When the new Whole Foods world headquarters goes live in ’05, the blocklong complex will boast new public art: a sculpture garden in the pedestrian plaza along Sixth Street and a three-panel mural wall on Fifth Street. Schlosser Development, which is transforming several blocks east of Lamar into the Market District, is dropping $250,000 on the two art projects – the first phase of a million-dollar commitment to what the company calls the Market District’s Art, Culture, and Community Plan, which will ensure public art in all the newly developed areas, plus the existing Sixth and Lamar center where BookPeople and Whole Foods are currently housed. A list of finalists for the first two projects – all Austin artists – has been announced, and an impressive list it is. For the sculpture garden, they are: Steve Wiman, El Ray, Beverly Penn, Claudia Reese, Margo Sawyer, and Kate Catterall. For the mural wall, they are Reji Thomas, Virginia Fleck, Fidencio Duran, Sandra Fiedorek, and Chris and John Ray (Clayworks). Projects will be reviewed over the next couple of months, and Schlosser expects to name the winning artists in February. For more information, call 472-7774.

The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art is now just $12.3 million shy of the $83.5 million needed to complete its new facilities at the corner of Speedway and MLK. Among the recent donations, a whopping $3 million from the Houston Endowment; $300,000 from Judy and Charles Tate of Houston (on top of their earlier donation of $200,000); $350,000 from the Dallas-based Eugene McDermott Foundation; $250,000 donated by the Lowe Foundation for a modern and contemporary gallery; $100,000 given by Richard Durbin in honor of his wife, Carolyn Bohrer Durbin; and $100,000 given by the Lufkin-based T.L.L. Temple Foundation in honor of Jack S. Blanton. The museum will open in February 2006.

Don’t go looking for the Cultural Arts Program office in One Texas Center anymore. As of Friday, Dec. 3, the Cultural Arts Division and all of the Economic Growth and Redevelopment Services Office moved to the new City Hall. From now on, find them at 301 W. Second #2030.

This article appears in December 24 • 2004.

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