Art Night Austin
It's a new day for Art Night as the traveling party pulls out the stops at just two stops
By Robert Faires, Fri., Feb. 21, 2014
After years of treating local art-and-nosh enthusiasts to a progressive party in multiple galleries and venues, Art Night Austin has become synonymous with a movable feast that takes you here and here and here and here and here. But this weekend, that festive fundraiser is going to take you simply from here to there. The event will take place at Women & Their Work, 1710 Lavaca, and the Scottish Rite Theater across the street. "We wanted to try something new this year and focus in on two venues versus seven or eight to ease the transfer time and allow patrons to have more time actually experiencing the art," says John Fleming, chair and acting director for Art Alliance Austin, the organization that sponsors the Downtown visual-art fest Art City Austin. "We also wanted to broaden our members' experience by adding performance elements as well as culinary treats and visual elements. The evening will be a real experience for the senses."
Indeed, considering that the night will include Adela Andea's light installations at W&TW and, at Scottish Rite, the premiere of Denise Prince's Tractatus 7, sculptural installations by Melissa Borrell, oil paintings and prints by Deborah Argyropoulos, graffiti art by Zuzu Kelly Perkal, and pastels by Isabel Stensland; plus performances at both venues, by the likes of Sky Candy, Luna Tart, Vortex Repertory Company, John Pahmer, Aaron Hermes, and Lila Stephania. And while you're savoring them, you can also savor bites and curated drinks such as specialty cocktails by Dragon Spirits, microbrew beer from Infamous Brewing Company, and coffee by Texas Coffee Traders. Now, if you want to go all out, there's a five-course candlelit dinner at 6pm in Scottish Rite's Masonic underground dining room. The meal comes from chef Sonya Coté and her farm-to-table pop-up supper club, Home Grown Revival, with Daniel Hunt taking lead chef honors for the night and Hillside Farmacy's Brandt Kempin mixing up specialty cocktails before dinner. Just two venues? Sounds like plenty.
Art Night Austin takes place Saturday, Feb. 22, 7pm-12mid, at Women & Their Work, 1710 Lavaca, and Scottish Rite Theatre, 207 W. 18th. For more information, visit www.artallianceaustin.org.
