Feature
Austin Classical Guitar Celebrates 35 Years
Austin Classical Guitar’s 35th season was marked in memorable style at Troublemaker Studios.
This content was created in partnership with Thinkery.
On any given day in Mueller, curiosity is everywhere. Children test ideas, ask questions, and discover on their own. Long before benchmarks or career paths appear, these moments shape how children think, solve problems, and begin to see themselves as capable learners.
At Thinkery, curiosity is the starting point for every experience.
Located in the heart of Mueller and welcoming families from across the Austin area, Thinkery is a hands-on children’s museum where learning happens through play. Children move from tinkering with simple machines in the Innovators’ Workshop to exploring light and color in the Light Lab. Each experience is designed to spark imagination, encourage exploration, and make learning fun and meaningful.
STEAM Learning
Through play-based STEAM learning, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, children engage with these disciplines as connected ways of thinking rather than separate subjects. They investigate the world around them, use technology to design and test ideas, apply engineering principles to hands-on challenges, express ideas creatively, and use math to reason and solve problems.
We do not teach subjects in isolation,” says Alexa Clavijo, Senior Play & Learning Manager at Thinkery. “STEAM is a mindset. It is about creativity, problem solving, and making connections to real life.”
Thinkery’s exhibits and programs invite children to take risks, ask questions, and learn through trial and error. Spaces are intentionally designed so every child feels welcome and empowered. Children work with real tools, including scissors, cardboard cutters, robotics kits, and circuit blocks, transforming ideas into tangible creations and building confidence as they learn how things work.
Play Builds Skills for Life
Play is not a break from learning. It is how learning happens. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play supports physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development while strengthening executive function and problem-solving skills. Research from LEGO Education shows that hands-on learning is more engaging and effective than traditional instruction.
When adults encourage curiosity through play, children practice decision making, collaboration, communication, and adaptability. These skills extend far beyond childhood and remain valuable no matter how technology or careers evolve. At Thinkery, play is the foundation for developing these lifelong abilities.
Balancing Exploration and Structure
Finding the right balance between open-ended exploration and guided learning can be a challenge for caregivers. At Thinkery, the two work together. Open-ended experiences allow children to follow their interests, while educator guidance, thoughtful prompts, and intentionally designed spaces deepen learning.
Caregivers are encouraged to participate by observing, narrating, and extending play at home. These shared experiences strengthen family connections and reinforce the idea that learning can be enjoyable, ongoing, and accessible.
Learning for Every Child
Thinkery primarily serves children from birth through age 11, but its play-based approach supports a wide range of learners. Children engage at their own pace, develop social and cognitive skills, and learn alongside peers. Neurodivergent children and those with different learning styles are encouraged to follow their interests and take the lead in their learning experiences.
Supporting Families and Educators
Caregivers are essential partners in learning, and Thinkery offers a welcoming space beyond home and school where families can play and learn together. Recognizing that play is learning helps relieve the pressure to create perfect activities. Simple moments, like stacking blocks or exploring balance, support language development and strengthen family bonds.
Thinkery also extends its impact through the STEAM Learning Institute, which partners with educators, researchers, and community organizations to study play-based, child-centered learning. This work supports professional development and brings innovative, inclusive approaches to classrooms and learning spaces across Central Texas.
At Thinkery, every visit invites children to explore, invent, and learn. The 40,000-square-foot museum offers hands-on exhibits and other programs, including family nights, field trips, and birthday celebrations. As part of the LEGO Playful Learning Museum Network, Thinkery draws on global research to ensure experiences remain engaging and relevant for all children.
Visit Thinkery in Mueller to explore exhibits, join programs, and celebrate learning through play. To learn more about Thinkery memberships, which include free general admission, exclusive benefits, and flexible options for families of any size, visit www.thinkeryaustin.org.
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Just off Old Manor Road, behind General Marshall Middle School, sits an unassuming warehouse many Mueller residents might overlook. Yet behind those plain walls lies a working film studio complete with the full set of Iron City, the sprawling dystopian world built for Robert Rodriguez’s 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel. On September 27, that unique setting became the site of Austin Classical Guitar’s 35th season celebration. Troublemaker Studios, rarely open to the public, offered the space for the event, transforming its cinematic streetscape into an atmospheric stage. Guests dined on paella and sipped sangria while celebratory performances from the Austin Flamenco Academy and Crockett High School’s Mariachi de Oro filled the air. The evening culminated with a mesmerizing set by world-renowned flamenco guitarist Grisha, ACG’s 2025–26 artist in residence, who officially launched the organization’s new season, “Spark.”
The celebration offered a rare glimpse into one of Austin’s most iconic creative spaces and into the story of how a homegrown filmmaker helped anchor part of Hollywood in Central Texas. Troublemaker Studios was founded by Robert Rodriguez, a San Antonio native and University of Texas at Austin alumnus, whose work helped define the city’s modern film identity. Rodriguez credits his UT film professor, Charles Ramírez Berg, with shaping his cinematic perspective and fueling his independent spirit.
A Striking Location Walking through the Iron City set today, the scale of that vision is striking. The cobbled streets and faux-metal gates frame colorful shopfronts and building facades, covered with multilingual signage advertising cafés, healers, and scrap merchants. The result is a world that feels both ancient and futuristic. It is truly an immersive illusion of a society rebuilt from ruins. When Alita: Battle Angel was filmed there, its $200-million budget made it the most expensive production ever shot in Texas. That achievement stands out in a state that continues to lag neighboring New Mexico and Georgia in attracting productions with competitive film incentives.
The Texas Film Commission, founded in 1971, once helped make the state a powerhouse for production. Between 1970 and 1990, nearly 350 films were shot across Texas, bolstering local economies as crews spent on lodging, catering, and services. But over the past decade, as other states increased their financial incentives, Texas’s competitiveness has waned. In 2014, the Texas Moving Image Industry Incentive Program operated on a $95 million budget, offering rebates of up to 20 percent on qualified in-state expenditures. Two years later, legislators cut that figure by more than half. The result was a gradual migration of film productions elsewhere, with a few notable exceptions.
Supporting Texas Filmmaking Filmmakers like Rodriguez and fellow Austinite Richard Linklater have continued to keep their cameras rolling in Texas. Since reorganizing his company as Troublemaker Studios in 2000, Rodriguez has filmed at least portions of every project in the state. In that light, Alita: Battle Angel stands as both a spectacle of science fiction and a statement of faith in Texas filmmaking. The rare peek inside Troublemaker Studios made Austin Classical Guitar’s event an unusual treat. Beneath the glow of the Iron City lights, guests celebrated the intersection of two of Austin’s great creative forces: music and film. For many attendees, the evening offered more than a concert; it revealed an alternate world tucked quietly into the Mueller neighborhood, a reminder that in Austin, imagination often hides in plain sight.
December 2025
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