Volunteering, Drag, Birthdays, and More Recommended Events

Moyo Okediji Artist Talk

Thursday 27, Central Library

When seeking cool new art spaces in our city, most folks don’t realize there’s a totally free, open-all-week option. You know! The Central Library! This month – and through ’til April 27 – they’ve been showcasing artist Moyo Okediji, a UT-Austin professor of art history. His time as an apprentice under indigenous African artists taught him skills in creative mediums like mat weaving, textile design, and sculpture, among many others. Currently on display in the Gallery at APL’s Downtown location is “Beauty and the Beads: Divine Fire and Color in Transatlantic Bead Art,” which focuses on Okediji’s specific work in beaded glassmaking. Catch the artist in conversation this Thursday, where you can learn more about his process as well as what inspires his creations.   – James Scott

The Capitol Is a Drag... Show!

Friday 28, Swan Dive

Must be so real with y’all: I do not like the government right now. Seems to me they’re a little more interested in suppressing anyone who threatens their insane heterodoxy of pseudoscience & cruelty than providing, like, support for us citizens. Yet still the queer urge to enjoy life persists, as evidenced by all the progressive Texan nonprofits banded together in this show’s “presented by” line. You’ve got Democrasexy, URGE TX, TENT, Equality Texas, Texas Freedom Network, and ACLU TX bringing a night filled not just by stellar spins by DJ Ed West behind the decks and dazzling drag from local icons Alexander the Great, Iggy Bank, Yvonna F Mei, Bobby Pudrido, and Best of Austin winner Brigitte Bandit, but also a little education, too. That’s right: Brigitte’ll also present a Texas Lege 101 panel – with an ASL interpreter. Guess we gays have beauty AND brains.   – James Scott

Fairview

Through March 8, Ground Floor Theatre

What if you figured out you were being watched? And not just by the phone in your pocket, but by live people during everyday scenarios, like say, making a birthday dinner for your grandmother? And those people get to pick apart every moment, phrase, and choice? Fairview, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, uses that idea to riff on race and storytelling. Who should be in charge of some stories? What weight does experience have in art? Ground Floor Theatre tackles these questions from playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, twisting genre and expectation in this complicated, thought-provoking evening.   – Cat McCarrey

B Scene: Double Take

Friday 28, Blanton Museum of Art

Collaboration is key to a robust creative landscape, a belief upheld by Blanton’s “In Creative Harmony” exhibition. That makes the collab-heavy attractions at their after-hours party all the more exciting. Attendees get to enjoy top-quality tunes by Austin Music Awards winner and 15-years-long Body Rockers Riders Against the Storm, aka Chaka and Qi Dada, or take a seat for creative couple Tamara Johnson and Trey Burns’ ATX Artist Talk. Maybe you don’t just wanna talk the talk; maybe you wanna walk the walk, too. Get hands-on co-op experience with the “Drawing To and Fro” collab activity, type out a love note with Austin Typewriter Ink, or sing a duet at the Blanton’s karaoke lounge. Did I also mention there’ll be Rebel Cheese offerings? There’s so much to recommend this dang event that it’s making me see double!   – James Scott

Contours of Connection: Mai Gutierrez and Amanda Linn McInerney

Friday 28, ICOSA Collective

Southern Italy is so far away, but a fast – and free – way to channel its charms is this joint exhibition, mutually inspired by the region. Artist and architectural designer Mai Gutierrez draws inspiration from Puglia’s limestone trulli huts in her own sculptures, while visual artist Amanda Linn McInerney dials into the Salento Coast along the Ionian and Adriatic seas in her encaustic serigraphs. A collaborative video literalizes the connection in the two artists’ work. Can’t make Friday’s opening reception? The show runs through March 29.   – Kimberley Jones

Texas Book Festival 30th Anniversary Celebration

Friday 28, Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

Founder of the Texas Book Festival Laura Bush made literacy one of her top priorities as first lady of Texas (1995-2000) and of the U.S. (2001-2009). “As long as we have books, we are not alone,” she once said, so celebrate this essential literary fest’s milestone with others who share that vision. Tickets start at $350 and include a three-course dinner paired with wines, spirits, and more, to be enjoyed among the artifacts of the host Texas history museum alongside like-minded literary folks.   – Kat McNevins

Contact

Friday 28, Hyperreal Film Club

Robert Zemeckis, of such varied renown as Forrest Gump and Back to the Future, directs Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey in this adaptation of Carl Sagan’s 1985 novel. Sort of a precursor to Interstellar’s vibes, the story follows Dr. Ellie Arroway (Foster) as a scientist trying to interpret a cryptic message from the Vega star system that ends up confirming intelligent extraterrestrial life. Religious zealots and government hacks attempt to co-opt the event for their own narratives... obviously. Apart from being a sci-fi hidden gem, Contact features sound design revered by audio nerds from the Nineties till today.   – Lina Fisher

Do the Right Thing

Friday 28, Sunday 2 & Tuesday 4, AFS Cinema

As someone who only recently saw Spike Lee’s first studio film, I’m here to say: GO SEE THIS MOVIE. It’s essential American viewing, a slice-of-Brooklyn-life with a stacked cast trying to get by on the hottest day of the year. Join Lee himself, Giancarlo Esposito, John Turturro, and Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez in their film debuts in vignettes that prove the more things change, the more they stay the same. Bonus Danny Aiello for you Moonstruck heads out there. Watch him earn that Oscar nomination, and cry against fate that Lee didn’t get the same.   – Cat McCarrey

Celebration of Queer Black Love

Friday 28, Carver Museum

Black History Month is always gone too soon – although real ones realize celebrating the Black community is a year-round type of deal – but you can send off BHM in style at this massive celebration. A collaborative effort from several Austin-area queer BIPOC orgs like Queer Black Women Alliance, Colors of Pride Gathering, and PRIDE in Black ATX, as well as wheeler-dealers Ride Bikes Austin, this night at the museum features multiple entertainment mediums. There’ll be live music from Blakchyl, Thelonious Love, Flow Sunshine Flow, and b. Spoke; dance from burlesque performer Tia Boyd and pole professional SPICE; tunes spun by DJ Schi the God; and drag extraordinaire Gothess Jasmine as the night’s emcee. While all this talent comes to you totally free, the event organizers do advise bringing cash so you can financially show your appreciation to the performers.   – James Scott

Titane

Friday 28 - Wednesday 5, Alamo South Lamar, Slaughter Lane & Lakeline

French horror rules the roost lately, with Coralie Fargeat’s big-budget B picture The Substance not only earning its star Demi Moore a Best Actress nom but the film itself landing among the Best Picture hopefuls. Before the Academy deemed the franco freak feature award material, though, there was Julia Ducournau’s revv’d up riot. Previously a purveyor of the organic scare – see: vicious veterinary school shocker Raw – Ducournau took the wheel on this tale of vehicular lust. As much as the car sex scene clouds the first-time viewer’s mind, what truly turns this movie from automobile-erotic boondoggle to certified cinema-freak classic is its second-act turn to a stolen-identity family drama.   – James Scott

Parasite

Friday 28 - Wednesday 5, Alamo Village, South Lamar, Slaughter Lane & Lakeline

What’s the best Best Picture winner of the last six years? Any answer outside of Bong Joon-ho’s incisive South Korean class commentary is wrong. When audiences caught the 2019 award winner, they went wild for its cunning challenges to our ideas of societal divides – although many in our more monied strata experienced a little bit of “bullies watching Dumbo” by not catching on that they more resembled the pinched-nose rich people than the scrappy Kim family. (Please read The Idiot by Elif Batuman.) As much an argument for capitalism’s destruction as a feature for the criminally under-nominated ensemble cast, Parasite gave us possibly the best moment in Oscar history: Bong calling the televised event a “very local” awards show.   – James Scott

Interstellar

Friday 28 - Wednesday 5, All Alamo Drafthouses

Interstellar is one of my favorite movies because the world gets destroyed and no one listens to scientists, just like in real life! But never fear: Austin Minister of Culture Matthew McConaughey is here, bringing wide-eyed intensity to the role of a NASA pilot who must lead the way through wormholes to explore suitable Earth substitutes. Christopher Nolan’s dystopian sci-fi followed his Dark Knight era and sits sandwiched between mind-benders Inception and Tenet on his filmography, but this one may be the most accessible, even though time travel makes no sense. Those with little ones can catch a Baby Day show on Tuesday at Alamo Slaughter Lane.   – Kat McNevins

Wheatsville Plant & Sustainability Fair

Saturday 1, Wheatsville South Lamar

Who’s ready to put away the winter mittens and dust off the gardening gloves? Wheatsville has green thumbs covered with this super starter plant sale offering plant babies of all styles, from tomatoes to peppers to herbs. Plus, catch up with sustainability orgs all day: Austin Youth River Watch gives a water conservation and quality testing demo at 11am; Central Texas Pig Rescue shares how it supports swines at 12:20pm; Central Texas Mycological Society demonstrates mushroom growing at 2; and Rebecca Maze, a Travis County master gardener, talks composting at 3:20. Bring the whole fam so you’ll have plenty of hands to carry off your new plant brood – they’re buy five, get the sixth free!   – Kat McNevins

Spring Makers Market

Saturday 1, Asian American Resource Center

Call me Isla Fisher the way I’m a confessing to be a shopaholic! Yeah, it’s a coping mechanism for how bad the world is right now, but I try to do harm reduction by not going ham in the big box stores. Instead, my compulsion has me roaming booths, tables, and dropping Venmo stacks all over small Austin-based businesses. That’s why I recommend “springing” into action for this event featuring over 20 local Asian American and Pacific Islander sellers. There’s candles, art prints, food, and more offered for this third annual market, as well as community resources who’ll be tabling like the Austin Asian American Film Festival and the South Asians’ International Volunteer Association. Shop responsibly!   – James Scott

Carnaval

Saturday 1, Ani’s Day & Night

Have you decided what you’re giving up for Mark Wahlberg’s 40 day challenge, aka Lent? Or are you normal? Whether you celebrate Carnaval as a pre-Lent bash where you get the meat-loving out of your immortal soul or you just love a costume and good music, Riverside coffee & cocktail house Ani’s has you covered. Brazilian musicians like Grupo Ladeira, Frederico 7, Seu Jacinto, DJ Sampa, and Nossas Novas add toe-tapping tunes and Austin Samba rouses the stage with exciting dance routines. Plus, Austin’s very own BIPOC and queer-focused Frida Friday market pops up with a selection of local artists and makers.   – James Scott

It’s My Park Day

Saturday 1, Parks all over town

Grab your gloves and get ready to give back – It’s My Park Day is calling all green thumbs and good neighbors. This biannual day of service, led by the Austin Parks Foundation, turns local parks into hubs of community action, with volunteers tackling everything from tree mulching to invasive species removal. Whether you’re a seasoned park steward or just looking for an excuse to spend the day outside, there’s a project (and a patch of dirt) with your name on it. Bonus: Helping the planet feels way better than doomscrolling about it. Sign up to volunteer at austinparks.org.   – Lucciana Choueiry

Shrek

Saturday 1 - Sunday 2 & Wednesday 5, Violet Crown Cinema

Sunday 2 - Tuesday 4, Alamo Village, Slaughter Lane, Lakeline & Mueller

Been a minute since you hit up the swamp, right? Haven’t felt its fetid ooze between your toes, or had its owner’s Scottish tenor vibrate your eardrums, insisting you get out. Fear not this tragedy’s continuation, beautiful Chronicle reader! Everyone’s favorite ogre returns to screens in his pre-9/11 picture debut, where Princess Fiona still needs saving from the Dragon – and the subtly Michael Eisner-coded Lord Farquad – and Donkey’s making waffles. Some tut-tutters in recent years have claimed the early CG animated feature doesn’t hit as good as everyone thinks, but you and I, we know the truth. Shrek rips big-time, both as a film and a practitioner of the flatulent arts.   – James Scott

Texas Standard 10th Birthday

Sunday 2, Scholz Garten

Color me surprised to learn KUT News’ Texas Standard is only celebrating a decade! The daily news radio show speaks with such authority you’d think it has always been a thing. To toast its 10 years, they’ll party with birthday cake, special Texas-themed treats and tipples, and a cash bar, along with previewing new content and offering uniquely Austin entertainment: Erika Wennerstrom of the Heartless Bastards provides toe-tapping tunes and Typewriter Rodeo taps out custom on-the-spot poems. Special guest highlights include author Sarah Bird (Juneteenth Rodeo) and “MexAmericana” singer-songwriter and historian Veronique Medrano. Here’s to 10 more years!   – Kat McNevins

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