Garrett Middaugh: “Life Is Absurd!”
Through September 13, Davis Gallery
Artist Garrett Middaugh spent decades in the world of graphic design and became known for realistic depictions of trees and forests with mesmerizing attention to detail. Swinging the pendulum the other way for a new focus on surrealism, the painter embraces the absurd and aims to “inject ‘nonsense’ into my paintings” and to “negate any ‘meaning’ or narrative that starts to develop.” The busy and colorful results are something like a dream, leaving the viewer to search and interpret them by intuition, finding symbolism in the rich imagery on the canvas that nods to masters like Calder, Ernst, and Monet. – Kat McNevins
Stargaze Theater Festival
Thursday 21 – Saturday 23, Dougherty Arts Center
We enter the second weekend of Stargaze (the theatre fest kicked off last Thursday) and it’ll stack up similarly to the first. Five short plays – which explore “themes of love, memory, time-travel, and mysterious nightly metamorphoses” – run every evening with scripts by Marcus Delzell, Zach Freed, Kaleb King, Sarah Waddle, and Alessio Franco delighting your sophisticated cultural palate. All ticket proceeds benefit the Star Bandit Foundation, whose mission is fostering, enriching, and nurturing Austin-based artists. If you missed that fabled first weekend, make sure you secure a ticket during the second. – James Scott
Intro to Blind Wine Tasting
Thursday 21, NIDO
Oh, to sip a vino and know its name: That would be a delight. Unfortunately, I basically know how to tongue triangulate a Sauvignon Blanc and that’s it. But supposing you, too, have a wine knowledge deficiency and actually want to fix it, there are few better teachers than Loren Hotel Lead Sommelier Nick Robertson. For the mere sticker price of $55, he’ll lead you through the Court of Master Sommeliers basics on blind tasting wine with curated quaffs, artisanal charcuterie, and more. Cheers! – James Scott
Ear Hustle Live!
Thursday 21, State Theatre
In 2017, Nigel Poor, Antwan Williams, and Earlonne Woods launched the first-ever podcast created and produced in a prison. Visual artist Poor, alongside Williams and Woods – then incarcerated at California’s San Quentin State Prison – brought the everyday realities of life on the inside to the world stage, and went on to become finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in audio reporting. The team wraps their second live tour in Austin, where they’ll reminisce on some of the most illuminating perspectives they’ve heard over the years – from the sensation of trying an orange for the first time in 20 years to how being incarcerated affects your dreams. – Carys Anderson
Zine Making Workshop
Friday 22, MonkeyWrench Books
If imposter syndrome or delusions of grandeur are standing between you and creating your dream book or magazine, it’s time to try out the zine. The humble zine, foldable pinnacle of DIY sensibilities and subcultural media, is anything you need it to be: punk or polished, printed or pencil-drawn. Start from scratch with a simple design or pick up where you left off on a longer project with the help of fellow zine-enthusiasts working with all kinds of subjects and mediums. The first step toward any dream is starting, and the ol’ approachable zine will help you do just that. – Caroline Drew
Games Y’all: Pride Edition
Friday 22, Howson Branch Library
Calling all gay-mers and those that love them: Austin’s indie video-game social’s getting in the August spirit with a Pride-themed lineup of local developers. Museum of Human Achievement’s Fantastic Arcade showcase is open to game makers, enjoyers, and casuals of all ages to play games made by LGBTQ community members. As if toggling controllers and talking bits and bytes wasn’t enough, cute confectioners OMG Squee offer gluten-free treats to keep your gamer fingers going. – James Scott
PBR Gambler Days
Friday 22 – Sunday 24, Moody Center
Sure, the action only comes eight seconds at a time (if you’re lucky), but the excitement of that fleeting moment is arguably better than most sports. This tournament pits all of the PBR teams – including the reigning PBR Teams World Champions Austin Gamblers – against one another, but it’s really all about the struggle of man vs. bull. We’ll be honest: We’re not sure who we’re rooting for. Guess it depends on the rider or the bull; we certainly have our favorites in both camps. But let’s remember that the real heroes are the bullfighters – even though we still call them rodeo clowns, with all the esteem that should come with that title. – James Renovitch
The Road So Far… the Road Ahead: Celebrating 20 Years of SPN
Friday 22 – Sunday 24, Marriott Austin Downtown
Is it funny to me that Supernatural – a show so subsumed by masculinity it accidentally birthed our current homoerotic fan culture from its ultra manly men sharing their man pain with only other manly men – will have a convention running this Austin Pride weekend? Well, duh. Those snagging tickets to this event featuring appearances by the big three – Misha Collins (Castiel), Jared Padalecki (Sam), and Jensen Ackles (Dean) – and folks lining up for the gay parade aren’t a Venn diagram: That’s a circle, girl. Of course, the Winchester boys and their angel aren’t the only wayward sons carrying on at this con, as plenty of guest stars and featured players from the two-decades-old CW show will be on hand signing and snapping pics. And did I see J2 will be performing live? What a weekend! – James Scott
Cirque Vida presents Nostalgia
Friday 22 – Sunday 24, Sky Candy
Nostalgia’s coming back around again, and, of course, I’m talking about the triumphant return of Cirque Vida’s ethereal showcase, intensely highlighting the “art” in “circus arts.” Artists Paul Zuker, Amy Myers, Xochitl Sosa, and Celeste Bliss will perform physical feats focused on yearning: the emotional pull toward a home or life that cannot ever fully be retrieved, expressed through performances that defy possibility, but feel familiar deep in the soul. Experience the catharsis of having others pinpoint truths you never could fully grasp. Experience nostalgia. – Cat McCarrey
Donkey Skin
Friday 22, Hyperreal Film Club
Jacques Demy’s 1970 fantasy film follows the 1600s French fairy tale of the same name – well, same sans a single space. Donkeyskin – the fairy tale – concerns a king who attempts to marry his own daughter. Yeesh! A similar situation incites the film’s incidents, with the beautiful Catherine Deneuve playing the princess who dresses in a donkey’s skin to escape her father’s romantic overtures. Though this renders her unsightly to some, it eventually drives a prince so sick with love he demands she bake him a cake. That summary alone should justify the movie’s inclusion in Hyperreal’s Summer Camp series – emphasis on the CAMP part – but it’s the sumptuous set design and slow-motion effects that seal the deal. – James Scott
Kurtis Conner: the Goodfellow World Tour
Friday 22, Paramount Theatre
Whether you’re a citizen of Kurtistown or just visiting, you know the law here is: “You have to be nice to me.” But who’s me? Why, that’s the Canadian comic himself, Kurtis Conner: YouTube sensation, former Vine star, and a stand-up who’s still on his first solo world tour that started last year. Throughout his media career, Conner has honed a humor style that tightrope-walks juvenile fart jokes and well-considered critiques of modern mainstream masculinity – often via that same flatulent tomfoolery. Find him on Congress this Friday shaking up the Paramount stage, and you just might join the Kurtistown citizenry. – James Scott
2025 Austin Train Show
Saturday 23 – Sunday 24, Palmer Events Center
All aboard! Come ride the miniature rails for the 52nd annual Austin Train Show, a celebration of all ages and gauges of model trains – and a reminder of the wonders of the locomotive, still the most efficient way to move people and cargo (even at these tiny scales). Destinations include the All Points North Model RR Association, AustNtrak & TTrak, Tinplate Trackers, Texas Brick Railroad, and the Austin Model Railway Society. – Richard Whittaker
Write Letters for Trans Folks
Saturday 23, My Vinyasa Practice
An important part of Pride is sharing encouragement with folks who really need it, so MVP is partnering with the Queer Trans Project to write hopeful letters to be added to their “Build-a-Queer” kits, which provide free gender-affirming items for trans and nonbinary individuals. To warm up, a meditation and sound bath will get everyone in a good headspace, followed by a community sharing circle. Then they’ll pop on some tunes and pull out the pens and paper to get the life-affirming messages cranking. If you can’t make it, donations are welcome, as are letters you write at home and drop off to the studio by September 1. – Kat McNevins
One Mic: An Open Mic Event
Saturday 23, Black Pearl Books
After a summer break to rest your vocal cords and workshop your poems, stories, and songs for the sharing, Black Pearl Books’ signature One Mic event series is once again ready to hear your work. Whatever form or style your musings take, this monthly open mic is all about celebrating creative expression and community connection. Sharing your work might always make your knees quake a little, but you can breathe deeply knowing all voices and works are welcome here. – Caroline Drew
W. Tucker: “I made these things for you”
Through September 28, grayDUCK Gallery
Artist W. Tucker didn’t pick up clay until a collab with San Antonio’s Callie Luhrman introduced him to the material. By trade a painter who utilizes found materials like book covers and wood for his canvas, Tucker calls his approach to ceramics “an extension of my previous work” that takes his 2D characters into the third dimension. These oddball objects include train cars and tiny ducks, all sculpted by Tucker’s non-dominant left hand and created as an exploration of “what is going on inside of me and in the world around me.” Once he’s done, however, is when the work becomes a gift for you, just as this show’s title implies. – James Scott
Pups & Puffs Patio Party
Saturday 23, Double Trouble
Relax with Redeemer Small Batch, local purveyors of CBD products both edible and smokeable. They’re throwing this celebration as a benefit for Final Frontier Rescue Project, with sales of their blood orange gummies as well as 10% of drink sales going to the volunteer-run rescue. Other enjoyments include a Frey Collars pop-up, doggie adoptions, a pup splash zone, and postcard coloring. Oh, and free treats for all the good boys and girls panting on the Dub Trub patio. – James Scott
“Spirit & Splendor: El Greco, Velázquez, and the Hispanic Baroque”
Sunday 24, Blanton Museum of Art
It’s not every day you get to see an El Greco painting up close. With this major exhibition of Baroque masterpieces from Spain and Latin America, you get to see a half-dozen. The last stop of a touring exhibition, the Blanton will present nearly 60 major works from Manhattan’s renowned Hispanic Society Museum & Library, with a special focus on paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries. Beyond El Greco, featured artists include, but aren’t limited to, Diego Velázquez, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and Nicolás Correa. This is the kind of meaty exhibition that benefits from historical context and art expertise, which you can get via public tours offered in English and Spanish while “Spirit & Splendor” is on view through February 1, 2026. – Kimberley Jones
Giant with Giant Love Author Julie Gilbert in Conversation with Sean O’Neal
Sunday 24, Paramount Theatre
If you’re wondering how a Kalamazoo-born Jewish woman and sometime-member of the Algonquin Round Table came to write the novel upon which arguably the definitive Texas movie was made, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber supplied the answer herself: “I can project myself into any age, environment, condition, situation, character or emotion that interests me deeply. I need never have experienced it, or seen it or, to my knowledge, heard or read about it.” A conversation with Ferber’s biographer and grand-niece Julie Gilbert will cap this screening of the 1956 epic about a cattle ranching family grappling with the oil boom and pernicious racism of early 20th century Texas. – Kimberley Jones
Carpool Week
Sunday 24 – Saturday 30
“Broom, broom: I’m in me mum’s car.” Remember that funny video? Well, consider following its goofy phrase and driving in your mum’s car with your mum – or in anyone’s car with anyone else instead of alone. Movability and the Downtown Austin Alliance partner for this regional challenge where commuters who carpool can enter to win $100 gift cards to H-E-B (yay!) and Amazon (yay?) via the ConnectSmart app. Do your part to lower I-35 congestion, and you just might get a reward for it. – James Scott
Clue
Sunday 24 – Wednesday 27, Area Theatres
Any other movie plans for these days are just a red herring. We all know what you’ve got to do, and it involves a dark and stormy night, a mansion full of code-named strangers, and, of course, murder most foul. Move over, Barbie: The OG toy company movie is back on screens after 40 years. Clue thrived in the video rental scene, where millions of millennials (hi, it’s me) spent nights mesmerized by Tim Curry’s butler guiding nefarious dimwits through one killer evening. These anniversary screenings are presented the way it was meant to be seen, with a surprise ending in every theatre. Ah, Clue. The ultimate hilarious whodunnit. – Cat McCarrey
Kitten Yoga
Sunday 24, Wheatsville South Lamar
This event is not just kittens contorting themselves into yoga poses to give themselves a bath, although that may certainly be part of it. Adoptable kitties will be doing their thing around the venue, courtesy of partner Austin Humane Society, while Black Swan Yoga will lead the cutest yoga session you’ve ever seen. Will you be so relaxed and chill afterward? Undoubtedly. Will you go home with a new furry friend? Time will tell. But whether you go home alone or not, you’ll leave knowing your time and money were well spent, as proceeds go to AHS’s work with those precious kitties. – Kat McNevins
Want to see all of our listings broken down by day? Go to austinchronicle.com/calendar and see what’s happening now or in the coming week.
This article appears in August 22 • 2025.
