Results tagged “art”

With so many great openings and events taking place over the next few days, this is shaping up to be a busy weekend for art lovers. Here is a brief rundown of some of the highlights. See you at the galleries! BiRDHOUSE Gallery (1304 E. Cesar Chavez) is hosting a reception for Corinne Loperfido's new show Not Everything Will Be Okay But Some Things Will on Sunday from 6-10pm. Loperfido's carefully stitched and penned work often suggest traditional folk art, seen through the lens of contemporary, dry wit. BiRDHOUSE's openings always deliver all the charm of a neighborhood block party, so come out and toast our early spring. more ›

Our favorite downtown, non-profit, Texas-focused, contemporary art center, Arthouse, has been closed since October while they undergo expansions and reservations at their Jones Center location. The gallery is expected to open again in October of this year, but instead of bowing out of Austin's art scene for the duration of construction, the dedicated folks at Arthouse have been busy bringing in speakers (Gary Carrion-Murayari, the co-curator of the 2010 Whitney Biennial, will be in town in April), hosting workshops and teen programs, and even co-producing a series for the much anticipated upcoming Fusebox Festival. For the month of February, Arthouse has launched a micro-giving campaign, I Heart Arthouse, with the goal of receiving 2,000 $5 gifts. The combined effort would raise $10,000 dollars for the museum's exhibitions and educational programing and prove that everyone can be a philanthropist and patron of the arts. All donations can be made online. more ›

• Dallas needs to start getting ready for the next Super Bowl!
• Michael Jackson's Houston-based doctor now charged with involuntary manslaughter.
• New exhibit of the work of modern Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan will be showing at the Menil Collection in Houston. This looks super-fun!

February is the month in which to celebrate all things hot and sexy; never mind that we're sopping wet, freezing cold, and that a stupid rodent prophesied six more weeks of winter. Lucky for us, the Blanton Museum of Art is ushering in February in style with their new exhibit, Desire. The group show, which opens on Friday with a very special B scene art party, includes recent work by international contemporary artists responding to the complex human emotion of desire. This major exhibition, commissioned by the Blanton, includes a full roster of events including special guest speakers, a film series, and gallery tours. Singer songwriter Suzanna Choffel and DJ Nicknack will entertain at Friday's B scene opening reception. Attendees can tour the new exhibit, participate in art activities, and join the Austinist crew to play an interactive game designed to facilitate mingling, art appreciation, and maybe even love connections! As always, the Blanton will provide free appetizers, tours, and access to a cash bar, and because this month marks the opening of a new exhibit, museum members get free admission to this event (general public tickets cost $12). more ›

Last week, Ron Berry, the easygoing powerhouse behind the Fusebox Festival, announced the lineup for the multi-disciplinary art festival that will entertain audiences this spring between April 21st and May 1st. With an estimated eighty percent of the lineup finalized, Berry described various headlining events that will be staged in theaters, galleries, and the streets of Austin. The ever ambitious duo of choreographer Allison Orr and composer Graham Reynolds are teaming up again to kick off the festival on the steps of the capitol, where two-hundred Texas two-steppers will perform accompanied by a live western swing orchestra. more ›

A new local website aims to provide in-depth looks at local artists through video storytelling. Austin-Artists.com will focus on Austin standouts in food, fashion, music and visual arts. The initial lineup features Parkside chef Shawn Cirkiel, designer Valeri Abrego-Liszewski, the band Street Light Suzie, and eco-artist Sonya Mendeke. The site, founded by local artist Mary Gatling and tech veteran Roy Gatling, launched Wednesday and will release new video interviews each week. more ›

There are many great art events taking place around town this weekend, here are a few of the highlights: Tonight, the ink-slingers over at Industry Print Shop (2503 B E. 6th St.) are celebrating the one year anniversary of PRINT+addiction screen printing parties. Stop by the shop between 6pm and 10pm for some live, hot, screen printing action courtesy of the Amazing Hancock Brothers. Industry's eight color press will be ready to go with various designs from the brothers' collection of twisted folk images. Attendees can purchase a shirt, choose as many designs as they would like, design their own layout, and even squeegee their own ink. more ›

Those of us struggling to make our livings following our creative passions have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn. Luckily, here in Austin, we're in good company - surrounded by countless talented artists, we have people to turn to for advice, collaboration, and most of all support. In that spirit, Domy Books has teamed up with Chicago based Temporary Services to present Art Work: A National Conversation about Art, Labor, and Economics. Art Work is a newspaper and website consisting of writing by artists, academics, and activists responding to the recession and discussing how it has affected the creative process and artistic compensation. Domy will act as the Austin distribution hub for the publication and is hosting tonight's discussion which is being organized by Claire Ruud, editor of ...mightbegood, and artist Kate Watson. The 32-page paper will be distributed throughout the country and in Puerto Rico and includes pieces from New York Time Art Critic Holland Cotter, author Julia Bryan-Wilson, and many visual artists. more ›

Jade Walker built the installation "Spectator Sport" at the Austin Museum of Art, and she's giving an Artist Talk about it there tonight. After the Museum's Assistant Curator introduces her and the installation at 7pm, she'll give a slide lecture. In the photo at right, Mrs. Walker wears a warm coat in Japan. more ›

In Central Texas, we have limestone and water to thank for creating some of our favorite natural destinations; Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool, and Inner Space Caverns are just a few of the rock and water formations we seek out on a regular basis. Houston artist Kia Neill has spent the last few years recreating structures that have been perfected in nature by rendering them in everyday materials like paper-mache, chicken wire, Christmas lights, and typical craft store standbys like paint, glitter, and rhinestones. On Saturday, her latest exhibit Terrain opens at Women and Their Work Gallery. For Terrain Neill will focus on the above ground landscape where us terrestrial beings haunt. Inside the gallery, patrons will walk through an environment of artificial rocks, handmade stalagmites, and geodes sparkling with the help of crushed CDs and LED lights. The opening reception for Terrain will start at 6pm and Neill will give a talk about the installation at 7pm. more ›

Congratulations are in order for the team at OKAY Mountain as they won the coveted PULSE Prize and People’s Choice Award for their site-specific installation, Corner Store, at the 2009 PULSE Contemporary Art Fair, held in Miami December 3 - 6. PULSE is an annual event that celebrates the best of the best in international contemporary art and coincides each year with Art Basel Miami, one of the most established art fairs in the U.S. The PULSE prize is a $2500 cash grant that is awarded to an emerging artist of distinction. more ›

The Cherrywood Art Fair returns this weekend with work from more than 80 artists. As always, the Cherrywood fair is hosted by Maplewood Elementary (38 1/2 St. at Maplewood) and admission is free! Proceeds from Cherrywood's always impressive silent auction benefit the school and arts and landscaping programs in central East Austin. Stop by on Saturday between 10am and 6pm or on Sunday from noon to 6pm to enjoy art activities, workshops from the WonderCraft, artist demos, live music, and more. Look over the complete list of participating artists and make sure to read about the inspiring Little Artist/Big Artist program with work for sale at the fair. more ›

For over thirty years, the Austin Visual Arts Association (AVAA) has supported area artists behind the scenes and behind the canvas by organizing weekly classes to foster artistic talents, arranging discussion panels to encourage conversations about art, and assembling exhibits to give exposure to deserving artists. Tonight, AVAA will host the first ever Austin Visual Arts Awards to recognize the many talented creatives that call Austin home. The awards ceremony will take place at the Austin Museum of Art Downtown beginning at 7pm. Tickets to the awards may be purchased online or at the door for $25.00 - admission includes a cocktail reception and networking event. more ›

Each year there seem to be more craft fairs and art bazaars offering their locally, handmade goodness as an alternative to the mall shopping scene. We're certainly not complaining - it's hard for us to find holiday joy in line at Wal-Mart on X-mas Eve. We'll be bringing you more details about upcoming holiday art fairs in the coming weeks - until then, check out our rundown of the crafty happenings taking place this weekend. more ›

We're still coming down from our East Austin Studio Tour high - with four days of visiting studios and a week full of happenings and performances, this was undoubtedly our favorite EAST to date. As always, we were struck by the sheer number of artists and creatives working out of the East Side and were blown away by the diversity of the work. In a few short days we were able to model hand crafted hats, letterpress our own cards, screenprint a tee-shirt, see work by some amazing artists, buy locally handmade gifts, and generally feel inspired and proud to be surrounded by a community that values creativity. As artist Stephanie Nance encouraged in her blog, "don't let the East Side of I-35 scare you! It's full of wonderful art, culture, and diversity and it's waiting for you... get your bikes or good waking shoes out and be a tourist!" We're sure glad we did. more ›

Among Austin printmakers, screenprinting reigns supreme - the sometimes messy process requires relatively little equipment and nicely compliments our rock and roll lifestyle. For every collective of anarchists kids squeegeeing patches in their kitchen, there is an Austin printmaker pursuing a different printing technique. Kat and Brad Murph are a pair of such printers, and in 2006 they founded Vertallee Letterpress, a design and print studio in East Austin. Letterpress is like screenprinting's older, more refined sister - the delicate embossing instantly gives paper a polished aesthetic. Vertallee provides custom design and printing for invitations, business cards, and all manner of ephemerata. Vertallee Letterpress are participating in East Austin Studio Tour - stop by their studio at 701 Tillery St. to see their work and try your hand at printing on their Heidelberg Windmill press. Vertallee's creative director, Kat Murph answered some questions for us about the letterpress process and the future of the printed word. more ›

The ever fantastic East Austin Studio Tour continues this weekend with open studios and more art programs and happenings. Here's a rundown of some of our suggestions for weekend art enjoyment. Don't miss your final opportunity to check out East Austin studios this weekend. If you're feeling overwhelmed with the 150+ participating locations, review our list of survival tips and studio picks and our interviews with EAST artists. Artists participating in EAST will have their studios open from 10am until 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Head over to the official East Austin Studio Tour site to see the full list of artists and to download a copy of the EAST map. We'll see ya on the East Side! more ›

For fifteen years, the members of the Women Printmakers of Austin have dedicated themselves to exploring artistic expression and expanding the audience of fine art printmaking. Deeply rooted in historical printing traditions, these artists are now able to blend classic techniques with modern technology to create contemporary works of art. The WPA recently acquired studio space in Pump Project's newly rennovated Satellite Studio and Flex Space. The new shared space grants 24 hour access to studio subscribers who can avail themselves of etching and intaglio supplies, a large press, and other tools of the trade. The Women Printmakers of Austin are participating in this weekend's East Austin Studio Tour and can be visited at 1109 Shady Lane, just up the road from the Pump Project complex. Artist and WPA Chair Angela Hayes answered some questions for us about the future of printmaking and what it's like to work with a team of talented women. more ›

Attention Rio Rita patrons: When was the last time you enjoyed your foamy cappuccino (or alternatively, your jalapeno-infused vodka) inside Rio Rita's impossibly adorable environs? In between Scrabble games or knitting or recounting NPR, did you take note of your counter server? There is a good chance you were serviced by Nick Henning, pop art-inflected painter and resident artist at the Pump Project Art Complex. more ›

Taking her cues from the "anything goes" rules of children's literature, illustrator Audrey Lopata carefully pens colorful worlds inhabited with scarf-wearing-lizards, zombie pirates, and mermaids. Her black and white comic panels express slightly more grown-up emotions but still convey the sense of whimsy that is so evident through out Lopata's work. Stop by the Pump Project Art Complex this weekend during East Austin Studio Tour to see Lopata's studio space and that of many other talented artists. Audrey sat down with us to talk about what inspires her and how she goes about creating alternative worlds where elves and fairies roam. more ›

There are many skills your average crafter possesses. Decoupage. Knitting. Some light carpentry. But if there's one thing every crafter knows how to do, it's hustle, y'all. Case in point? Etsy.com, a ginormous online catalog of handmade creations. Open since 2005, Etsy allows entrepreneurial crafters from all over to set up shop on the interwebs. And in October of 2008, our fair city got its very own street team: Etsy Austin. You can check out these ladies, and their stationary-making/metal-fabricating/hat-stitching compatriots this weekend during the East Austin Studio Tour, at Smith Studios on 1406 Smith Road (stop 60 on the tour map). more ›

It's the type of thing indie film dreams are made of: four girls, all crafters, long to open their own craft studio. Girls pool their money for an Airstream trailer. Girls move in with crafts. Girls take "craft trailer" on the road, teaching children and adults alike the joys of coil baskets, stampmaking and bookbinding. (Shhh - did you hear that sound? That's the sound of Drew Barrymore purchasing film rights!) The WonderCraft is the real-life lovechild of Austin crafty ladies Beth Hempton, Albrecht, Jen Bryan and Kim Sae-Eua, whose mobile craft trailer "Stella" makes her debut this year at East Austin Studio Tour. Stella will be parked at 628 Allen St. as guests of Courtney Gray/Creative Side Jewelry Academy (stop 45 on the E.A.S.T. map). more ›

Austin may be known for it's liberal attitudes, causal fashion, and nearly constant sunshine - as a result, outside of the occasional beat-up cowboy hat or burnt orange baseball cap, we're not big hat wearers. Despite this, Austin is home to a few talented milliners, among them Jean Cannon of Zenda Hats whose studio will be open this weekend for East Austin Studio Tour. Cannon's work is high-fashion enough to adorn the head's of church ladies and Austin enough to accessorize us at our version of church - Sunday morning breakfast tacos. Among the work on display during the tour is a fabulous silken bonnet that Cannon created for a theater costume, a stunning black women's top hat, and a handsome men's fedora. Stop by her studio (at 3709 Werner Ave) this weekend during EAST to try on many hats and see the tools of the trade. Come pretty and prepared - photographers Kristin Ware and Debbie Smith will be at the site with their Polaroid photo-booth to capture everyone's fashionable finery. more ›

If a book, a record, and a wall painting were to have a ménage à trois together, it is Monofonus Press who would provide the bedroom. In real life, these are called threesomes; in the art world, these are called "collaborations." Just over a year old, Monofonus Press has been facilitating innovative cross-media works with stunning proliferation, reaching out to artists as diverse as Noel Waggener, icon-heavy poster designer; grrl rockers Follow That Bird!; and Michener Center-minted Brian Hart. Recently voted “Best Multiple Media Idea” by the Austin Chronicle,Monofonus Studios, located at 610 Vermont Road, encourages art voyeurs of all stripes to stop by during that East Austin Studio Tour. We spoke with co-founder Morgan Coy, who, suspiciously enough, created Monofonus with two other partners. more ›

One can only imagine the reactions that someone like Bob Ragan gets when he tells people what he does for a living. Stone carver? Really? ...Wow! This reaction would be accompanied by a perplexed look as people realize what that entails. Followed by the natural conclusion that it's pretty damn cool. But, part of the puzzlement for those few seconds has to be figuring out what it actually does entail? Well, for anyone who ever wanted a peek into how stone is carved, now is your chance. Ragan, along with fellow professional stone carvers Matthew Johnson and Stuart Simpson — also known as Flying Fingers Stone Co-op — will bring the wow factor to East Austin Studio Tour with on-site carving demonstrations this weekend and next. more ›

Every now and again an everyday object will catch our eye with its clean lines, its bright alluring colors, and simple sophistication. Such is the case with every cup Melanie Schopper designs and makes. Using a clay process known as slip casting and her uncanny eye for color combinations, Schopper is able to bring new life to a traditional form. A member of Handmade Austin Women, Schopper will be showing her work at Ginko Studios (800 Gullett St.) during this year's East Austin Studio Tour. more ›

Ah, screen printing - a vexing mistress are you. So difficult, but so handy. Over 100 years old, traditional screen printing requires large and unwieldy accouterments - imagine an exploded Xerox machine with parts sticking out everywhere - but a whole century later, its untidy appearance belies its staying power and demand. The boys behind Bearded Lady, a local screen printing outfit here in Austin, should know. Josh Chalmers and JD Fanning started their studio in 2000, developed a large enough client base to go full-time in 2002, and today, work with everyone from local bands to Robert Rodriguez's Troublemaker Studios. We asked Chalmers to chat with Austinist about Bearded Lady, which is gearing up for participation in the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors can drop by at 3504 East 4th Street - # 47 on the EAST map - and in addition to gawking at comely band posters and design projects, you can also visit with Bearded Lady's security personnel (i.e. very small, very adorable dogs). more ›

While the East Austin Studio Tour offers the opportunity to discover new artists opening their studios to the public for the first time, it is also a great time to visit and catch up with established artists that have been a part of the Austin art scene for many years. Such is the case with Daniel Burns, an artist known for his soulful depictions of Austin landmarks and a past participant of EAST. Burns has just returned from a two-year stint in New York where he lived while his wife, Cari, completed her graduate degree. Happy to be back in Austin, Burns brings with him a new series of paintings created on the streets of NYC that pulsate with the same jubilant energy inherent in the city itself. Straight from the book of the early French Impressionists, these En plein air works capture a snapshot of modern life in the moment. His quick, fluid brushstrokes and vibrant colors perfectly evoke the bustle of a busy afternoon in downtown Manhattan. In addition to Burns' new paintings, this year's tour participants will also get to see prints from his Austin Landmarks collection. more ›

Outside of the Archie or superhero world, comic art lurks in some fairly dark places. Three of the most prominent members of the alternative comics movement will be at the Bass Concert Hall on Friday to discuss their art, work, and the culture they've helped to create. Robert Crumb, founder of the underground comix movement, will join Art Spiegelman in a discussion moderated by fellow artist and Spiegelman's wife, Françoise Mouly. more ›

Bonnie Rue is the type of gal you wanted to be BFF's with at summer camp. The one who snuck copies of Sassy into chapel, the one with a forearm covered in lanyards and friendship bracelets, the one making zines out of photos and Xeroxed leaves. In short, Bonnie is the type of gal who would one day grow up and create Model Citizen, a line of T-shirts, dresses, hoodies, yoga wear, jewelry and accessories emblazoned with funky, punky iconography. Think screaming tigers, pink guns, gooey cupcakes, vintage sewing machines - basically, where the lethal and the domestic intersect. Bonnie's opening her home and studio, located at 1304 East Cesar Chavez Suite A (#17 on the EAST map), for the East Austin Studio Tour. Visitors will be able to scope out her wares and even do some early holiday shopping. more ›