History
When it was established in 1961, the museum presented exhibitions, educational programs, and art classes. Shortly thereafter The Art School was created in the early 1960s. Then in 1983, to serve expanding enrollments, a 5,300-square-foot (490 m2) Art School facility was built with the support of donors.
After several failed attempts to create a downtown location, the museum joined with representatives of two other Austin cultural organizations to form the Austin Museum of Art (AMOA) in 1992 and successfully moved its primary exhibition space to 823 Congress Avenue in downtown Austin in 1996. The downtown location provided a more centralized location and allowed for the restoration and preservation of the museum's original home at Laguna Gloria.
In 2004, AMOA's Board of Trustees and staff completed a strategic planning process for the entire organization that considered AMOA's goal of eventually building a permanent downtown facility. The new building concept is more conservative than previous attempts, such as the 140,000-square-foot (13,000 m2) designed by Richard Gluckman in 2000. The current design features a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2), three-story museum; a 30-story glass office building; and a quarter of the block left open for possible future expansion. Until the new facility is built, AMOA will continue to operate in its 823 Congress Avenue and Laguna Gloria locations.
In 2011, the Austin Museum of Art closed its 823 Congress Avenue location in downtown Austin. Shortly after, the museum announced its plans to merge with Arthouse, another contemporary arts institution. The merger rejoined the two arts organizations, which together, originally constituted the Texas Fine Arts Association, formed in 1911. The newly formed AMOA-Arthouse retains exhibition space at the Jones Center and Laguna Gloria sites.
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