Austin plans $1.26 billion convention center rebuild as artists say city will destroy embedded public art

The Austin Tourism Commission on March 12 heard competing accounts about the future of artworks embedded in the city’s existing convention center as staff outlined the $1.26 billion redevelopment that will close the current building April 1 and reopen in time for spring festival season 2029.

Why it matters: The convention center redevelopment, branded “Unconventional ATX,” will expand rentable indoor exhibit space from about 365,000 square feet to 555,000 square feet plus roughly 70,000 square feet of outdoor rentable event space. Artists and relatives of artists told the commission they received letters deaccessioning their works and said the city’s process has been opaque; they urged the city to fund removal and preservation so taxpayer‑funded artworks are not destroyed.

Artist Margo Sawyer, who identified herself as a University of Texas professor and Guggenheim Fellow, said her large mural‑scale work "Index for Contemplation" and others integrated into the convention center are slated to be demolished. Sawyer told the commission she has arranged to remove her piece at her own expense and that she will pay about $20,000 from personal funds to deinstall it on March 28–30. "This process has not been...transparent," Sawyer said, adding the city did not engage conservators to explore alternatives.

Artist John Yancey, identified as the creator of the convention center mosaic "Riffs and Rhythms" and a professor emeritus at the University of Texas, told the commission he believes City Council voted Jan. 30…