As the spring semester kicks into full gear, students and working professionals alike are battling increasing stress. The University of Texas at Austin’s public art program, Landmarks, along with the Longhorn Wellness Center, is pulling out all the stops to help everyone de-stress by pairing art with animals.
On March 11, the annual “Paws for Public Art” returns for its annual wellness event that brings local petting zoos to campus for an afternoon of education, animals, and art. With stations at four of their public art sculptures, attendees of the Wednesday event will be able to explore the collection’s most iconic works while participating in some much-needed cuddle time. Petting zoo companies Tiny Tails to You and Fannie’s Farm Animals welcome visitors to engage with miniature goats, hedgehogs, bunnies, and chicks from 11am-2pm while Landmarks representatives provide artistic histories of the sculptures and educate the public about their work and programs. Featured pieces include Mark di Suvero’s Clock Knot, Nancy Rubins’ Monochrome for Austin, Sol LeWitt’s Circle with Towers, and Donald Lipski’s The West.
For those looking for a more solitary journey, an event mobile app will provide educational material on the animals and artwork, as well as self-guided meditation and wellness exercises for guests to use at their leisure.
The event originated from a series of virtual mental health and wellness programs meant to alleviate student stress during the pandemic. “We wanted to try to figure out ways that we could address the mental health crisis that students were experiencing through the lens of what we do – presenting public art across campus,” Landmarks’ Deputy Director Kathleen Stimpert said. Engaging with art has huge mental health impacts, she said, from lowering cortisol to fostering empathy in a way that is healthy for both body and mind.
Over the past several years, Landmarks has grown their programs to include Wellness Wednesdays, a sound bath meditation series, and their Sunset Reset program, which invites students to The Color Inside, a James Turrell Skyspace, for stress-relieving activities, along with other mindfulness programs that were “specifically geared to mitigate mental health issues that students and community members are experiencing,” Stimpert said. When Landmarks founder Andrée Bober had the idea of adding animals to the mix, Stimpert knew it would be a hit. “Like engagement with art, [spending time with animals] is known to impact stress hormones and have numerous beneficial effects,” she said.
“Paws for Public Art” aims to bring Austinites together to foster an atmosphere both educational and enjoyable across some of the top exhibitions of Landmarks’ nationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art. Over the past five years, the event has grown into a collaboration open to students, faculty, staff and the general public. The Landmarks team is pleased to see the impact it has had on students, especially ahead of spring midterms. “We’ve had numerous students tell us at the event or later how much they look forward to the event,” Stimpert said.
Whether you are a student or working professional looking to enjoy this year’s spring in full bloom, you may want to head over to UT campus for a mindful walk this weekend. You may see some artwork and critters along the way.
This article appears in March 6 • 2026.