AUSTIN (KXAN) — The “Field of Light” exhibition at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will stay in Austin in 2023.

On Tuesday, C3 Presents announced the outdoor art exhibit, featuring 28,000 solar-powered bulbs of light in a field at the wildflower center, has been extended through May 2023. The stems will fill the fields with multi-colored light, all in an effort to raise awareness for environmental conservation efforts.

British artist Bruce Munro, the Wildflower Center, C3 Presents, and the University of Texas at Austin collaborated on the project, which opened in Austin in early September.

How the ‘Field of Light’ arrived in Austin

KXAN’s Kelsey Thompson spoke with Catenya McHenry, the Wildflower Center’s director of marketing and communications in August about the project.

McHenry said the piece speaks to the Wildflower Center’s own sustainability and conservation initiatives.

All the materials being used are made from acrylic glass and fiber optics, while the lights are solar-powered. All the elements are recyclable and were shipped in from Britain to use.

For Munro, the exhibit taps into his own love for nature and his expertise in the lighting industry.

  • The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of "Field of Light," an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
    The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of “Field of Light,” an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
  • The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of "Field of Light," an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
    The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of “Field of Light,” an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
  • The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of "Field of Light," an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
    The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of “Field of Light,” an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
  • The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of "Field of Light," an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)
    The Wildflower Center, C3 Presents and British artist Bruce Munro are collaborating on the Austin launch of “Field of Light,” an immersive piece that highlights the intersections of art, technology and nature. (Courtesy: The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center)

“He realized that you could change someone’s mood just by light and how something is lit,” McHenry said. “And so one of the things he really talked about was just being moved, and it being an immersive experience. He wanted people to walk away with a smile.”

Originally, Munro had launched a makeshift display in his London front yard, illuminating it each night. Over time, crowds would gather outside his yard to bask in the lights.

Tickets for ‘Field of Light’

Tickets for January and February are available now. Regular tickets prices start at $41 for adults.

On Sundays, students and teachers, with valid school IDs, will be able to purchase a $30 Field of Light ticket.