Articulations

Being Seen While Waterworks makes a splash in Austin this weekend, Dee McCandless and Gene Menger are being recognized elsewhere in the country for their art in the water. Aquamirabilus, their short video featuring six dancers underwater, was chosen as part of the American Dance Festival's Dancing for the Camera International Film and Video Festival. The ADF is the granddaddy of summer dance festivals, running June 11-July 17 in Durham, North Carolina, and this is the first time it has run a film and video festival simultaneous to the dance events. Menger and McCandless' Aquamirabilus will share screen time with works of Meredith Monk, Ted Shawn, and Paul Taylor. Bed Tax Action

It never fails. Come city budget time, funding for the arts always manages to become a hot topic. This year is no different. A controversy has arisen over a proposal to pay for operation of the Cultural Affairs Office out of the money raised by the hotel/motel bed tax and dedicated to the arts. Recently formed advocacy group Allied Arts and Audiences for Austin (AAAFA) notes that this move would take $163,000 out of the total to be distributed to local arts organizations. As a way of urging the city council to keep the cultural contracts administration a general fund expense, AAAFA is circulating a petition on the issue. Signatures by certified Austin citizens will be collected through
July 4. For info, call 280-5182 or 472-5927.

If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Downtown

In an effort to throw a spotlight on the diverse and creative arts and entertainment scene downtown -- and to bring more folks into the area to sample its offerings -- the Downtown Austin Alliance is instituting a new monthly event, "First Tuesday Downtown." As the name implies, it will be held the first Tuesday of each month, 5-9pm, and will feature many area arts organizations and businesses providing special events and discounts as well as their usual fare; artists' booths and performers on the sidewalks; shows for children; concerts; exhibits; vendor tables; and whatever else they can cook up to further the stated goal of developing a pedestrian-friendly night life for all ages in downtown Austin. The first "First Tuesday" is next Tuesday, July 5; if you're in the area, look for the balloons identifying participating venues. For more info on the event and how to take part, call Anne Gilliam at 469-1766.

Wedding Bells

Congraulations to former Austin theatre artist and VORTEX Repertory Company co-founder Steve Bacher. Word from the Planet (Planet Theatre, that is, VORTEX's current home) is that Bacher married Karen Courtney last Saturday in Long Island, New York. The couple now reside in Jersey City.

Send literary, performing, and visual arts news to: "Articulations," PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765 or onstage@auschron.com