 "Photo: Andrea Lai")
Surrounded by paintings from modern abstract expressionists, participants taking yoga at UT's Blanton Museum of Art can get a truly abstract view of the work around them.
Yoga classes are part of the Blanton's program and events series that began in 2006 after the museum reopened in the Michener Gallery Building. The non-traditional schedule was planned with the idea of appealing to a diverse range of participants and attracting visitors beyond the conventional art society.
Anyone who reads through the Blanton's program descriptions will discover that the museum is not simply a place to marvel at art.
"We find ourselves in the position of being a bridge between greater Austin and the University of Texas community," said Brian Whisenhunt, manager of public programs at the museum. "The main focus is to connect art and ideas. We try and connect with people's other interests. We want to present that perspective in relationship to the art."
Many perspectives can be found on Third Thursdays, a night when the museum combines multiple programs, including book club meetings and gallery tours focused around a set theme. March's Third Thursday is a night dedicated to the memorial experience. The museum will serve as a forum for the Austin art community's discussion of art as a form of social engagement, with a specific focus on art in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Yoga classes are only offered on Third Thursdays, where the patrons become as much apart of the aesthetics as the art.
"I think it has become a word-of-mouth thing," said Olivia
Silver, admissions and education assistant at the Blanton. "One of the things yoga teaches us is that you should be able to do it
anywhere."
While leading the classes, Silver demonstrates poses and discusses the works in the class' surroundings. The focus piece was most recently Joan Mitchell's abstract expressionist painting "Rock Bottom." The novelty of the entire experience seems to have found it a niche in the Austin community, as many of the attendants of the Thursday yoga classes have become regulars.
Kristin Fields, a graduate student and public programs intern, describes her work at the Blanton as an experience that validated her career choice in art education.
"Being a graduate student, I have been able to tie in a lot of school projects I have been working on to projects I have been working on at work," Fields said. "As far as an internship, this stands out. I have been delegated a lot of responsibility with the job. It really forces you to realize what you are capable of."
One of the programs Fields assists in is B Scene, a social event held on the first Friday of every month. With live music, cocktails and creative activities formulated around a central theme, B Scene is a far cry from people speaking softly and nodding as they stand back to admire art.
"It is a good entry point for people who haven't been to the museum before because it's more social. There is not that pressure, it's a lot of fun," Whisenhunt said. "[The museum] can be intimidating to some people."
Like many Austin landmarks, the Blanton atrium serves as a music venue hosting the Bach Cantata Project on the last Tuesday of every month. The project is a venture with the UT School of Music and is performed and conducted by UT students and faculty.
Holly Dalrymple, a music performance graduate student, recently conducted a Bach Cantata Project, a requirement and right of passage for graduate and doctoral conducting students.
"The space is perfect - it's acoustically appropriate," Dalrymple said. "It is very much a performance in that people sit down and listen, but at the same time, there are people walking around looking at the art as visitors of the museum. My guess is that they come to the museum and they might not even know there is a Bach Cantata but then can enjoy the music, too."
No longer a haven for the artist elite, the Blanton Museum's programs have created an unexpected enclave that caters to many interests and diverse tastes. It seems that the Blanton staff wouldn't have it any other way.
"We have the advantage of the wealth of resources that is available to us here on campus and share that," Whisenhunt said. "We try to bring in as many different voices as we
possibly can."
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