Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, Sculpture garden and art museum in the Zilker neighborhood, Austin, Texas

The Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum stands at 605 Azie Morton Road in the Zilker neighborhood, next to Zilker Park. The museum building, constructed by the City of Austin in 1991 with private funds, holds Charles Umlauf's sculptures, while the surrounding xeriscaped garden displays his work outdoors among plants suited to the dry Texas climate.

Charles Umlauf taught in the University of Texas at Austin Art Department for 40 years, beginning after his War Mother (1939) led to a job offer from the university. During the Great Depression he worked for the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project. In 1985 he and his wife Angeline gave their home, studio and 168 sculptures to the City of Austin; the museum opened on adjoining city land in 1991.

The museum's gallery mounts seasonal exhibitions of contemporary artists, mainly from Texas and the South; past shows have featured James Surls, Jesús Moroles, Luis Jiménez, Michael Ray Charles and Farrah Fawcett, Umlauf's student and occasional muse. An annual Umlauf Prize gives an Austin-based emerging artist a stipend and a solo show.

The garden sits at 605 Azie Morton Road, next to Zilker Park, and is maintained by staff and volunteers with support from the City of Austin. The grounds are xeriscaped, planted for dry conditions, so paths and beds stay low on water. Exhibitions change with the season, so what is on view indoors varies through the year.

Charles Umlauf's War Mother (1939), a large public sculpture made during his time with the Works Progress Administration, helped earn him his teaching post at the University of Texas. The museum also holds an annual prize for an emerging Austin artist, with a stipend and a solo show.