Art for Days
Can you handle two weeks' worth of the East Austin Studio Tour?
By Robert Faires, Fri., Nov. 13, 2009
To wrangle this year's East Austin Studio Tour, you're gonna need Noah's frickin' ark.
The annual excursion into the native habitat of Eastside visual artists has been growing steadily since its debut in 2003 – from 70 artists showing in 45 sites then to four times that number in more than 150 venues now. It's too much to see in two days, the standard length for the tour for several seasons now, so for 2009, EAST has exploded to 10 days, spanning two weekends and all the days between. The focus is still where it's always been, letting you make that all-important connection with the people who make art directly where they work (which occasionally happens to be where they live), but supplementing the open studios on Saturday and Sunday – make that Saturdays and Sundays – will be a whole host of lectures, demonstrations, discussions, artists' markets, community projects, parties, performances, participatory activities, and other events loosely organized under the heading "happenings" spread across all 10 days. Learn how to make an analog drum machine and blow glass into a flower and make art from flowers, discover the history of the Ortega neighborhood from the residents, find out the connections between biology and creativity and architecture and art – all this and much, much more. The list that follows provides a basic rundown of many of these, but you can find all of the events, as well as the locations of all the studios and exhibition spaces, on the EAST website, www.eastaustinstudiotour.com.
FRIDAY 13
TiWan TiWa!6-8pm, 2011 S.L. Davis and 1156 Alamo
A series of African-centered arts and cultural programs, events, and artisans' marketplace, with workshops, works in progress, and presentations.
Also: Sat., Nov. 14 & 21, 10am-7pm; Sun., Nov. 15 & 22, 10am-6pm.
SATURDAY 14
Learn to Blow Glass
10am-2pm, 1406-B Smith
RC Hot Glass offers 20-minute sessions in which participants take molten glass and shape it into a glass flower that they can keep ($25 per person).
Also: Sun., Nov. 15, and Sat.-Sun., Nov. 21-22.
Austin Urban Market10am-4pm, 1223 Rosewood
A grassroots showcase of community businesses linked through Ujamaa, a Kwanzaa principle of cooperative economics. African artwork, oils, jewelry, dolls, and purses made by hand. Food by Lula Mae's Catering.
KDH Dance Company Art & Dance Exhibition
Noon-12:30pm, 2-2:20pm, 4-4:30pm, 701 Tillery Ste. A-7
Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company and friends will perform various short dance pieces as well as exhibit and sell a variety of art from ceramics and textiles to painting, collage, and jewelry.
Also: Sun., Nov. 15, and Sat.-Sun., Nov. 21-22.
Etsy Austin Demos & DIYs1-3pm, 1406 Smith
Etsy Austin, a collaborative of 100-plus Austin-area artisans, will show and sell work by more than 30 members, who will also offer demonstrations in metalwork, textiles, jewelry making, and more.
Also: Sun., Nov. 15, and Sat.-Sun., Nov. 21-22.
Vecinos Project2-6pm, 1135 Garland
An exploration of the Ortega neighborhood's history via a mural project and "self-portraits" by Ortega elementary students, a musical celebration with the students, and locals telling stories about their lives. With face-painting and hot chocolate.
Fireseed Collaborative7-10pm, 3121 E. 12th
A showcase of works created by members of this Eastside collective, their neighbors, and friends. Also a live collaboration with public participation.
SUNDAY 15
The Sarah Starlight Show3pm, 1165 Angelina
A one-hour, family-friendly variety show with music and dance from bolero to samba to soul. Free.
Handmade Music Austin4-8pm, 1200 E. 11th
Salvage Vanguard Theater and Church of the Friendly Ghost offer workshops in building an analog drum machine (4-5:30pm) and an electronic synthesizer kit (6-8pm, $45 – price includes kit and materials).
MONDAY 16
Glass-Blowing DemonstratioNS1-4pm, 1406-B Smith
RC Hot Glass hosts a showing of glass works and an interactive event featuring live collaboration.
Also: Tue.-Wed., Nov. 17-18, 1-4pm; Thu., Nov. 19, 4-9pm; Fri. Nov. 20, 1-4pm.
TUESDAY 17
Yoga for Artmaking5-6pm, 209 Pedernales
Caroline Wright teaches a free yoga class for tapping into creativity.
Court Lurie Artist Talk
5:30-6:30pm, 4704 E. Cesar Chavez Ste. B-300
Court Lurie discusses her process for incorporating photographs of industrial and organic materials into new contemporary abstract paintings.
LIVESTRONG Headquarters: A Sustainable Remodel6-7pm, 2201 E. Sixth
Lecture/presentation on the green/sustainable features of the LiveStrong headquarters, a warehouse remodeled by Lake|Flato and the Bommarito Group into a environmentally friendly facility. A tour follows.
Open Studios: Aly Winningham/Nailah I. Akinyémi-Sankofa
6-7:30pm, Terra Firma Studios, 2009 S.L. Davis; Design Works! Studios, 1156 Alamo
The city of Austin's Art in Public Places program hosts open studios by AIPP-commissioned artists. At 6pm, Winningham will demonstrate her mosaic technique and discuss her design for AIPP's East Seventh Street Corridor Obelisco project. At 6:45pm, Akinyémi-Sankofa will demonstrate her painting process and discuss how African ancestral tradition informed her obelisco design. Project designs by artists Maggie DeSanto, Martin Garcia, Claudia Reese, Alonso Rey Sanchez, and Susan Wallace will be displayed.
Metal & Clay Collaboration6-8pm, 1209 E. Sixth and 1400 Cedar
John Gray and Colby Brinkman show a clay and metal collaboration step by step. At Clayworks Studio/Gallery, Gray will throw and decorate a large bowl and finish and trim a previously thrown bowl; then at Austin Metal Authority, Brinkman will use bending and welding and hammering to fabricate a metal stand for the bowl, which will serve as a birdbath.
The Art of Painting and Spiritual Practice7pm, 1901 E. Cesar Chavez
Workshop with Terri McGee on using the art of painting, yoga, and meditation as an integrated spiritual practice. Bring a yoga mat, painting setup, brushes, and water-based paint. All levels welcome.
Pods and Altars7-10pm, 4609 Ledesma
The Fireseed Anthology Project hosts a showcase of experimental prayer pods and altar spaces created in collaboration for specific Eastside sites, along with a live collaboration and live music.
WEDNESDAY 18
Using Local Ingredients to Create Floral Art1-2pm, 1902 E. 11th
Brooke Howsley of Pollen Floral Art demonstrates how to construct a work of living art using local materials such as succulents, flowers, and other living and nonliving elements.
The Making of the Cesar Chavez Memorial
6:30pm, 1105 E. Cesar Chavez
Artists Connie Arismendi and Laura Garanzuay discuss the concepts and building highlights of the Terrazas Library's new 25-foot-tall memorial sculpture to Cesar Chavez, a literal and symbolic beacon that illustrates his spirit, ideas, and philosophy.
THURSDAY 19
Open Studio: Sculpting-in-Action11am-9:30pm, 701 Tillery Ste. A-12
Tour the studio and get to know what goes on at Atelier 3-D during EAST.
'STAGES: A Global Art Exhibition'6-7pm, 2201 E. Sixth
A lecture and slideshow spotlighting the artists who donated work to this exhibition to raise funds and awareness for the fight against cancer.
Open Studios: Hawkeye Glenn & Lizzie Martinez; Chris Levack6-7:30pm, the Splinter Group, 405 Springdale
The city of Austin Art in Public Places program hosts open studios by AIPP-commissioned artists. At 6pm, Glenn and Martinez demonstrate modern metalworking tools and discuss their design for the Susanna Dickinson House AIPP project. At 6:45pm, Levack discusses his design/fabrication process and his commission for the BMX/Skate Park AIPP project and shows models for Steel Wave, a skateable steel sculpture, and Trilobite, a shade structure.
The History and Future of Evolutionary Design6-8pm, 1209 E. Sixth
Artist/scientist Zack Booth Simpson discusses how the laws of biology apply to art, architecture, and manufacturing and the effects of technology on human creativity from antiquity to the distant future.
'Cantanker' Issue 9 Release7-10pm, 2832 E. MLK
Issue release party at Creative Research Lab.
Artist Collaboration Dialogue7:30-9pm, 4704 E. Cesar Chavez Ste. B-300
Court Lurie Fine Art hosts an open dialogue about creative ways to promote the art community in East Austin, touching on exhibition opportunities, juried shows, openings, marketing, and artist collaboration.
Death To All Ice-Cream Trucks7:30-9pm, 3121 E. 12th
Spotlight on Eastside designers, celebrating how they find hidden resources for unique materials and aesthetic inspiration that echoes current trends or classic flavors yet distinctly dance to their own beat.
FRIDAY 20
An East Side Success Story of Mr. Natural5:30-7:30pm, 1901 E. Cesar Chavez
Maria Luisa Mendoza, owner of Mr. Natural and winner of the 2008 Texas Small Business Persons of the Year along with her husband Jesus, tells the story of creating the business 20 years ago and her experiences since then.
Architects as Artisans5:30-7:30pm, 1209 E. Sixth
Panel discussion with members of the American Institute of Architects Austin on how some architects incorporate their art into their architectural design, how some continue to practice both, and how one has shared his art in the work of another artist.
Nocturnal Flushing5:30-8:30pm, 8604 FM 969
Open house and tour of the demonstration site of the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, a non-profit education, research, and demonstration organization.
Art in the Golden Age7pm, 1901 E. Cesar Chavez
Lecture presenting different artistic disciplines and their representatives, as souls on a journey for consciousness.
The Round (#3)7:30-10:30pm, 3121 E. 12th
An intimate evening showcasing three songwriters on stage collaborating loosely and being joined by slam poets and live painters.
Art and Worship8-10pm, 2830 Real
Visual artists, musicians, and dancers explore the creation of art within a worship experience. Bring art supplies (water-based paints only) and easels.
Also: Sun., Nov. 22, 10am-noon.
SATURDAY 21
Artist Trading Card Workshop10am-4pm, 2830 Real
Artists are invited to create miniature artworks on 2½-by-3-inch cards and trade them with others afterward. Participants will have access to paints, collage materials, pens/pencils, stamps, and more.
Women and Fair Trade – Culture & Sale10am-7pm, 1221 E. Sixth
Women from seven cooperatives around the world show their artistic expressions through their crafts and their music. Profits from their sales benefit their local communities and promote sustainability.
Also: Sun., Nov. 22, 10am-7pm.
Slideluck Potshow Austin IIPotluck, 7pm; slideshow, 9pm; 1016 E. Sixth
Photojournalists, painters, sculptors, designers, fashion, and photographers show their works side by side in a relaxed and spirited atmosphere, preceded by mingling and dining on home-cooked delights.
SUNDAY 22
FEAST7-9pm, 4704 E. Cesar Chavez Ste. B-300
Hubbert's Peak, Sustainable Waves, and the Artpost invite EAST participants to an evening of fine foods and beverages at the Artpost, a developing space of creative professionals and art studios.
