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Working in nature, being in nature, just instinctively relaxes people. They relate to it. And to
have fine art in a beautiful garden, each compliments the other. Charles Umlauf was
a noted 20th century American sculptor who taught at The University of Texas here for
40 years. He came down from Chicago in 1941 and lived here until he died in 1994. His
sculpture is easily accessible. It's primarily figurative. And as you get comfortable with
the figurative pieces then you relax and begin to understand and appreciate the more abstract
pieces that he did as well. Back in 1985 Charles Umlauf and his wife Angie gave the city of
Austin their home, his studio, and 168 pieces of sculpture, and the city said well thank
you and they weren't quite sure what they were supposed to do with all of this. Because
Charles and Angie wanted to live in their home and how do you run a museum from somebody's
house. And luckily this piece of property we're on now became part of the city land
bank and so it took six years for a group of private citizens led by one Austin's grand
dames Roberta Crenshaw to raise the money to build this museum on this piece of property
that adjoins the unlost two acres. And it's fascinating because people who've been here
before will come and say 'oh I love what you've done in the back, you know, the way you've
rearranged those sculptures.' We haven't. We don't have the money too, but since the
last time they were here the trees have lost their leaves, the light is slanting in differently
so they have a whole new experience with that particular piece of sculpture. So it's just
a changing and fascinating and enriching experience to have it all in the garden.