RSM | Pond Trail South

Welcome to The Really Small Museum at Austin Nature & Science Center |Bienvenidos al Museo Pequeñito 

2026 AUGUST & SEPTEMBER EXHIBITION | EXPOSICIÓN DE AGOSTO & JULIO (On the Pond Trail: South | Austin Nature & Science Center)

Elizabeth Hudson
Eco Maze Quilt, 2026
Watercolor on quilted canvas | Acuarela sobre lienzo acolchado

MEET & GREET with THE ARTIST | CONOZCA AL ARTISTA: August 23: 12-2pm at the installlation

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LISTEN TO | ESCHUCHA A: The Artist Talk About Their Installation:

Use Soundcloud link below or HAZ CLICK HERE to listen to the description

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Eco Maze Quilt is a quilt constructed in the shape of a box by Austin and Dallas based artist Elizabeth Maria Hudson. Hudson’s work centers on an exploration of visual symbols in Black southern storytelling and folklore, and what those symbols reveal about the subconscious of the storytellers and the listeners. Eco Maze Quilt is inspired by the rich history of Black Texan herbalists, naturalists, and agriculturalists who stewarded land and utilized the natural landscape to fill medicinal and culinary needs. 

Each side of the box represents a wild or cultivated plant found in Texas that was heavily relied upon by African American communities, including muscadines, pokeweeds, sassafras, walnuts, summer pears, and blackberries.

Both the literal and spiritual essences are represented in the box quilt to invite viewers to reflect on the importance of preserving traditional medicinal and culinary foodways.

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Eco Maze Quilt es un quilt construido en forma de caja por la artista Elizabeth Maria Hudson, radicada entre Austin y Dallas. El trabajo de Hudson se centra en la exploración de los símbolos visuales presentes en la narrativa y el folclore afroamericanos del sur de Estados Unidos, y en lo que esos símbolos revelan sobre el subconsciente tanto de quienes cuentan las historias como de quienes las escuchan. Eco Maze Quilt se inspira en la rica historia de herbolarios, naturalistas y agricultores afrotexanos que cuidaron la tierra y utilizaron el paisaje natural para satisfacer necesidades medicinales y culinarias. 

Cada lado de la caja representa una planta silvestre o cultivada presente en Texas y ampliamente utilizada por comunidades afroamericanas, entre ellas muscadinas, pokeweeds, sasafrás, nogales, peras de verano y zarzamoras.

Tanto la esencia literal como la espiritual están representadas en este quilt en forma de caja, invitando al público a reflexionar sobre la importancia de preservar las tradiciones medicinales y culinarias.

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WATCH A VIDEO OF THE INSTALL

"Black folklore has ignited my imagination for as long as I can remember. Growing up with a librarian mother and storytelling father, I have concerned myself with written and oral stories of all kinds, and what those stories say about the interiority of black womanhood. My work is a compilation of memories, Black American folklore from Texas, stories from family and friends, and spiritual impressions of hoodoo. They tell a story, illustrated through semiotics rather than faithful retellings. My current practice is focused on building a library of visual markers, some that reflect contemporary life and some that reflect traditions of old that show up in the collective. Markers like animal spirits, herbs, Biblical characters, and now, mazes, are the core of what excites me most as a painter"

- Elizabeth Maria Hudson

Elizabeth Maria Hudson (b. Los Angeles, 1989) is a watercolor figurative painter from Dallas, Texas. She studied painting and drawing at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and has a BA in history and art history from the University of Texas at Austin. She has exhibited at Pencil on Paper Gallery, George Washington Carver Museum, Big Medium, and Martha’s. Her current work centers on translating the nuances of Black American folklore into a visual language that focuses on womanist themes like agency, liberation, and community care. She currently lives and works between Dallas, Texas and Austin, Texas.

The Really Small Museum is brought to you by artist & curator | El Museo Pequeñito es presentado por la artista y curadora: JulietWhitsett.com | @juliet_whitsett_art| @ReallySmallMuseum_atx

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This project is supported in part by an Elevate Grant of Austin Arts, Culture, Music, & Entertainment. Este proyecto cuenta con el apoyo parcial de un Subsidio Elevate
de la Secretaría de Arte, Cultura, Música y Entretenimiento de Austin.

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Other Really Small Museum Shows at the Austin Nature & Science Center:

Now On View: Jules Buck Jones | 'Plague' | July & August 2026

Yevgenia Davidoff  | 'How Do We Learn to Care' | June & July 2026

Ms. Willett & Overton Elementary  | '(In) Visible Nature' | June 2026