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Do you have a strange compulsion to “get involved”? Wanna get up close and personal with Austin ISD’s board of trustees as they consider increasing property taxes? Revising the district scorecard? Mastering Lone Star Governance? Alas, your opportunities are dwindling! Scurry down to take in one of the last meetings of the board before summer break and listen in rapt silence as the trustees pose question after question to the harried, conscientious, and acronymically gifted AISD administrators. Hours of compelling public discourse await! – Brant Bingamon

Thanks to Seventies funk band War, the word “lowrider” often calls to mind the unforgettable sax riff of the band’s 1975 No. 1 single. But lowrider can mean a snazzy customized car with hydraulics or a person who works on such a vehicle, and the culture around these cars has strengthened Mexican American communities in the Southwest since the Forties. Learn more about them at this exhibit featuring an interactive touchscreen mural, cars and bikes on display, and stories about the people who make lowriding a community. A member reception takes place May 18. – Kat McNevins

Jacob Guzman’s art takes up SPACE. It’s got the scale and scope that needs to be seen in person, so rush to take in the last week of his work filling the walls of Ivester Contemporary. Guzman depicts BIPOC characters in a world full of the mundane, the joyful, the soul-crushing. So, you know, our world. Building on traditions from contemporary artists to Harlem Renaissance masters, Guzman’s blocky giants play with the absurd and beautiful parts of life.: – Cat McCarrey

Oh he-he, haw-haw: We’re all in a laughing mood these days, aren’t we, folks? Where better to let out the big guffaws than this exclusively queer comic competition produced by the folks behind Austin’s only queer comedy open mic, Tongue in Cheek. This Thursday, witness 10 finalists – Kat Ellison Williams, Moe Christine, Freya Fredrichs, Ellie DeCaprio, Mattie Yapp, May Buzzetti, Andrew Horneman, Lina Green, and Jose Da’Hype – go head-to-head for the title of Cheekiest Comic. Winner gets not only a cash prize but also a featured booking at New Orlean’s LGBTLOL Queer Comedy Fest. Comedian Ivy Le hosts and local comics/bookers Aira Juliet, Holly Hart, and Ryan Rogers post up at the judges’ table. – James Scott

The showcase for filmmaking from around the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking world may host year-round screenings, but its heart is still the annual festival. Its 26th year brings dramas from Peru and comedies from Mexico, as well as a reminder that the Hispanic world includes the United States. The Strike looks at the prisoner protests in California’s notorious Pelican Bay State Prison, while opening night film (and South by Southwest 2023 selection) Going Varsity in Mariachi takes a musical trip to South Texas. Plus: Don’t miss a rare big-screen showing of La Frontera, Austin filmmaker Iliana Sosa’s episode for the HBO anthology documentary series God Save Texas. – Richard Whittaker

“[Demonstrating] a dancer’s precision, she moved across the stage clutching a golden microphone, singing like a Latin Björk-burlesque hybrid,” observed the Chronicle from the mainstage of ACL Fest 2018. “Each movement timed out thrillingly, lending even pedestrian moves a huge payoff.” True dat – es cierto – because Chilean transmission Norma Monserrat Bustamante Laferte proved an instant revelation: hypnotic, seductive, provocative. Last year’s typically converting Autopoiética spilled a cornucopia of instruments (brass, woodwinds, accordions) and sounds: trip-hop tempos, digital chops, Auto-Tune. Femme fatale one moment, wronged the next – digital disco to torch traditionals – Mon Laferte’s effortlessly avant-garde and futuristically traditional. Ximena Sariñana opens. – Raoul Hernandez

Variety’s the spice of life, and queer people are spicy as hell – so this variety show from Austin podcast Queertowne promises flavors beyond your wildest imagination. Sprinkled with stand-up comedy from local comics Angelina Martin and Roxy Castillo, fans of the podcast as well as newcomers will enjoy segments like “Queertowne Quiz Time” and tunes from DJ Violeta. Standard fare from featured QT players Mase Kerwick, Javier Ungo, Charlie Blaine, and Kristen Washington stays tasty as always, so bring an appetite for entertainment. – James Scott

As a commenter on the Instagram post about this event said, I also “literally screamed out loud at this.” Singer-songwriter Reneé Rapp, only 24 years old, is a queer Gen Z icon who’s frank and outspoken about mental health and sexual identity, and is also having a bit of a moment following a star turn on Broadway as Regina George in the musical Mean Girls, which hit the big screen earlier this year. At a drag tribute hosted by Shitonya Face with tunes from DJ Turito, queens Brigitte Bandit, Ms Foxxy, Miss Steelya Girl, Lilith Azazel, Damiana Divine, and Moxie will honor the Snow Angel who’s stolen our hearts. – Kat McNevins

Communication is key. How else can we know what folks need without talking to them? These conversations are all the more important when between minority populations such as LGBTQ and Two-Spirit adults. From Family Eldercare’s program Rainbow Connections, whose work supports Austin’s queer elders, this event will connect older Two-Spirit and LGBTQ folks to improve their future. – James Scott

Hot button words in Texas: “build,” “border,” “wall.” But don’t bother trying to discuss them with your neighbors or aunts on Facebook – learn from Silky Shah, an actual expert. Local Texan Shah has been working in immigration reform (along with racial and prison reform) for over 20 years. She’s distilled that knowledge into her new book, where her lived experience and decades of research argues toward humanizing immigration policies. It’s not just about unbuilding the physical border walls. It’s about unbuilding every wall upstanding unjust detention for vulnerable populations. Listen to her compelling work in-person through conversations with local activist Bob Libal.v– Cat McCarrey

Between gallery installations, ICOSA Collective utilizes their window space facing the Canopy thoroughfare to showcase short-running art shows. These artists often experiment with the limits of their window framings while their work remains displayed 24/7. ICOSA Collective is proud to present this week the latest multimedia work from visual artist/curator Rebecca Marino, “DOGSBODY IS DEAD.” The Austinite takes inspiration from author Kathrine Dunn’s semi-autobiographical work Attic, which delves into life as a young woman incarcerated in the 1960s Midwest. The displayed art, ICOSA Collective promises, will unpack “the emotional/ behavioral standards placed upon women and the often tragic results that ensue.” – James Scott

I’ll admit it: I don’t believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein, or Superman. All I wanna do is bicycle! Bike Month ATX promises two-wheeler fun for the whole month of May. Break out the 10-speed, the recumbent, the cruiser, and join your fellow cyclists in the last nice weather days in Austin. There’s bike polo on May 5, or an all-level ride around Walnut Creek on the 19th. Help with meal delivery on the 22nd or pedal under a full moon on the 24th. Find pretty much every kind of bike fun under the sun (and moon!) at bikemonthatx.com, because those bicycle races? They’re coming your way. – James Scott

That's right: Cap City Comedy Club, the longtime cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades is at a new venue in the Domain. And here's Valerie Lopez with a closer look at what's in store for the scene via the venue. Click for details!

Traveling in Mexico, you frequently encounter changarritos – portable food carts or tienditas run by hardworking entrepreneurs. The carts usually operate outside of any formal regulation and, in that way, mirror the resilience and creativity of Mexican culture. In 2005, artist Máximo González appropriated the concept of the changarrito as a way for artists to take their work directly to the people. The idea came to Austin’s venerable Mexic-Arte Museum in 2012, with dozens of artists displaying art and interacting with the public outside the Downtown gallery. The concept is back and will run through August. – Brant Bingamon

Esther's Follies – Austin's not-so-secret weapon in the fight against ennui – the comedy gem that still dazzles this growing urban hub – returns to the weekly live and in-person stage of their club on Dirty Sixth, the whole troupe bringing back old favorites and debuting a new program of hilarity with topical, ripped-from-the-headlines sketches and musical numbers. And you do need a laugh or two, right about this time, don't you, citizen? (And how about a margarita to go with that?) We'd add that the mind-boggling illusions of magician Ray Anderson are a bonus in the night's clever spectacle … but, the way that arch maestro conjures mystery and delight, "bonus" would be an insult.