This Is Texas Water Presenting Sponsor at WaterWork

This September, one of Austin’s most recognizable pieces of water infrastructure will become a canvas for art, light, and storytelling.

This Is Texas Water is proud to join WaterWork 2026 as Presenting Sponsor, illuminating the campaign’s mission to an immersive public art experience on Lady Bird Lake and inspiring greater appreciation for Texas’ most vital resource.

Co-created by Design Austin and The Trail Conservancy, WaterWork returns for its third year to transform the Seaholm Intake Facilities iconic Art Deco façade with large-scale projection art that brings together design and nature.

Artwork by 22 Texan artists created for the scale and architecture of the building will invite the community to reflect on the relationship between the city’s built environment and the water that shapes it.

That idea is closely connected to the purpose behind This Is Texas Water: making water infrastructure visible and helping Texans better understand the resource that sustains our communities.

“When art, design, and nature come together, they invite people to see their surroundings in a new light,” said Ingrid Spencer, Executive Director of Design Austin. “WaterWork uses creativity to spark curiosity about one of our most essential resources, fostering greater appreciation and care for Austin’s waterways. That’s what makes our partnership with This Is Texas Water so exciting. Together, we’re creating experiences that invite Texans to connect more deeply with the places they love and the water that sustains them.”

Launched statewide this summer, This Is Texas Water is working to make water more visible in Texans’ everyday lives – including the built, natural and human infrastructure that make our communities possible.

Through experiences like WaterWork, This Is Texas Water is finding new ways to bring water into view and encourage Texans to think about their own relationship with the resource.

“Water touches every part of life in Texas, but we don’t always stop to think about where it comes from or the systems that make it available to us every day,” said Chairwoman L’Oreal Stepney of the Texas Water Development Board. “This Is Texas Water is about creating those connections. WaterWork gives us a powerful and creative opportunity to help Texans see water differently and deepen their appreciation for the resource that sustains our communities and our state.”

WaterWork takes place at dusk on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 and is free and open to the public. Visitors can view the projections from across Lady Bird Lake along the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, with Auditorium Shores and the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge among the recommended viewing locations.

For a different view, attendees can take to the lake by kayak or paddle board, reserve a ticketed boat cruise, or watch from Nido’s terrace overlooking the waterfront. Shoreline visitors are encouraged to arrive early to secure a good viewing spot.

Learn more about your water using the This Is Texas Water Know Your Water zip code look-up tool.