Tribes, the multidisciplinary cooperative and support network for local black
artists, is hosting an open-air market for black artists at the Passon House,
East 12th & Comal, and is looking for fine artists, artisans, designers,
and vendors to exhibit. The grounds of this historic East Austin home can
accommodate 15 10′ X 10′ booths for the sale of handmade arts, crafts, or
specialty items. Interested artists should call Tribes co-founder Nailah
Sankofa at 477-4247 for an application.

August Artists’ Swarm

Go downtown in a couple of weeks and you won’t be able to swing a dead cat
without hitting an artist. In the space of five days, August 6-10, the heart of
the city will host an arts night, two state arts conferences, and a national
theatre conf… well, conference may not be the best word, but a slew of
alternative theatre types from Washington state to Washington, D.C. will be
here drumming up new ways to shake up the nation’s stages.

The Week of 1,000 Artists begins with a local focus as artists and arts
organizations join restaurateurs and retailers for the second First Tuesday
Downtown, hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance. The monthly event is designed
to spotlight the city’s lively cultural and commercial scene downtown through a
special evening of special activities and creative attractions such as sidewalk
displays and street performances. For more info, contact Anne Gilliam at
469-1786.

On Wednesday, choreographers, dancers, educators, and writers from across the
state assemble at the Omni, 700 San Jacinto, for the Second Texas Dance
Conference, one-and-a-half days of reports and dialogue on the state of the art
in the state. “Building an Industry” and “Arts and Education” are two areas
under examination. Register by next Wednesday and pay $40; it’s $50 after. Call
Dance Umbrella, 322-0227, for info.

On Thursday, also at the Omni, artists and presenters of the arts convene for
the Texas Commission on the Arts’ Third Cultural Connections Conference. The
three-day meeting allows the two groups to exchange ideas and enhance their
understanding of each other’s issues, and to be addressed by choreographer Liz
Lerman and organizational strategist Sherry Schiller. Cost: $100 before July
17, $115 after. For more info, call Betty Switzer, 463-5535, x42322.

Thursday is also the day the theatre types start arriving for the RAT Rave,
three days of performances and workshops by and for folks in the regional
alternative (or raggedy-ass) theatre movement. Salvage Vanguard Theater czar
Jason Neulander says that more than a dozen companies are attending, including
such far-flung groups as Woolly Mammoth (Washington, D.C.), Bottom’s Dream (Los
Angeles), Bloomsberg Theatre Ensemble (Pennsylvania), and Annex Theatre
(Seattle). Volunteers are needed to provide housing and transportation. To
help, contact Neulander at 912-0331.

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

This article appears in July 12 • 1996 and July 12 • 1996 (Cover).

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