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Enjoy a Free Concert Inside James Turrell’s Skyspace & Learn How UT Austin Pairs Music + Art Across Campus

The Landmarks program invites you to explore modern art on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin while listening to a diverse mix of music

Songs in the Skyspace: a free UT Austin monthly music series hosted inside James Turrell’s immersive Skyspace, “The Color Inside.” (photo by Ismael Quintanilla III)
Songs in the Skyspace: a free UT Austin monthly music series hosted inside James Turrell’s immersive Skyspace, “The Color Inside.” (photo by Ismael Quintanilla III)

The University of Texas at Austin’s public art program, Landmarks, offers signature music programming that invites visitors to explore modern and contemporary art while listening to works by local musicians. Songs in the Skyspace, sponsored by KMFA, showcases a mix of voices and instruments, with monthly live performances inside James Turrell’s Skyspace, The Color Inside which is located on the UT Austin campus. Listening with Landmarks, sponsored by KUT/KUTX, features playlists by prominent Austin musicians and music personalities, curated and inspired by works from the public art collection.

James Turrell's "The Color Inside" (Photo by by Florian Holzherr)
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James Turrell’s “The Color Inside” (Photo by Paul Bardagjy)
James Turrell's "The Color Inside" (Photo by Paul Bardagjy)
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James Turrell’s “The Color Inside” (Photo by Paul Bardagjy)

The Color Inside

The Color Inside is James Turrell’s eighty-fourth Skyspace and sits in the center of the UT Austin campus atop the Student Activity Center. Each sunrise and sunset, a pre-programmed light sequence fills the space with brilliant washes of color. Through James Turrell’s masterful manipulation of light, the sequence causes the sky to appear in unimaginable hues. Overhead is the oculus, which, when you look up, captures the changing sky as it morphs with the setting sun.

Songs in the Skyspace

A visit to The Color Inside is a fascinating experience any time of year, but a viewing paired with live music during a Songs in the Skyspace session makes for an even more captivating atmosphere.

These concerts are free and open to the public with reservations required.

  • February 15, 2026: Conspirare
  • March 8, 2026: Austin Soundwaves
  • April 12, 2026: Kapwa
Songs in the Skyspace event with LOLA (courtesy of UT Austin Landmarks program)
Musicians from Local Opera Local Voices (LOLA) performing as part of Songs in the Skyspace inside James Turrell’s, The Color Inside, 2013. Photo by Thomas Meredith. Courtesy of Landmarks, the public art program of The University of Texas at Austin.

Wellness Wednesdays

Visitors are also invited to take part in a sound bath series inside The Color Inside. Sound healer Sonic Starchild (Jen Vu) will conduct these mediations with singing bowls, gongs and more. Free reservations will be released at noon, two days prior to each sound bath:

  • February 25th, 6 p.m.
  • March 25th, 7:17 p.m.
  • April 8th, 7:25 p.m.
  • April 22nd, 7:33 p.m.

Listening with Landmarks

Listening with Landmarks features playlists by prominent Austin musicians and music personalities curated in response to works from the public art collection. The playlists’ musical genres include rock, Classical, Tejano, R&B, reggae, country and more. One playlist is released each month on Landmarks’ website, social media channels, and on Spotify.

Find more info about UT Austin’s engaging art and music programming at landmarks.utexas.edu.

RELATED: UT Landmarks Program – Explore Public Art in Austin