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 Alternate Current Artspace photograph by Kenny Braun
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(A-33) 2209 S. First, 443-9674.
When things happen at AC Artspace, they don't just happen, rather they are happenings. From exhibitions of local comic strip art to film scene cocktail parties, these South Austin artists know how to throw a bash. Part of the cluster of small and old-Austin friendly artists' studios and small galleries to be found amid the funky eclecticism of South First, AC shines a well-deserved spotlight on some of the city's undiscovered artists.
Alternate Space Gallery at
First Universalist Unitarian Church
(A-65) 4700 Grover, 451-9915.
Now here's a metaphor for you: Art is at the heart of the church. That pretty well describes this most compact of artspaces, housed well in the bosom of what is arguably Austin's arts-friendliest church, First Universalist Unitarian (see separate listing in Live Performance). It may be only one room that can hold only eight or so paintings at a time, and may only be open during the church's main hours (Sundays, 8am-1pm), but just the fact that the church keeps a space alive for artists to share their spiritual expressions says a lot; it's a balm for the spirit.
Amdur Gallery
(A-11) 307 E. Fifth, 476-8960.
At a time when most Austinites still thought of East Fifth Street as the province of auto mechanics and transients, Austin arts scene veteran David Amdur saw the area as a home for art – at least his own. In 1978, he opened this converted garage to showcase his modern, stylistic, sometimes eccentric mixed media pieces. Today, East Fifth is a hot spot for arts and entertainment, and Amdur is still there, with his art, prints, altars, and handmade hardwood frames.
And Now Something Different Gallery
(A-26) 1705 Guadalupe, 875-4784.
Like many of the ArtPlex galleries, this space offers lots of intriguing, engaging art in a cozy area. Gallery owner Leslie Pierce spreads her showings over four rooms, which have the benefit of windows and the warm light that streams through them. Most of the work is conceptual photography and drawings, including a collection of hand-painted prints depicting a punk rock Statue of Liberty and the artist in a fishbowl.
& Art Gallery
(A-45) 3663 Bee Caves Rd., # 4F, 328-3631.
Bringing up the rear end of the sign that reads "Quality Frames," " ... & Art Gallery" may seem a second thought. But this Westlake showplace for paintings, prints, clay, porcelain, and bronzes holds its own. The walls are chock-a-block with works, most of them representational, with a heavy dose of Texas landscapes and Southwestern/Spanish architecture. More than dozen local artists are represented here.
Art on 5th
(A-1) 1501 W. Fifth, 481-1111.
With 3,000 square feet filled with Rauschenberg and Warhol, Haring and Hockney, Matisse and Peter Max, this is by far the best collection of modern and contemporary art in the city. No kidding. Housed in the former Children's Museum space in West Towne Common, Art on 5th covers modern art in all its varied styles, with more than the usual touch of whimsy, as noted in the kinetic sculptures of Fredrick Prescott and the drawings of Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss.
Artisans, The Fine Crafts Gallery
(A-70) 10000 Research, # 258, 345-3001.
Located in the Arboretum shopping center, this upscale gallery is filled with classy and glassy functional objects – plates, vases, lamps, jewelry – as well as sculptures and objets d'art in a variety of mediums by individual artists. Attached is Artisans' owner Ellen Sloane-Solley's latest venture, the Sloane-Jordan Gallery, a small, comfortable space featuring high-end contemporary painting and sculpture (see separate listing).
The ArtPlex
(A-26) 1705 Guadalupe, 474-7799.
A creative boomtown that includes dozens of artists' studios and galleries under one roof. Packed into the ArtPlex's two floors are the Artists' Coalition of Austin (ACA) and its 1,600-square-foot gallery space, dozens of individual artists' studios, galleries such as Pro-Jex, and headquarters for local companies such as Cinemaker Co-op, DiverseArts, and Salvage Vanguard Theater. The expression and creative urge is so unbound and rampant around here that it makes you want to grab a paintbrush and have at the nearest blank canvas.
Artworks
(A-2) 1214 W. Sixth, #105, 472-1550.
Posh gallery which argues that artistry may be found in any object, be it vase or fireplace grate or razor. This large and well-sticked space boasts a bounty of artfully crafted domestic objects, along with an intriguing collection of paintings, prints, and sculptures from around the world. Keep an eye out for work by local artists, including Su Allen's pastels and oils and Julie Fleschman's gouaches.
Austin Galleries
(A-3) 1219 W. Sixth, 495-9363.
A gallery so large and dense with paintings that you'll be tempted to think of it as a museum. But think of it as a home for art – you'll want to soak up every drop of warmth and low-key atmosphere established by owners Dave and Sue Attal and their crackerjack staff. The range of material in its 8,000 square feet is stunning, from the ubiquitous Central Texas landscapes to rare works by Chagall, Hockney, Matisse, Miro, Moore, Picasso, and Pissarro. And don't miss the back stairway packed with sketches and small pieces by the late Austin master Gustav Likan; it's a crash course in what an exceptional artist we lost last year. A charming place to while away a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Austin Visual Arts Association Gallery
(A-54) 2008 Alexander, 457-0075.
Don't be put off by the chain-link fence: The home for the city's busy and productive visual arts umbrella is not a prison for bad painters. It's simply another case of pioneering artists reclaiming unused or abandoned industrial sites and giving them new lives as arts spaces. In this case, AVAA has joined a handful of arts co-ops and small studios in taking over a hulking old building on a warehouse row near the old airport. In addition to the association offices, AVAA has a modest gallery space, which it uses to exhibit member shows and works by local artists and arts groups, as well as to hold art classes.
Avenue Gallery
(A-36) 1510 1/2 S. Congress, 442-3600.
A little wisp of a shop, Avenue Gallery is one part photo gallery, featuring the black-and-white work of local artist Kip Holm, one part gift shop, specializing in candles and picture frames and the like, and one part custom picture framing. And somehow it feels like there's still a lot of space in there.
Black Swan Arts & Antiques
(A-43) 2814 Bee Caves Rd., 306-8897.
Prints and paintings new and old nestle snugly alongside antique furniture and garden sculpture in this charming suite of rooms just a curve or two west of MoPac on Bee Caves Road. Owner Bonnie Doles serves a mesmerizing mix of goods – Jacobean chests of drawers, Kandinsky lithographs, prints by Renoir and Degas, heroic fountain statuary – with rotating exhibitions of contemporary work by local artists thrown in for good measure. The gallery is named in honor of Doles' mother, who dreamed of opening her own shop called The Black Swan but never did. This spot makes good on that dream in more ways than one.
Bydee Arts & Gifts
(A-19) 412 E. Sixth, 474-4343.
Since 1990, Brian "The Bydee Man" Joseph has been showcasing and selling his popular Caribbean and multiculturally themed art in this storefront on East Sixth Street. Find your favorite Bydee design on T-shirts, mouse pads, posters, cards, original prints, and paintings. A gentle spirit, Joseph combines his poetry with stylized figures that promote his ideal of global unity and peace. Most days, Joseph minds the store; drop by, have a chat, and pick up a print or two.
Capitol Camera Gallery
(A-67) 6113 Burnet, 459-4321.
When some businesses boast that they cover all the bases in whatever area they service, they're all hat and no cattle. Not so with Capitol Camera, a local photographic supplies shop that aims to be so completist, it includes a gallery for the display of photos in one corner of the store. Granted, it's not museum-size, but it is a separate space that allows for the display of a couple dozen photos and gives viewers the room to truly study and savor them.
Country Store Art Gallery
(A-7) 1304 Lavaca, 474-6222.
Truly Texas artwork and custom framing in the shadow of the State Capitol. This institution in Austin art galleries has been showcasing and selling images of the West since there was nothing but three-story buildings around it, but no matter how many State skyscrapers sprout up, the Country Store keeps to the cowboy way. Landscape scenes are the speciality, with images ranging from the rugged mountainscapes of the Rockies to the placid, bluebonnet-covered meadows of Central Texas.
Courtyard Art Gallery
(A-63) 5004 Burnet, 371-1292.
Cottage of art almost invisible in the hodgepodge of old homes and aging storefronts along Burnet Road near Hancock. You have to be looking to find the unassuming little house pushed back quite far from the street where a handful of local artists make and display their art. But finding it will treat you to another of Austin's low-key and personal art spaces, where the intimacy binding the creators and their works prove that home is where the art is.
Creative Accents of Austin
(A-68) 7801 N. Lamar Blvd., # A122, 454-3325.
Not everyone knows art or even knows what they like where art is concerned, which is where Creative Accents comes in. Personable owner Susan Ohlendorf likes to think of her business as "an art resource," matching clients with the paintings, prints, sculptures, etc., that will fulfill them in some way. The walls of her three-room shop unobtrusively tucked into a business park at the corner of North Lamar and Research offer a variety of styles in mostly representational art, from Austinite Milbie Benge's Hill Country oils to Ginny Harlow's White Illusion, an oil close-up of a bloom that recalls Georgia O'Keeffe's almost abstract flowers. But if nothing on display strikes you, Ohlendorf will use her own resources to find art around the world to suit you. And her framing staff will set it off in expert fashion.
DiverseArts Little Gallery
(A-26) 1705 Guadalupe, #234, 477-9438.
DiverseArts' tiny gallery in the front portion of its ArtPlex offices currently features found object art, funky chain-mail jewelry, and a cool etched and painted mirror by Rejina Thomas. Poetry books, world beat CDs, and T-shirts from the Clarksville Jazz Fest that this nonprofit arts organization sponsors can also be purchased here.
Eeka Beeka Gallery
(A-49) 2206 E. Seventh, 441-4821.
Resilient independent gallery with a yen for the bold and the ballsy. You can try describing the work shown here – outrageous colors, surreal scenes, punk sensibility – but the titles of Eeka Beeka's exhibitions – say, "Liquor, Drugs, and Jesus" and "Two Zombie Hands for Sister Sarah" – may give you the best sense of what you're in for. In 1999, Eeka Beeka bounced from the ArtPlex to the Holy 8 Ball Studios space, where it survives, but it won't be showing work until fall of '99.
El Taller Gallery
(A-69) 8015 Shoal Creek Blvd., # 109, 302-0100.
Every day is summer at this longtime local gallery specializing in Southwestern art. So many of the pieces draw on the golden light of West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico that the walls fairly glow with the fire of the hottest season. Owner Olga Pina features prints, paintings, bronzes, and more by such artists as R.C. Gorman, Maria Sharylen, Michael Atkinson, Earlayne Chance, and, of course, Amado Peña.
 Galeria Sin Fronteras photograph by Kenny Braun
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(A-25) 1701 Guadalupe, 478-9448.
This gallery takes its moniker(Gallery Without Borders) seriously, and sponsors some of the finest exhibitions of work coming from not only the local area, but from across the U.S. (particularly L.A.) and Mexico. Owner Gil Cardenas consistently shows quality contemporary artwork, bringing in both well-established and fresh, new artists.
Gallery at Concordia University
(A-56) Louise T. Peter Center, 3400 N. I-35, 486-1235.
This intimate central city university exhibits visual arts in the front hall of its Louise T. Peter Center, a multi-purpose venue which also houses a television station, a communications center, and a performing arts stage, Schroeder Performance Hall (see separate listing).
The Gallery at Living Architecture
(A-40) 1025 Barton Springs Rd., 472-0272.
A new concept by architect Marley Porter: The space features an indoor waterfall and a rooftop patio/sculpture garden where local as well as international artists – such as Chip Cramer, Alejandra Amuelle, and Andyuri Shtapakov – will display oil painting, etchings, sculpture, and more. Look for a large collection of Russian expressionism and cubism.
Gallery at Shoal Creek
(A-58) 1500 W. 34th, 454-6671.
A refuge from the sometimes frenetic art world of the Nineties. When you're exhausted from keeping track of evolving trends in materials and abstractions, find sanctuary at this Central Austin gallery, where figurative work and representational art have reigned since 1965. Tasteful, soothing portraits, landscapes, and still lifes by 25 living artists can reconnect you with the beauty and tranquility that art can provide.
Gallery Lombardi
(A-6) 920 W. Third, 481-1088.
A large contemporary art gallery next to the railroad at the edge of the ever-expanding downtown nucleus. With gray cement floors and cool white walls, GL is a uniquely urban space for viewing emerging and established artists and a good place to explore potential pieces for your pad.
Gallery of the Republic
(A-10) 201 San Jacinto, Box 746, 472-3049.
Dealing in contemporary Native American art and historic Texas artifacts, including original antique maps and reproductions of famous Texas flags.
Gremillion & Co. Fine Art, Inc.
(A-59) 3500 Jefferson, #120, 476-0443.
Light seems to be drawn into this airy, open new gallery located on the ground floor of Jefferson Square. The space feels brighter than your standard fluorescent-lit storefront, with the walls fairly gleaming. Maybe it is the local photons streaming in through the large plate-glass windows to ogle the gorgeous paintings, prints, sculpture, and furniture by 44 nationally recognized artists. This Austin outlet of the well-established Houston gallery features an appealing range of contemporary work, from hefty Hoffmann-esqe abstracts to dainty fine-brush landscapes, work well worth streaming in to ogle.
Images of Austin & the Southwest
(A-62) 4612 Burnet, 451-1229.
When it comes to rendering the Capital City in paint, Mary Doerr is Austin's Old Master. Since 1986, she has spent most of her time committing to canvas images of our town's unique landmarks, from the Capitol and the Tower to the Avenue B Grocery and the former Terminix building (with bug!) at 12th and Lamar. Doerr's clean, naturalistic watercolors and prints are enormously popular – Chronicle readers voted her their favorite artist in one Best of Austin poll – and the best place to find 'em is in this charming renovated home on Burnet. The cozy cottage is chock full of Doerr's work, plus an abundance of regional art by local and regional artists, including jewelry, metal craft, pottery, sculpture, glass etching, and Western cowboy/cowgirl art.
Ironwood Industries
(A-64) 5120 Burnet, 450-1933.
Who says industrial has to mean dull? This studio/gallery in a boxy old postwar storefront/warehouse has an invigorating sheen, thanks to a snappy makeover, which plays off the texture of the cinder-block walls and complements it with shiny corrugated metal and light fixtures with cool, polished metal shades that taper to points. In the bright, glass-fronted showroom, the art on display – a bold array of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and art furniture – is nicely set off and appears even more vivid than it might in a traditional white-walled gallery.
Julia C. Butridge Gallery at Dougherty Arts Center
(A-41) 1110 Barton Springs Rd., 397-1455.
The shallow, wide lobby of this city cultural facility (see also Dougherty Arts Center) provides 1,800 square feet of exhibition space for work by Austin artists. As far as ambience goes, the gallery is a bit on the bland side, but the work presented in more than compensates for the space's lack of character. Strong exhibitions by area stars such as Pio Pulido, plus exceptional group shows such as "Bucking at the Texas Myth" and Sam Coronado's Serie Project have proven that the Butridge Gallery has a knack for pulling diamonds out of the local grass-rooted rough.
L'Antillaise Gallery & Caribbean Collectibles
(A-66) 1804 W. Koenig, 206-3101.
Slow it down when you step into this gallery sharing space with the Talk of tha Town salon; a leisurely pace appropriate to life in the Islands is the only way to truly savor all the Caribbean flavor of the paintings, carvings, and gifts that owner Winner "Augie" Augustin has assembled here. Augustin, who opened the gallery in 1996, has an impressive assortment of art from that region, ranging from folk art-like depictions of island life to extravagant surrealistic images of religious allegory. Spend enough time browsing and chatting it up with the engaging Augie, and you'll swear you caught a whiff of a tropical breeze with salt and spices in the air.
Las Americas Fine Arts Gallery
(A-23) 1103 E. Sixth, 302-5237.
This fine arts gallery boasts three rooms of paintings, sculpture, and pottery by artists as close as the Eastside and as distant as Peru. Look for the giant fish and lizard made from colorful ceramic tiles made by director Augusto Brocca.
Laughing at the Sun Art Gallery
(A-33) 2209 S. First, 326-4410.
Along the funky eclecticism of South First, amid fine family-run Mexican food restaurants, convenience stores, and garages can be found a cluster of small and old-Austin friendly artists' studios and small galleries. Laughing at the Sun is the inspiration of metal sculptor Daryl G. Colburn, who has combined a 1300-square foot gallery with a small warren of studios – see the Made in the Shade listing – that serves a core group of artists but is also available for other exhibitions, theatrical productions, and parties.
 Lyons Matrix Gallery photograph by Kenny Braun
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(A-27) 1712 Lavaca, 479-0068.
If you think of Austin's visual arts scene as the night sky, then this Lavaca gallery is a galactic cluster. Most of the city's most accomplished artists show or have shown in this slick, well-lit, and professional space run by longtime art dealer Camille Lyons. Sydney Yeager, Bob "Daddy-o" Wade, Claudia Reese, Phillip Wade, Tre Arenz, Judy Jensen, Fidencio Duran, Sarah Canright, and more have graced the walls of Lyons Matrix, making any trip there an, um, illuminating experience.
Made in the Shade Gallery
(A-33) 2209 S. First, 326-4410.
Along the funky eclecticism of South First, amid fine family-run Mexican food restaurants, convenience stores, and garages can be found a cluster of small and old-Austin friendly artists' studios and small galleries. Made in the Shade is an adjunct operation to the Laughing at the Sun Gallery founded by metal sculptor Daryl G. Colburn (separate listing). Consisting of an open-air gallery and adjacent studios, Made in the Shade serves as a showcase primarily for its core artists, oil painter and owner Nicole Tarnay; jeweler and metal sculptor Rita Ross; stained glass sculptor Cecilia Calderon; and abstract oil painter Gregory P. Wilson.
Metropolitan Gallery
(A-39) 903 S. Lamar, 326-1611.
Cozy gallery sharing space with a full-service frame shop. The gallery displays the works of local and international greats and specializes in corporate and residential art consultation.
Mitchie's Fine Black Art
(A-55) 5706 Manor Rd., 323-6901.
Scarcely a square inch of space goes to waste in Mitchie's, a multi-purpose arts shop that packs together framed limited-edition and mass-production prints, small statuary, gifts, books, knickknacks, and a framing business. As such, it's not so much a composed, still, spot to study and reflect on select artworks as a dense, bustling trove of treasures to sift through and find that art that speaks to your soul.
Movements Gallery
(A-12) 211 E. Sixth, B, 469-1745.
Located above Marisco's restaurant on Sixth Street, this art gallery's focus is theatre and other performance art – like its Spoken Word Wednesday nights – but it occasionally books live music. After its recent renovation into a coffeehouse, expect more frequent shows from experimental, avant-garde groups such as Govinda and eclectic singer-songwriters such as Amy Atchley.
Nancy Wilson Scanlan Gallery
(A-72) Helm Fine Art Center, St. Stephen's School, 2900 Bunny Run, 327-1213.
Part of the multi-purpose Helm Fine Art Center on the campus of St. Stephen's School, the Scanlan Gallery is an intimate showroom adjacent to the Temple Family Theatre. Ideally suited for small exhibitions (such as can be covered during an intermission), the gallery has an inviting manageability and warmth, qualities owed in part to its size and the wood, glass, and limestone used in the construction of the center.
Pro-Jex Gallery
(A-26) 1705 Guadalupe, # 122, 472-7707.
This treasured local showplace for the photographer's art may have lost a little of the charm it used to have in its former locale, a funky narrow space on Fifth, just east of Congress, but it has lost none of its devotion to great photography, as any trip to Suite 122 of the ArtPlex will reveal. Month after month, on the walls of the compact room that now houses Pro-Jex, owner Neil Coleman mounts compelling images by area photographers, from Richard Orton's shots of African-American life in East Texas to Martha Grenon's photos war-torn Albania and Yugoslavia.
Ravel Fine Art
(A-), 338-1158.
Longtime art lovers in Austin may recall Galerie Ravel, where from the mid-Seventies through the Eighties owner Dana Ravel made her mark exhibiting Latin American art before it had quite the following that it does today, as well as notable art from North America. She closed that gallery's doors in 1990 and for the last few years has only exhibited work in cyberspace. But a new gallery Ravel in the physical world is set to open in the fall of 1999. Look to the Web address for developments.
Ruth Borinstein Art Gallery
(A-44) 3300 Bee Caves Rd., # 700, 306-8848.
Dali, Picasso, Chagall, Whistler, and Cassatt, along with Borinstein's own prize-winning "Creation Series," are but a little of what this space is offering. Although the gallery is a little far from downtown, there are some remarkable pieces of art here, not to mention that the proprietress is a gem herself. She's always happy to have a chat and talk about art and Paris.
Sloane Jordan Gallery
(A-70) 10000 Research, # 257, 795-0000.
Style sidles up to you the instant you cross the threshold of this recent addition to the Austin gallery scene. The high white walls, the careful positioning of the paintings on the wall and sculptured pieces on the floor, the precise lighting, the chic art chairs and display case for jewelry, the elegant tile work on the floor between Sloane Jordan and its sister shop Artisans (see separate listing). Owner Ellen Sloane-Solley has gone to great lengths to make this a spot in which an artist's work gets its due, and it works; the artful separation of space allows each set of pieces – whether massive basalt sculptures or neon-hued landscapes – its own distinct moods.
Slugfest Gallery
(A-52) 1906 Miriam, 477-7204.
Printmaking workshop producing museum-quality limited-edition prints, as well as providing space to artists for collaborative or independent work. In the fall and spring, the gallery shows works by local artists in the smallish rooms off the building's garden. The space also houses Brauchli Gravure, Bradley Hutchison's Digital Letterpress, and Caryl Herfort's letterpress and book arts studio.
Southgate-Lewis House
(A-51) 1501 E. 12th, 926-2757.
Snazzy two-story Victorian home built in 1888 by a bookbinder, and subsequently used as an ice cream shop and schoolhouse. Currently, this historic facility is under the care of the W.H. Passon Historical Society, a group of history buffs who seek to preserve materials and artifacts related to Black culture and life in Austin and Travis County, and they occasionally use it as a showplace for visual art.
Spirit Echoes Gallery
(A-18) 701 Brazos, in lobby of Omni hotel, 320-1492.
The glass storefront of Spirit Echoes in the cavernous Omni Hotel lobby gives the deceptive impression of a small gallery catering to the passing tourist. Not! The front space opens up to successive rooms, each filled with a variety of originals and reproductions of works by Southwestern and Texan painters, potters, sculptors, and jewelers, culminating in a small meditation area in the last room, complete with table-top water fountain, candle, and floor pillow. Of special interest is the ceramic plate series by Texan Randy Allen.
Stephen L. Clark Gallery
(A-5) 1101 W. Sixth, 477-0828.
The elegant old manse on the corner of West Sixth and Baylor is a lot like its neighbor down the block, Treaty Oak: a grand reminder of an earlier Austin, the one from which our current buzz-happy, 366MHz Idea City sprang. To those whose existence is defined by download speed and flavors of the month, we recommend a stop here. On the first floor of the Sixth Street side of the house, local entrepreneur Stephen L. Clark has created a photography gallery so genial in atmosphere and striking in the work it features – still life, portrait, and landscape work by such regional favorites as Keith Carter, Mariana Yampolsky, Kate Breakey, and James Evans – that you're inspired to slow down so you can absorb it all, like a lens absorbing light.
Tarrytown Gallery
(A-60) 2414 Exposition Blvd., 473-2552.
Easy does it at this amiable gallery ensconced in a posh-but-not-too-posh strip center in – where else? – Tarrytown. The space makes no demands on you, and the art is contemporary but wholly accessible. Most of the work exhibited has some relationship to naturalism – landscapes, figurative work, still lifes – but in their treatment of it the artists have tweaked that naturalism oh so intriguingly.
Terra Toys Children's Gallery
(A-35) 1708 S. Congress, 445-4489.
One of the city's best places to find toys also turns out to be a mighty fine venue for finding art. This South Congress staple selling "classic and beautiful toys from around the world" makes space available for budding artists in the 18-and-under set. For purity of expression and joyous, unfettered use of color, you can't beat kid art. And this venue devoted to play is a splendid environment in which to connect with it.
Texas Folklife Resources Gallery
(A-38) 1317 S. Congress, 441-9255.
You'd expect nothing less from TFR – their new exhibit space for displaying folk art has brightly colored wooden fencing to divide it from the administrative offices of this nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of the folk arts in Texas. Even the cubicle spaces are separated by the same material, giving the place a cute, cozy, and down-home country feel. Tastefully done, this gallery provides an important place to view traditional crafts as created by the folk artists and craftsmen of the Lone Star State.
Wally Workman Gallery
(A-4) 1202-B W. Sixth, 472-7428.
Any genial complex of homegrown shops largely housed in renovated older homes has to have a genial homegrown gallery among them: It's the law. And clearly, the ... at West Sixth & Blanco is in legal compliance. Around the back, just across the sidewalk from the also legally mandated genial homegrown restaurant (Cafe Josie), sits the Wally Workman Gallery, an appealing showplace of contemporary art. That's not intended as a slight; this gallery is genuinely agreeable, a pleasant spot for catching up on local artists such as Sarah Canright , Gordon Fowler, Will Klemm, and children's book writer and illustrator Trevor Romain, where their vivid colors, balanced compositions, or quirky content have a place to shine.
Westbank Gallery
(A-46) 4201 Bee Caves Rd., # A100, 329-8514.
Come inside and see the outdoors. Landscapes and flora rule in this 800-square-foot Westlake gallery, tucked away in "The Schoolyard" business center on Bee Caves Road. Large canvases of rolling hills, bubbling creeks, statuesque trees, and gigantic blooms abound, with most of them rendered in intense, captivating colors. As you might imagine, most of the artists represented here are from the region, including gallery owner Pamela Johnson.
Wild About Music
(A-15) 721 Congress, 708-1700.
Maybe we're a bit beyond our town's civic slogan, "the Live Music Capital of the World," but as long as we have the rep to live up to, why not have a gallery whose artwork is as intent on celebrating music and musicians as the city is supposed to? And why not have it right on Austin's Main Street? Wild About Music says it all in its name; it's packed to the rafters with groove-heavy furnishings and art pieces that honor musical icons – Janis, Willie, et al. – and the Muse in all its forms. Plus, the gallery sponsors exhibits of local work by and about musicians, ranging from photographs by Joe Ely to a retrospective of work by Austin's legendary poster artists.
Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern & Mexican Photographers
(A-32) 601 University Drive, San Marcos, 512/245-3861.
As if Bill Wittliff hasn't given Central Texas enough with his literate, compelling screenplays (Lonesome Dove, Raggedy Man, Legends of the Fall), he has now bequeathed to us this showplace of photographic treasures, the accumulated collection of 25 years. Part of the Southwest Texas State University collections, the Wittliff Gallery includes amazing images by Geoff Winningham, Alan Pogue, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lola Alvarez Bravo, Ave Bonar, and Wittliff himself, among others, as well as definitive collections of works by Mariana Yampolksy, Graciela Iturbide, Russell Lee, and Keith Carter.
Women & Their Work
(A-24) 1710 Lavava, 477-1064.
The name says it all: The gallery (and nonprofit organization of the same name) presents fine, contemporary, and folk art by women of all stripes. For more than 20 years, W&TW has been a local leader in showcasing challenging art from local luminaries – Margo Sawyer, to name just one – as well as great artists from outside the city. The space also features a gift shop every bit as classy and professional as the gallery itself, and mark your calendar for its annual holiday art bazaar, featuring a vast array of fine art and crafts by local artists.
 Yard Dog Folk Art photograph by Kenny Braun
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(A-37) 1510 S. Congress, 912-1613.
Folk art reigns at this petite yet select store offering home and, well, yard art. The collection includes beautiful portraits of classic country artists, drawings by rock gods Daniel Johnston and Jon Langford, handcrafted furniture, religious and secular folk art, and all the coffee-table books that celebrate it.
Zuma Art Gallery & Custom Framing
(A-71) 111-C N. Bell, 257-2945.
Don't read too much into the Cedar Park address: There ain't no barbed wire/cattle-in-the-rain/bluebonnet Texiana here. The artwork of choice at Zuma is contemporary, with work by local artists in a variety of media and subject matter.
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