A good gallery to enjoy rotating modern art exhibitions. Every last week of the season is free, a good way to explore and get introduced to something new! We saw 3 different exhibits in one and it was a great time. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, especially valuable for when this is your first time visiting and you're not familiar with art/museums in general! read more

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The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center is a nice, affordable stop if you're exploring downtown. General admission is only $10, and they offer great deals, free entry for military members, kids under 18, and everyone on Thursdays, which makes it super accessible. The museum itself is small, with two main galleries (one on the first floor and another on the second). The art is definitely on the modern/contemporary side. While the exhibits weren't exactly my personal taste, the way everything was presented was thoughtful and visually appealing. You can tell a lot of care goes into the curation. The staff were very friendly, and the space was clean and well-maintained, which made the visit feel welcoming. Overall, it's a nice quick stop if you enjoy modern art or want something low-cost to do in the area. read more

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admission to the contemporary also includes admission to sculpture gardens but they're so far away that we weren't able to visit on our trip. The contemporary had a few exhibits (3 main ones that we explored, 2 on the main level, 1 on the second floor and the rooftop was closed). Workers were a little rude when we had questions (telling us to "look it up," but we also had that experience in other establishments so maybe it's an "Austin thing") Probably won't be returning read more

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The Contemporary Austin has a wide selection of contemporary art including exhibitions, paintings,, and various collections. In Austin, the museum is often referred to as The Contemporary. The art gallery is located at 7th street and Congress Avenue. Today, I am volunteering at the Texas Book Festival with one of my community service organizations where I volunteer. This particular session was for the Girl Scouts (near and dear to me as a former Girl Scout). We directed building traffic to the session, handed out books for the author and help seat guests. It always fun to experience the excitement from the Girl Scouts as they listen to and ask questions of the Arthur. It is absolutely no cost to visit The Contemporary. This makes for a great family friendly outing. read more

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Neat lil art gallery. Especially in free days. There are three areas to see and I hear they rotate the art periodically. read more

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First off, under 18s and military (with ID) are always free entry and Thursdays are also free - so let's start there with some great benefits and freebies. The space itself is incredible small - I'd consider it two main gallery spaces (one downstairs and one upstairs) and then a small quarter gallery behind the reception desk. The curation (when I went) was very well done, and the accompanying informational booklets providing an art/artist overview was also very well done. It was however, small, and without any discount, $10 for entry and then there is the question and payment for parking. You DO get entry into the accompanying sculpture space (that isn't close) with your ticket, but if you're looking for indoor activities because it's either too cold or too hot for outdoor stuff, this isn't really a great upsell. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable . Overall, if you can get a discount, come on a free day, and/or enjoy both the indoor gallery and outdoor sculpture area it's a nice little art spot BUT it is incredibly small and therefore, quite limited in what's on display. read more

This place was $10 to see basically 3 artists work, the downstairs pieces were bad in a middle schooler level, the sculptures were good and upstairs was art in the form of neon light quotes. Horrible use of my $10. Go to other galleries town. read more

Ummmm, WTH did I just see?!? Either this art is above me or beneath me. I'm sure it's very interwsting to the 10 people on earth that actually know what they are looking at. I'm a science guy and love the use of tool for creating art. However, I could not for the life of me understand any of it. We're art people but, art is in the eye of the beholder as they say and we just weren't beholden this time around apparently. The staff is nice but militant about the rules they don't explain to you upfront. For instance, you are required to wear your backpack on the front of your body. This place should be called the museum of obscurity. We over heard people that were members so I guess this place appeals to someone out there. read more

VERY friendly humans welcoming us to the museum. It was free on Thursday but we made a donation instead to support art. The exhibits are on the smaller side if you're from a large city and expect to spend hours in a museum. But they were interesting nonetheless and the archtecture of the building is one to appreciate. We went to the rooftop to see the city from another vantage point and just enjoy the city buildings and sites. It looks like a great place to have an event or party... read more

This is a small but beautiful gem (see the mentions of the space, the roof, and the events in the other reviews), and the curation is stellar. Every exhibit won't appeal to every person, but if they did, you'd be in an airport. We get what we support. This is an adventurous institution working to bring contemporary art to Austin, definitely deserving of our love, respect and participation. Get on down there. read more

My boyfriend and I adored the daniel Johnston exhibition. He is one of my bfs favorite people and he almost cried looking at all the work. I like how it was presented on the first floor and how there were so many works. We will probably come again and see it. The ladies working were very nice and helpful. We thought the second floor wasn't really our taste, like a lot of the reviewers said. I think the Blanton has better works in the area of modern/contemporary art. It was so random we couldn't tell if the chairs you can sit on were "art" or not LOL. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Daniel Johnston exhibit 10/10 - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Unique museum downtown. It's pretty small, you can be done in about an hour if that. The rooftop is really neat, and I believe they host events. read more

Very beautiful building. They are free on Thursdays. They sometimes have event on their rooftop which is cool. read more

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Beautiful architecture and fantastic rooftop area. I imagine events on the rooftop are wonderful, but on a normal day it's wide open to let your kids run around while you sit on the wrap around benches. We actually caught a protest while resting there. There are two floors, which had two different exhibits when we visited. These two exhibits weren't necessarily kid friendly (language in audio and sexual positions in art) so we navigated through some portions quickly. Free for military families. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Rooftop - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I am a fan of Laguna Gloria and have already been twice since the pandemic. I was looking forward to the Jones Center because I love the Liberty for All work on the walls outside the center. The exhibits or the space did not engage me. It was labeled left-to-right when you had to walk right-to-left. So either you have to go back-and-forth a lot or simply rely on your own interpretation. The whole experience felt amateur. Some of the newer art galleries in town do a much better job curating and creating the walk-through experience to draw you in to the pieces. Some of the exhibits here were multimedia but the acoustics were poorly setup because they could be heard over each other, taking away from the experience of both. The staff at the front desk was friendly but everyone else throughout the floor looked miserable. You're supposed to call when you get there at the time of your ticketed entry, but the phone lines were engaged for quite some time (while the museum was nearly empty). Someone happened to notice me and unlocked the door - then a young girl walks out with the phone saying oh I guess you want this back. Was she on personal phone calls yapping away on her job? I will say - the rooftop is a hidden gem. I could've taken a book and spent time reading there but of course, there has to first be something worth paying for entry. Fortunately, I had signed up for the free week. read more

Attended their photography exhibition and the building itself is special and modern. I like those green rectangular glasses with the wood decorations. The experience is also very enjoyable where they offered both plain photography exhibitions and films and audios. The staffs are super friendly. read more

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Came here during Austin Museum day so entry was free and it looks like Thursdays are also free. Just check in at the lobby. This is a small space just two floors (art gallery sized) and an outdoor multi-level viewing deck on the third floor. The building is photo worthy with Liberty and Justice for All on the museum marquee. Inside is a simple layout with a wooden staircase to take you to the second level. Each floor has a a side room for interactive presentations. I would say that this museum will probably take less than 45 minutes to complete. The third floor is accessible through the emergency stairwell or extremely slow elevator and this is where there is a viewing deck that has a stellar view of congress avenue. Would I pay $10 would depend on who's showing otherwise I'd just wait for a free day. As for parking it's 7th and congress so good luck - it's cheaper to ride share or take the bus here. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

So it was a BofA complementary weekend so I was able to visit for free. I guess I'm not very artistic as I would not have paid to get into this museum. It's tiny and it was mostly visual media (aka videos that you watch). There's two floors and a roof. I suppose if you stayed and watched all the videos, you could be there for a couple hours. I only watched a few minutes of each. There's a few exhibits. And then I actually spent the most time on the roof, enjoying the nice weather. There's a giant "With Liberty and Justice for All" sign up there too. Anyways I don't think I'm the demographic for this museum. Hope you all enjoy it. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Outside - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

I really enjoy this art space. Over the years I've stumbled into some really cool events and art here. I remember how cool it was seeing Nick Cave's pieces here to Daniel Johnston. Once I saw a movie on the rooftop. Now that Covid has slowed, I hope to be part of more events here. Definitely feel enlightened every time I go! read more

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Really great that they are free on Thursdays! The kids had a great time exploring the several levels of exhibits! The staff was well knowledgeable on the art and the artist. We thoroughly enjoyed it. read more

A solid 3.4 stars. I am not necessarily the biggest fan of contemporary art, but I do think it's worth seeing all types of art and appreciate there is a space in Austin dedicated to contemporary art and artists. This is a small exhibit space (two floors), but they pack a lot in. Not all of the art was my taste, but I did appreciate getting to see the pieces on display and catching up with my friend Sylvie G as we went for one of the evening events they were hosting. The rooftop is an incredible event space (I've coordinated and hosted an event there before) that is basically a blank canvas that you can mold to the tastes and needs of your event. The evening event we were attending on this visit had some free snacks and drinks on the roof with a DJ spinning tunes as well. It was a nice little catch up opportunity with a cultural experience built in. read more

Great time with a friend. It only took us about 30 minutes to complete but it felt like an hour (in a good way!)

We came on the free day and I'm so glad we didn't pay. This place is super small and parking is tough even on the middle of a weekday. The employee who welcomed us was nice but the employees on the two floors of the museum were too much. They told us we can't use flash photography - ok no problem. Then they said we can't take video...ok. The employee (an older woman in a plaid skirt) proceeded to follow us around, never being more than two feet away. Her pretentious attitude towards us was apparent from the moment we entered. We didn't do anything wrong, and we aren't teenagers so I don't know what we did to deserve this treatment. It was utterly unnecessary. All the art was wacky, and only from one artist. Parking in a structure nearby was $3/15 minutes. Unbelievable. Please save your money and time, go to the Blanton art museum instead. read more

This is a nice museum that has some interesting stuff exhibits! We went on Museum Day, so I can't speak for a regular day, but they had a raffle and clay that you could make pots of some sort of sculpture with! All of the staff were so nice! Something a little different about this museum was that they had 3 theaters with film/video presentations. I only watched 2, but they were quite thought provoking. The space is quite large, but pretty sparse. I think they show movies on the roof sometimes. It's a great view from the roof and you get to be behind those big reflective letters' read more

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First visit to Austin and I started with a visit to the Contemporary "art" museum as I love modern art. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, this was a complete waste of time and a clear tourist rip off. Was advertised as $10 for access to two floors of art and a roof top deck. The second floor was the better of the 2 as they were packing an exhibit (not mentioned when they took my money) and there was literally nothing to see. It was better because on the first floor was some old printers and computer equipment which a 2 year old slapped some paint on in random places and attached to a bookshelf and somehow presented as art. I truly enjoy and appreciate most forms of art but found this exhibit and value horrible. When I expressed my opinion to the front desk I was informed that i could derive more value if I find a sculpture garden somewhere else in the city where i get a discount. No thanks. Save your money! read more

My first trip here was for a Yelp Elite event. I didn't really pay much attention to the actual museum as there was free booze and food on the roof. So like the good Yelper I am, I followed the Yelp Event rules and returned for a "normal" visit. The museum itself is two floors and not very big at all. The exhibit on display was Robert Therrien: Rooms within Rooms. I guess I'm just not a big fan of Contemporary Art. I mean when you are stacking bricks or floor tiles in random patterns on a floor and calling it art, I just don't get it. Dumb is the first word that comes to mind. Hell, why not just throw out a couple packages of jumbo franks and call that art. To me this exhibit was just that. Dumb. On the first floor were a couple of 10' X 12' constructed rooms with varies objects in them. One had a couple of tambourines and the other had postcards and a chest-of-drawers. Moving on up to the second floor was just as dumb. There were a couple of metal tables 16' high and some big ass 8' high metal folding chairs. Call me dumb but looks like Robert won't be able to get the tables and chairs into his rooms. I just didn't get this exhibit at all. Is it about perspective? Possibly so. Alice in Wonderland? Probably not. Oversized chairs and tables that won't fit into a room is boring and dumb. If contemporary art is your thing, then maybe this is for you. This museum itself is a great place for this kinda stuff and the staff there are very friendly. We got in for free on this visit and I gotta say, had I paid admission I would have been screaming for a refund! No offense at all to the artist, but, this just wasn't for me. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I felt like I just got mugged for 20 dollars just walking in that place. It actually smelled quite bad as soon as you entered, probably a sign of things to come now that I think about it. Only two exhibits for the entire museum, both not great. The roof was advertised as another exhibit, which we found empty upon arrival. This place has got to be the worst art museum of all time. We got scammed, they got us good. read more

The Contemporary Austin is like the result of an art gallery and museum coming together and having offspring. It feels more like a modern art gallery than museum, as they are small, and don't have any permanent displays. They have an ever changing rotation of art exhibits that come through with creative events that compliment the show. But, they also have a wonderful interactive loft, like a museum, for the children to get hands and learn more. The space is beautiful and I love the wooden beamed stair case. Your experience here could vary dependent on the exhibit at the time, and your level of love for modern art. You can't go wrong with a $5 admission fee that also includes a visit to their outdoor gallery located at Laguna Gloria. read more

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The Daniel Johnston exhibit was totally worth the trip alone. Such an amazing, creative, and peculiar artist. Staff was super friendly and answered any questions we had about the exhibits and the facility. The craft area was a high point for my wife who carried on a long conversation with the gentleman working that station. We will definitely be coming back for future exhibits. read more

I can't shake the feeling that it's not quite fair to judge The Contemporary Austin on just one exhibition, but here we are. I was visiting Austin and generally whenever I'm playing solo tourist in a new city the first thing I do is check out the local art scene. I arrived at The Contemporary Austin and was immediately surprised to learn how small it is. With only two exhibitions, there's just not much to it. And with such a limited showing at any one time, your experience is made or broken on the quality of the art and how you connect to it. Long story short, the time I visited, I definitely didn't connect with the art. Well, maybe that's not true. One artists (who had a film and then an installation of pieces inspired by the movie) was in my opinion very bad. The other was more interesting, an artist of African descent whose work seemed to have a really strong POV. I simply wish they'd have offered up more information about the individual pieces. Very little in the way of context, which for Contemporary Art is everything. They offered up that the roof was open and definitely part of the museum. I went up and there was literally nothing up there. Whomp whomp. I suspect that on occasion The Contemporary Austin gets great exhibitions. I just missed them. Pro tip: go on Tuesdays, as it's free admission. I'd be super annoyed if I had paid to get in. Another pro tip: Their sculpture park (at a different location) is much, much better. read more

This was a monumental waste of time and money. The exhibit I wasted money on was just a bunch of homemade machines connected to instruments and various woodland and household objects. It's like some dude sat tripping in his garage and connected a bunch of weird things together and labeled it as art. I was really hoping to see something more impressive, but it looked more like manipulating a pile of trash more than anything else. Please consider exhibits more like what they have at wonderspaces or Moma. read more

The staff greeted us upon entering and we felt quite welcomed. We were nervous because, ​at first glance, it looked like it was kind of empty. That is until we went in and then up the stairs. All the fun stuff was happening upstairs. We really enjoyed our visit here and are planning to come back the next time we visit Austin. It is a small museum but they really know how to utilize their space which is awesome. We plan to come back on museum day.... if not this year, next year. read more

The front desk clerk was helpful and nice. That was where the customer service ended. Everyone else seemed like they were glaring at us. It was a bit uncomfortable. That being said, the art was beautiful and unique. My only comment is... I felt underwhelmed. I felt like for $20 you would get to see a bit more art at the main location. I realize the ticket gets you into the sculpture park, but if you are traveling and have a booked day you can't always make a detour. I truly thank the artists who have placed their art on location for this building, but I won't say I recommend it. read more

I totally loved this museum. The galleries are beautifully laid out and the space itself is so easy to navigate. The staff was very friendly and welcoming. The exhibits we saw ranged from OK to fantastic. I had such a great time here and would recommend it for art lovers of any age. read more

I had been wanting to visit this museum for some time! It's fairly small but also very inexpensive to get it. They also have a nice rooftop patio with nice downtown views. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The curators here just suck donkey balls. The space is small, which means that the quality has to be top notch to have any sort of real impact. Since that is not the case, it ends up being just a waste of time. If you're already walking down Congress and have 10 minutes to kill and want to walk up some stairs, then whatever. But if you're looking to be engaged, challenged, enlightened, inspired or any of the other things people seek in experiencing art, prepare yourself to feel disappointed. Literally no one I know ever goes here, and all of my friends are artists, musicians, writers and composers. Austin is trying desperately to develop any sort of relevance in the art world, and the Contemporary *should* be at the forefront of that - like ICA has been in London in the past. Sadly, it is quite the opposite. It's not even relevant locally. read more

You hear about Austin being such a great art place but this was disappointing. It's two big rooms. Room One had someone with a "hot glue gun" exhibit. Room two was "found stuff" exhibit. The only interesting thing about the space was the exposed framework. read more

Contemporary Austin is a very small museum but it really packs a punch. For only five bucks, with discounts for students and seniors, you can wander around for about an hour or so and soak up a little culture. Just a few blocks down from the rather impressive Texas State Capitol, CAM is a beautiful contemporary building that sits on the corner of 7th and N Congress with floor to ceiling windows that provide wonderful lighting to the reception area. The museum is not overwhelming and so there is plenty of time to read about the artist and contemplate each piece. On my visit, I enjoyed the Tom Sachs' "Boombox Retrospective" which included a series of very amusing mini-movies in the viewing room behind the stairs. There are a few drinks and snacks sold from a cart, also behind the stairs. I was a little confused because there were cans of beer in the cooler with prices on them but I was told that they couldn't be sold. So, I'm not sure if some of the items were supposed to be a part of the exhibit or what. But, you could get a non-alcoholic refreshment or snack and walk around with it. The second floor is the larger exhibit hall and Sachs' pieces were scattered throughout in a very striking way. I thoroughly enjoyed meandering around. Photos are permitted, but you can't use a flash. Restrooms are on the second floor at the back. The gal who helped me at the desk was very friendly and informative. My receipt also gave me same-day admission to the second location on 35th street. I was told you probably will need to take a cab there. Overall, a very worthwhile stop as part of a day of sightseeing! read more

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This place is totally rad. I really enjoyed the new exhibit (A Secret Affair, selections from the Fuhrman family collection). I went to the opening. It was awesome! I am now a member. Their roof top deck is really really cool. It looks really beautiful and has some of the greatest views of downtown. read more

The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center - View from the rooftop deck at twilight. - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

We had our wedding reception here in April 2018. The venue is gorgeous and is perfect for a lively day to night event. So many of our guests commented on how beautiful the venue was and how it decorates itself. It was the perfect size for about 100 guests with a cocktail hour area and a dance floor. Views of the city are incredible, lighting was great, and sound was excellent. This outdoor venue also has a roof overhang with a built in rain plan that won't cost you a fortune. Maggie and Andrea from the Contemporary were incredibly organized, communicative, and flexible. I highly recommend this venue to any looking for a venue for their wedding/other events. read more