East Austin Studio Tour

As the East Austin Studio Tour thrives with new participation – 210 artists and designers this year – how do you decide what to see in two days? Previewing the website at www.eastaustinstudiotour.com is a good idea. And the full-color catalogs, available at BookPeople and art-friendly East Austin businesses, are phat with funny pictures and well worth $5 as a reference resource. That said, the overall quality of this free, family-friendly event is such that even if you just hop on your bike and ride around, you will see handmade innovations, novel and unique items, playful designs, and good architecture. The intimate open-house format of EAST continues to charm and inspire our creative community. If you're still unsure where to start, perhaps suggestions from a few art-savvy locals will help you get off on the right foot.

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Anne Elizabeth Wynn, freelance writer, mom, and avid art collector

Art Palace Arturo Palacios' eye is the most acute and adventurous of any curator in our region.

Bolm Studios/Big Medium I already know Joseph Phillips and Shea Little are two of the very best visual artists in Austin. I don't know Adam Carnes at all, but I just fell in love with the sculpture shown in the EAST catalog.

Flatbed Press The range of work shown is never of an uneven caliber, and a whole lot of affordable good work is available for sale. It's so fun to dig through the vertical files and the flat files.

Pump Project Art Complex I haven't made it over there yet, but the buzz from their recent opening is great, and I like catching that many new artists under one roof.

Slugfest Printmaking Workshop and Gallery Tom Drueker's lilting conversations open your eyes to so many things within and beyond small jewels on paper, and it's a little jewel box of a space with a great patio and a great cat in the back.

Caroline Wright's studio Caroline is the best abstract painter I have ever seen in our city, and she's so young, so you better get something now.

Also: Blue Genie Art Industries, Studio 107, Big Red Sun, Progress Coffee

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Craig Nasso, architect and neighborhood association activist

Art Palace Arturo Palacios has had his finger on the pulse of Austin's contemporary-art environment since his days of living in the back room of Galeria Sin Fronteras.

Barry George I'm looking forward to seeing his recent New York found-object sculptures.

Okay Mountain Check out this new studio space and the skillful drawings of Peat Duggins, Sterling Allen, and others.

Pump Project Art Complex Full of great art and artists in an inspiring space.

Splinter Group Don't miss the top-notch furniture design and craftsmanship.

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Billy Kirkland, owner/director of the defunct eekabeeka gallery and the soon-to-launch Eastside gallery KRKLND

Art Palace Arturo Palacios is really working it over here. His exhibition program is definitely one of the "must sees" in Austin.

Fisterra Studio I've enjoyed visiting this home/work space in the past, and I'm looking forward to seeing the new renovations.

Obsolete Industries Inc./Lucky Flame Gallery I enjoy the graphics, and the new gallery promises to be interesting.

Okay Mountain A great space and very interesting program. This collective, who are artists in their own right, concentrates on showcasing work produced outside Austin. For EAST, they will be highlighting their own work.

Studio 107 I can't wait to check out Liz Joblin's new space, which is located in a new mixed-use building designed by BercyChen Studio.

Also: Ginko Studios, Andrew Long, Alonso Rey Sanchez, Catherine Hart at Comfort Studio

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Dana Friis-Hansen, executive director of Austin Museum of Art

Ginko Studios The artists who form this couple are both strong, longtime artists, but a special treat is to see their work plus the interesting objects that they collect and the space in which they live.

Germaine Keller This artist, relatively new to town, is a teacher at AMOA's Art School and is in an exhibition at Laguna Gloria. She has interesting strategies toward composition.

Okay Mountain The creativity should be flowing in the streets on this rare occasion when this team gets to show together.

Studio 107 I am a fan of this important DIY gallery.

Caroline Wright's studio I visited her last summer and liked the energy in her drawings.

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Eva Buttacavoli, AMOA director of exhibitions and education

Fisterra Studio Juicy paintings and forged steel sculpture in a newly remodeled 100-year-old house – so Austin.

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata Continuing to subvert any expectations, brilliantly

Meg Stone at Big Medium She's just got the most beautiful line.

Studies in Natural Perfumery Take a break in exercising your aesthetic eye and just respect the nose.

Sally Weber/Resonance Studios Light installations, holography, photography – a must-see.

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The East Austin Studio Tour takes place Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 17 & 18, 10am-5pm. For more information, visit www.eastaustinstudiotour.com.