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
This article appears in June 28 • 1996 and June 28 • 1996 (Cover).