Women & Their Work continues, after 16 years, to present a panoply of local and nationally acclaimed female - though not necessarily feminist - artists of high caliber.

Women & Their Work
1311 E. Cesar Chavez
512/477-1064
womenandtheirwork.org

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Gordon Fowler, the owner of the establishment, invited fellow guy-artists Guy Juke, Jim Franklin, Peter Saul, and Ken Hale to help him refresh the restaurant and barside decor in January. Where are the "gal" artists gonna make their mark, you ask? Not in this boy's bar. Where are the Guerrilla Girls (Austin chapter) when you need 'em?

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In his modest downtown shop, Landers designs and builds hand-crafted functional wooden objects the way they used to be made - beautiful furniture that will last forever.

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One night at the Velveeta Room, an audience member stepped into the corridor and - no punchline here - started convulsing. Hardwick, who was onstage telling jokes, raced off to evaluate the situation. Finding it under control, he returned to a room of (no pun intended) shaken patrons and had to do the amazing: make them laugh. He did. Always fresh, always funny, he can revive us with any routine (but we always cross our fingers that he'll do the Wheel of Fortune and Gilligan's Island bits). And if you're studying the art of comedy and need to learn about "subtlety" and "callbacks," go see him and listen for "pineapple scientist" jokes.

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Ballet Austin artistic director Lambrou has stuck to his guns about what he believes the quality of ballet should be in this city, and he's securing those standards by presenting and finding funding for challenging ballet choreography, and breeding ballerinas in the Ballet Austin Academy. Lambrou has broken the sickly ballerina mold by including in his company dancers of all shapes and sizes who are highly trained and expressive... and he pays them! What's more, he's taking Austin dance to the world, transporting the ballet to Cyprus in September, where they'll be the only American company to perform at the Festival Cypria.

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Recently, Austin's Art in Public Places program installed this artist's sculpture along Waller Creek at 10th Street. Christensen also designs and fabricates welded steel and glass accessories for the home (small tables, vases, light fixtures) and has been helping to design custom interiors for retail establishments.

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The winner, hands down (his pants, that is) for loopy antics in onstage comedy. And what are his "Roman" fingers doing down there? Why, checking his "pubic hair extensions," of course, just one of many interpretative art performance motion pieces brought to you by this gigolo/Yankee goober. He'll insist the crowd is heckling him when they aren't and persuade them to howl for him in a cabaret act that's the oiliest thing since the Valdez ran aground. When you need more than a joke, you need goofin', then you need a yank from Hank.

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If you're standing in the theatre aisle, staring at that ticket stub and wondering where "H-22" could possibly be, and a sweet voice asks if she can help, chances are it's Wanda Sommers. She ushers at theatres all over town - the Paramount, Capitol City Playhouse, Zachary Scott, you name it - and has for years. And according to the volunteer coordinators at these institutions, a more cheerful, more dependable usher there isn't. So, Wanda, take a bow - or a seat. You deserve it.

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For less money than a real home improvement loan, Austin dancers can take part in Dance Umbrella's New Choreography Project and add a wing to their creative homes. NCP dancers go through an intensive week-long program guided by a visiting choreographer, who offers each one coaching and guidance on a specific piece. The information they learn can be applied to future work and to their overall development. The artists gain knowledge about craft, but audiences also reap benefits, as Austin's artistic home is also improved.

Dance Umbrella
danceumbrella.com

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In a roomful of weary judges and noisily mumbling competitors at the MTV spoken word competition this spring, Gomez managed to shut them all up and make them pay attention. She didn't place, but she made an impression, and shortly thereafter, at the SXSW spoken word showcase, Gomez distinguished herself again, this time in a sea of poets from across the country. A self-described "street journalist," Gomez makes the most ordinary of experiences - waking up, riding a bus - surge with electricity and magic.

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Speaking of art openings, if you haven't yet attended one at this South Austin space, do. You won't know what hit you. To call yourself "alternative" in Austin is really assuming a lot, but how else to describe the art scene this gallery attracts? Too active to be slackers, too interesting to be hippies - perhaps too diverse to be classified? We also salute their unpretentious, un-gallery style of exhibition.

Alternate Current Artspace
2209 S. First
512/443-9674

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Since local government often feels like the Peter Principle in action, let's get past the ire and anguish the actions of our city and county officials sometimes inspire and revel in the sweet absurdity of it all. Howl at the stupid questions and dumb answers, giggle at the pretensions, guffaw at the incompetence, chuckle at the sad spectacle of our leaders and bureaucrats in action. It might be even funnier if it weren't, sadly, utterly for real.

Cable Channel 6
309 W. Second
512/499-2460

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We all talk about ourselves, but how many of us do it and make our experiences lyrical, illuminating, the stuff of drama? Steve Tomlinson does. For years, this UT Economics professor has been performing vivid monologues molded from his life for tiny crowds around town. Last year, he broke through to a larger audience with his piece Free Trade. It wowed crowds at FronteraFest, had a run at Chicago House, and won Tomlinson the title of "Best Austin Performance Artist" from the Austin Critics' Table. Performance artist, storyteller, monologist - what's in a name? When Tomlinson talks, we listen.

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Okay, Hyde Park is pretty much the only neighborhood theatre in town, but it fits so snugly into its residential community and adds so much to it, the theatre stands as a model for neighborhood theatres to come. Owner/manager Eva Paloheimo doesn't produce the work there, but she ensures that it engages audiences with a range of experiences, from the bold adult drama of Weldon Rising and Search and Destroy to the family fare of Children of Light Players. And she maintains the space with a neighborhood feel: cozy, welcoming. There's no homier place in town to see theatre. Cool new mural, too.

Hyde Park Theatre
511 W. 43rd
512/479-7529
hydeparktheatre.org

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Mojo's manages to consistently find interesting artwork which complements their coffee drinks without matching their living room sofa. The informal atmosphere allows art-goers a look-see at all the works - no need to worry about leaning across someone's salad. Another plus here is that the shows change long before they get stale. Add this to Mojo's clientele of coffee-loving intellectuals and art school girls of doom, and you might even meet someone over a decaf latte and some artspeak.

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Hurst has to be the city's most enthusiastic man about dance. He was one of the first to arrive on the Austin dance scene more than 20 years ago (when it included about three people), and ever since, he's gone the extra mile in supporting dance and dancers here, attending performances, buying ads, making available to dancers and companies costumes and supplies from his dancewear shop Movin' Easy, and most recently, starting Danceline (474-1766), a recorded listing of dance events in the city.

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Our city is so overrun with festivals and special events that we're worn out with them. But our jaded selves got a jump start last year from FronteraFest. Frontera Productions' month-long performance jamboree gave artists the chance to stage whatever they wanted in a half-hour chunk, and the results were thrilling: original pieces and challenging work delivered by talents with rare fervor. It was a real celebration of theatre and pure Austin: eclectic, populist, with rough edges and lots of spirit. We can't wait for this year.

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The PAC's most recent dance season was nothing less than inspiring and an opportunity to spin around the world, to boot. How often are you able to skip off to New Guinea to see Les Ballets Africains, or to London for a taste of the Royal Ballet, or Japan for Sankai Juku, or Chicago for Hubbard Street, or New York City for Feld Ballets and Ralph Lemon and Hillary Easton and Kumiko Kimoto? Enough said.

Performing Arts Center
23rd & Robert Dedman Drive
512/471-0634
www.utexas.edu/pac/

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Founded in 1965 (as the Austin Chorale), the Austin Choral Union has provided Austin with the best in early Baroque to contemporary musical performances for almost 30 years. While rave reviews have consistently poured in here at home, the chorus has also received critical acclaim from across the U.S., as well as in Mexico. We're lucky to have a group of such stature here in our midst.

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