South Congress
Hotel
When New Waterloo built the South Congress Hotel in 2015, they wanted to create a space that honored the character of the neighborhood and of the historic avenue itself: artisanal, rustic, and timeless, with an offbeat and approachable vibe.
The partners hired me to select and install original local art in the guest rooms and lobby, a job that later grew to include sourcing accessories, plants, and furniture for the lobby, bar, and restaurants.
We wanted to install art that would create a welcoming, authentic vibe. The challenge was finding works that wouldn’t overpower the design-driven details and custom-built furniture throughout the hotel. Alyson Fox’s dreamy photography was enlarged to suit the scale of the lobby.
It was important that the guest room art be local to reflect the energy of Austin’s creative spirit. We commissioned a short list of artists to submit samples of work interpreting our vision. After we narrowed down the final works, we guided the artists through the production process.
Originally a loan from an art collector, the smiley face police riot shields by Jimmy Cauty became iconic in the bar. When the collector needed them back, we were able to contact Jimmy in the U.K., and luckily, he had just produced another small edition. He overnighted three to us and we avoided a lapse in happy faces at the bar.
Nick Simonite is an Austin-based photographer and director. We framed his textural aerial landscape images for the guest rooms and made them oversized as lobby art pieces.
Madison Fisk’s meticulous artwork is featured in a triptych along the hallway leading to the breezeway. Using only colored tape and varnish on wood panels, she creates mesmerizing symmetry and flow in her work. We met Madison through a friend and were thrilled to learn that she is the daughter of the Texan gem, Sissy Spacek.
As a long-time fan of Bob Schnieder’s award-winning music, I was delighted to discover that he is also a prolific visual artist. Bob graciously gave me permission to enlarge one of his collage pieces “Sacred” for a large wall in the hotel lobby. Soon after, he created larger scale art, featured at our inaugural pop-up art show “Symbiosis,” with fellow artist and friend Gareth Maguire.
Gareth Maguire’s “Wille” lithograph pays tribute to the legendary Willie Nelson. Gareth's more recent work was featured in a series pop-up art shows we programmed soon after called "Symbiosis."
When we realized we needed artwork for Café No Sé, we found Austin artist Diana Greenberg at a local gallery. We purchased the last piece from her sold out show and commissioned two additional works.