who didn't like the presence of employees within the exhibit but I found them nonintrusive. Of particular note was seeing Daniel's piano set up the very way he had it at his home -- it's hard to put into words what it felt like standing in front of it. The upstairs gallery was slightly underwhelming after the visual and emotional feast of the Daniel Johnston exhibit but the rooftop offers up amazing views of downtown (even if these views are slightly obstructed) especially as the sun is setting. I used to work down the street from The Contemporary and would pop by sometimes on my lunch break -- no matter what exhibits are currently showing I always find it to be a calming and...

The building itself is cool and has a good atmosphere. However, the Rodney McMillian exhibit was laughable. I found it to have a serious lack of creativity. None of the showcases evoked any kind of reaction and I was finished very quickly. Visually, there is no base level appeal to the work. And, unfortunately, it wasn't thought provoking in the slightest sense either. To me, it rides on the coat tails of racial tension in America to try and garner attention without having any of the means to do so. The tarp, knitted to look like the white house, was especially bad to the point I was just laughing to myself. It looked like a third grade class project, but it was masqueraded as a collection of fine details representing slave history in American politics. I don't think art has to require some kind of difficult/unique skill to be great or make a point. However, if you're going to make something of simple skill and effort, the end product should have at least of some kind of unique features or synergy with the exhibit. The descriptions throughout the installation went into scathing detail about the process of making everything. I assume this is because the end product had little to talk about. This should have been free entry, as are other places with...