The Museums and Cultural Programs Division provides safe and inclusive spaces where people explore creativity and identity through the arts, histories and cultures of Austin and the world. We promote civic engagement through festivals, performances, exhibitions, social practice, camps, workshops and classes.

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Art and Cultural Centers

Image is a collage that includes the Asian American Resource Center logo with four photos including people standing in front of a sculpture at the AARC, an above image of artwork, two people playing instruments and singing, and a child raking sand in a zen garden.

The Asian American Resource Center’s mission is to create a space of belonging and healing for Asian American communities in Austin and beyond. We do this through community collaborations and partnerships; providing rental space; organizing cultural, educational and health wellness programs; and curating art and historical exhibitions. We lead with our values and our vision, so that our diverse communities are supported and connected.

Image is a collage that includes the Dougherty Arts Center logo with four photos including people looking at artwork in a gallery, people performing on stage, children posing for a photo, and a person wheel throwing.

The mission of the Dougherty Arts Center (DAC) is to support emerging through established artists who create, showcase, and experience the arts first-hand. We envision the DAC as Austin’s cultural living room where people of all ages, races, ethnicities, abilities, genders, sexual orientations, socio-economic statuses, nationalities, and religions gather to create community through the arts. The Dougherty Arts Center is the steward of the Zilker Hillside Theater.

Image is a collage that includes the Zilker Hillside Theater logo and four images from various performances including a woman in a cheetah print costume, four women in mermaid costumes, a group of people dancing on the stage, and a man singing while dressed as a crab.

The Beverly S. Sheffield Hillside Theater, also called Zilker Hillside Theater, is committed to creating accessible opportunities for all members of the community to engage and collaborate in the performing arts.

Image is a collage that includes the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center logo and three images including the exterior of the building, a woman posing for a photo, and people inside looking at artwork.

The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, creation, presentation, and promotion of the cultural arts of Mexican Americans and Latino cultures. The ESB-MACC will be closed for its Phase 2 expansion and renovation starting in January 2023. Programs and events will be held at other sites- check the MACC Homepage for locations of 2023 programs. The ESB MACC Main Office will be at the Dougherty Arts Center and the number will remain the same: 512-974-3772.

Image is a collage that includes the George Washington Carver Museum logo with four images including children playing a game, a person observing items in an exhibit, a person being interactive with an exhibit, and a group of people in a performance.

Through the preservation and exhibition of African American material culture, history, and aesthetic expression, the George Washington Carver Museum, Cultureal and Genealogy Center works to create a space where the global contributions of all Black people are celebrated.

Museums

Image is a collage that includes the Elisabet Ney Museum logo with four photos including the exterior of the museum, a plaque outside of the museum, a group of people with signs and heart balloons inside of the museum with the exhibits, and statues inside of the museum.

The Elisabet Ney Museum is the historic home and studio of Elisabet Ney, a wildly iconoclastic German sculptor who moved to Austin in 1882. The museum enthusiastically celebrates her art, her history and her legacy through exhibitions and events for the whole family.

Image is a collage that includes the O. Henry Museum logo with three photos including the exterior of the house museum, a historic photo of the family, and an antique piano.

The mission of the O. Henry Museum is to collect, preserve and interpret artifacts and archival materials related to William Sydney Porter, better known as the short story writer O. Henry. *The O. Henry Museum will be open to the public as of Wednesday, January 4, 2023. The museum has undergone a renovation to upgrade fire suppression systems and HVAC systems. It also included building leveling, creating a building envelope, roof upgrades and repairs, lead remediation, and landscape improvements

Image is a collage that includes the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel logo with four images, including the exterior of the chapel, three men standing inside of the chapel, two headstones from the cemetery, and a group of people observing a headstone.

The Oakwood Cemetery Chapel is a visitor center where we can, as an act of remembrance, learn about our cultural heritage through the people who were buried in the surrounding cemetery. Genealogy reveals our forebearers' influence on the past and future. We share and collect individual narratives to create a framework for the collective human story.

Image is a collage that includes the Old Bakery & Emporium logo as well as five images including two men posing, two images of the exterior of the museum, and two images from the interior of the museum.

The Old Bakery & Artisan Emporium is a historic building located in Downtown Austin. Local artists and craftspeople keep the Artisan Emporium full of unique and one-of-a-kind items, and our art gallery features the work of local artists who are 50 years old or greater. We also provide a visitor information center and allow visitors to explore Austin's immigrant history in the Lundberg-Maerki Historical Collection.

Image is a collage that includes the Susanna Dickinson Museum logo and three images including an antique bed and vanity/drawer set, the exterior of the museum, a historic photo of Susanna Dickinson, and the historic marker outside of the museum.

The mission of the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson-Hannig House Museum is to preserve the home and legacy of Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson and to celebrate Texas history.

Image is a collage that includes the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum logo as well as four images of a sculpture of a head, a sculpture of a man, woman, and child, a sculpture of a hippo, and a sculpture of a man reaching out.

The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum exhibits the work of Charles Umlauf and other visual and performing artists in a museum and a garden setting. The UMLAUF provides educational and cultural experiences that encourage the understanding and appreciation of the intersection of nature, sculpture and the arts.