Home Events Arts
Recommended
-
Arts
Dance
Dance Waterloo: Vital
The public is invited to act as both observer and participant through a series of free dance performances by Dance Waterloo, inspired by Waterloo Greenway’s revitalization of Symphony Square, Waller Creek, and the surrounding urban greenspace.Thu.-Sun., Oct. 24-27, 7:30pm. Free. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Art Alliance Austin: ArtBash
This sixth annual fundraiser is an avant-garde art and fashion frenzy, where guests are invited to "Come as Thou Art" and wear art-themed outfits for an exciting evening of stylish costumes, art, photography, light installations, and more. Featured artists include Gail Chovan, Daniel Nguyen, and Stephen Wilson, and proceeds will support Art Alliance Austin’s new Youth Art Investment Program. See website for more.Sat., Oct. 26, 8pm-12mid. Free-$800. -
Arts
Classical Music
Chorus Austin: The Book of Rounds
Ryan Heller and his acclaimed ensemble celebrate the CD release of this wonderful song cycle with a return performance.Sat., Oct. 26, 7:30pm. $15-50. -
Arts
Theatre
Everybody
We all die alone, right? Or … do we? This Austin premiere – nominated for a Pulitzer, penned by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – is equal parts Christian Morality Play, 2017-soaked dialogue, and lottery draw, transporting the audience into themselves and each other. To evoke the randomness of death, each show will feature a different arrangement of the cast (out of a possible 120 combinations). Anybody who happens, by sheer coincidence, to actually die during the performance of this macabre thing … well, they'll likely get a standing ovation, don'tcha think?Through Nov. 1. Thu.-Sat., 7pm; Sun., 2pm. Extra show: Sat., Nov. 2, 2pm. $5-15.UT Student Activity Center, 2201 Speedway -
Arts
Theatre
Ghost Quartet
Penfold Theatre brings a bounty of ghostly elegance to your Halloweening season, as Liz Fisher directs Dave Malloy's happily haunted musical about love, death, and whisky. Listen in as four friends drink and spin yarns about two fairy-tale sisters, a tree house astronomer and a lazy evil bear, a subway tragedy, and the ghost of Thelonious Monk, the disparate narrative threads interweaving into a centuries-long tale of encounters with the otherworldly. (Note: The final two performances will be at the Driskill Hotel, with pre-show entertainment beginning at 7:30pm. Oct. 31: Ghost stories told by paranormal expert Nathan Jerkins. Nov. 1: Round Rock Ballet Folklórico share traditional Día de los Muertos dances and discuss the importance of the holiday.) Also? Our reviewer? Was rather blown away.Through Nov. 1. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 5pm. $16-31 ($45, for Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 shows). -
Arts
Theatre
It Is Magic
In this new Mickle Maher show, at a community theatre audition for a new adaptation of The Three Little Pigs intended for adult audiences, "two sisters set out to search for an actor to play the role of the Wolf. As they struggle to cast the right actor, they're quickly confronted with the darkness inside the audition room – and themselves." A setup like that is compelling enough; knowing it's scripted by the man who brought us There Is a Happiness That Morning Is and The Strangerer and so many other hefty shards of hilarious and cutting brilliance that, well, hell – we like good theatre, what can we say? And this one's directed by Mark Pickell for Capital T and features Jill Blackwood, Kathy Catmull, John Christopher, Robert Pierson, and Rebecca Robinson. UPDATE: And now this production's been reviewed by our own Robert Faires.Through Nov. 23. Thu.-Sat., 8pm. $20-30. -
Arts
Comedy
Ken Jeong
Since his feature film debut playing the doctor in Knocked Up, Jeong has gone on to star in such movie roles as the mobster “Mr. Chow” in the hit comedy The Hangover and as that one guy in the Warner Bros. megapopular Crazy Rich Asians and, oh, he's been all over Netflix and Fox and so on – he's a comedian on fire, right? Once a doctor, currently a stand-up phenomenon, and, right now, here in Austin.Sat., Oct. 26, 7pm. $41.50-61.50. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Raw Paw: Dark Arts
This variety show of dark and occult work by local visual and performing artists is what's happening at Raw Paw HQ this weekend – and it'll treat you right, if you appreciate the more shadowy side of wonderment. Note that they don't use the *fnord* term "spooktacular" anywhere in the event description; rather, Raw Paw's own Kyle Carter reminds us: "This is an acknowledgment of the darkness present within our inner and outer space, and the importance of understanding it." Yes, thank you.Sat., Oct. 26, 7pm-12mid. $5. -
Arts
Theatre
Salvador Dali's Naked Feast
This is The Vortex’s big annual fundraiser, welcoming you in all your finest surreality to enter Dali’s universe at a performance-art-installation-cocktail-party night of revelry evoking and embodying that quite verifiably sane artist's aesthetic and artistry. Witness theatrical weirdness in diverse complexity! Dance a tango with someone who may very well be Salvador himself! Graze from elegantly designed food art on an array of naked bodies! Plentiful artistic hors d’oeuvres will feature vegan, meat, gluten-free, and dessert options, and that popular Butterfly Bar will be serving up the Casanova Cocktail from Dali’s own recipe. Need we add: Mature Audiences only.Sat., Oct. 26, 7pm-12mid. $35-100. -
Arts
Theatre
SVT: Three Headed Festival
Salvage Vanguard Theatre roars back to the foreground of Austin's stagework scene with this second annual showcase of works and workshops curated by Kate Taylor. Examine the power of curses, the stranglehold of categorization, and the courage to overcome in two weekends of solo performances featuring dancer and choreographer Kelsey Oliver, actor and visual artist Kriston Woodreaux, and actor and activist Crystal Bird Caviel. Also: a pre-show interactive exhibit by Alyssa Dillard, a movement class led by Oliver, and that grotesquely gorgeous (and vice versa) Rogue at Rogge Monsters’ Ball. Ah, there's so much to see and do, we reckon that a full-festival pass is the best way to go. See website for details!Through Oct. 27. Thu.-Fri., 8pm; Sat., 10:30am, 2, 5, 8, & 10pm; Sun., 5 & 8pm. $5-25. -
Arts
Books
Texas Book Festival 2019
The 24th annual Texas Book Festival, one of the largest and most prestigious literary festivals in the country, features more than 250 celebrated and emerging writers, including journalists, artists, scientists, graphic novelists, and more. The festival weekend includes acclaimed authors at readings, panel discussions, and signings; exhibitor booths and food vendors; tents and venues, including cooking, C-SPAN, children’s entertainment, and the return of the Latinx Lit Tent. Spread throughout the grounds of the State Capitol and along Austin’s iconic Congress Avenue, encompassing Saturday night's Red River Lit Crawl, this festival will bring you the world in a whirl of words and words and pictures.Oct. 26-27. Sat., 10am-5pm; Sun., 11am-5pm. Free.Downtown Austin -
Arts
Theatre
The Austin Séance
Find out what the local spirits have to say as A. Lucio and Jake Cordero of The Austin Séance lead a series of fascinating sessions, each of which includes a brief exploration of American spiritualist history, a contemplative guided meditation, and, of course, a séance.Oct. 24-26. Thu., 7pm; Fri.-Sat., 7 & 9pm. $15-30. -
Arts
Comedy
The Black Vault
Don't mistake this for comedy, exactly. The Black Vault is a fully improvised show that spins horror tales in the style of H.P. Lovecraft, the writer best known for his "Cthulhu Mythos." The show explores many of Lovecraft’s themes – ancient unspeakable terror, impossible twisted dreamscapes, unseen forces from beyond the stars that infect our minds, and the real horrors that humanity inflicts upon itself – but, note: This new production tells tales of creeping alien horrors via the experiences of those not typically represented in Lovecraft’s work. In other words: Boo-yah, Howard Phillips, you old dead racist! Ia! Ia!Through Oct. 26. Fri.-Sat., 8pm. $15. -
Arts
Theatre
Theorist Fest: Finding Fisterra
Theorist Fest, a four-day weekend of creative wonderment, features 85 multidisciplinary artists from across the United States – and Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, England, South Korea, and India – performing all over the heart of Downtown Austin (but mostly centered at the MACC). Listen: In collaboration with Jennifer Chenoweth's Fisterra project, XYZ Atlas interviewed more than 200,000 people about why they feel a sense of belonging to a place. Now witness the myriad answers, as vividly and kinetically evoked by the likes of Maleek Washington, Manuel Vignoulle, Compañia Sunny Savoy, Daniel Martinez, Vivian Olviedo, Alberto Hiromoto, Group Acorde, and so many others. Aye, there will be informative panels and installations, too – this is a free and many-splendored explosion of arts from your Theorist friends, and highly recommended.Oct. 24-27. Free. -
Arts
Dance
Ventana Ballet: Undead
Here's an immersive, adults-only Halloween show featuring professional dance and theater artists, where "you'll encounter the shadows of the night, where only the undead gather." Remember: In dance, as in journalism, IF IT BLEEDS, IT LEADS.Fri.-Sat., Oct. 25-26, 8pm. $25.
All Events
-
Arts
Visual Arts
AARC: Fall Into Art
The Asian American Resource Center presents four exhibitions that reflect on community, cultural heritage, and nature in various mediums: "Colours of Life: An Indian Perspective" by Shruti Mehta; "Pink Lotus" by Marcella Kourkova; and the group shows "Everything That Matters" and "Abstractions of AVAFest."Through Dec. 14 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Art Hop 2019
Feel like heading a little north, citizen? This statewide juried arts competition, organized by Georgetown Art Works, features exhibitions at the Georgetown Public Library and the Georgetown Art Center.Through Oct. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Beezlebubba’s Nu Age Art Show
What is this? It's a group show with original Texas bizarro artists Andy Don Emmons, Chicken George Zupp, David Patrick Dennis, and James Lawrence Thornton, that's what it is.Through Oct. 31Tin Whistle Art Gallery, 5305 Bolm Rd -
Arts
Visual Arts
Big Medium: Happiness Is a Journey
This exhibition chronicles the daily life and art of Bear Lopez, East Austin resident of 60 years, a steadfast witness to the transformation and gentrification of our city's sunrise side. Artists Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan met Bear at the Austin American-Statesman’s printing warehouse where Lopez has been working for more than 20 years without a single day off, delivering papers. What kind of life is that? There's more to the story than you might expect.Through Nov. 24 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Camiba Art: A Contest of Legacies
For his second solo exhibition with Camiba, Matthew Gantt has created a new tribe of modern guardian totems. Created by first throwing ink onto folded paper and blotting it Rorschachwise, the potential images are enhanced with painting and line work to ensure that others see what Gantt first saw amid the chaos. And this show is, yes, another part of the Austin Veteran Arts Festival.Through Nov. 9 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Carver Museum: Future Inhabitants
The willful self-destruction of humanity by Earth’s most formidable species – humans – is the topic of New Orleans-born and Dallas-raised photographer Tia Boyd. Through a series of portraits, Boyd reveals "a surviving race of godlike women warriors who have come to terraform the planet for future inhabitants." And here's our full review of the show.Through Jan. 11 -
Arts
Dance
Chamacos Dance: Viajes
This is a contemporary dance performance featuring a series of short works about inner and geographical travels that change our life perspective, let us break the boundaries of our mind, and get closer to the true source of inspiration and creativity.Oct. 25-27. Fri.-Sat., 7pm; Sun., 4pm. $10-20. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Charles White and the Legacy of the Figure
This is one of two exhibitions on master American artist Charles White that will be mounted at UT this fall, celebrating a major donation of White’s artworks by Susan G. and Edmund W. Gordon, just as they participate in the centennial commemoration of the artist’s birth.Through Nov. 30Christian-Green Gallery, 201 E. 21st -
Arts
Books
Christopher Carmon: El Rinche
Celebrate the release of this new novel about the Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande, with readings from the author – and his brother, Juan P. Carmona.Sat., Oct. 26, 7pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Co-Lab Projects: A Land with No Name
Sara Madandar's new series of paintings takes its inspiration from Persian history, exploring how complex notions of gender and national identity have changed in Iran between the 19th and 20th centuries.Through Oct. 26 -
Arts
Classical Music
Coming Home: An Evening of Stories and Music
Join pianist Scott Donald for an eclectic mix of classical music from a repertoire that spans a lifetime of music-making.Sat., Oct. 26, 7:30pm. $15 (free, kids).Studio A, 5811 Berkman #132 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Cowboys in Space and Fantastic Worlds
Yippee ki yay, space cadet, it's time to head 'em off at the Pass Nebula as the State History Museum presents an exhibition that spans more than 150 years of Western and science fiction history and features 100-plus artifacts (including props from Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly, and other skiffy media fare). And our arch-geek himself, the estimable Richard Whittaker, also a part-time Sith Lord, reviews the show for you here.Through Dec. 1 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Davis Gallery: Lone Star Wild
Davis Gallery joins with Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center and Travis Audubon Society to present this exhibition focused on the natural world. Featuring work of surpassing beauty by Margie Crisp, David Everett, Billy Hassell, and William B. Montgomery, it's a survey of respect for the Lone Star State's natural brilliance – as seen through four distinct lenses. Oh, look – here's our review of the show.Through Nov. 30 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Dimension Gallery: Systema Praeternaturae
The show's name is a play on Systema Naturae, Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus' monumental work that documented the entire system of classification that's still in use for all biology. The show's creator is the man who, with his wife Moya, runs the gallery in which it's displayed; and who created The Resonant Lung; and who reformed, in discrete parts, the warped and buckled floor from an ancient warehouse into an abandoned Austin church; and who – well, it's Colin McIntyre, of course, with a series of works that explore imagined lifeforms with varied morphology, rendered via sinuous, flowing forms forged in steel and blazing with the liquid-metal sheen of nickel plate. And then there's that … viscous, pulsating abomination in the center of it all.Through Nov. 30 -
Arts
Comedy
Dov Davidoff
It never Raines, but it pours, right? And you know this guy, one of Variety's "Top 10 to Watch." You gonna argue with Variety, now? No? Then come and watch him.Oct. 23-26. Wed.-Thu., 8pm; Fri.-Sat., 7:30 & 10pm. $12-23. -
Arts
Theatre
Dracula
This new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classic vampire tale is a sensual fantasy with a surprising twist: a bold heroine who dares to defy the ruler of the night. "Seductive, romantic, and empowering, this foray to the dark side is a juicy date-night," we're advised – and that seems, yup, just about right. Written and directed by Steven Dietz for Zach Theatre, with a kickass cast featuring Sarah Kimberly Becker as Mina Harker and Keith Contreras-McDonald as the titular bloodsucker.Through Nov. 3. Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30 & 7:30pm. $30 and up. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Generative Art Project: When Stars Collide
20 million years ago, two supernovae collided – causing ripples in the very fabric of space-time. 20 million years later, generative artist James Pricer created cataclysmic portraits of this event using the actual gravitational wave data. The exhibition features a box set of eight gravitational wave prints, a collision video, two unique explosion prints, and several generative objects.Through Oct. 27 -
Arts
Visual Arts
grayDUCK Gallery: Bruisers
Sarah Fox's new show at this excellent Eastside gallery is about the nature of little boys and the men that they become. "It is an exhibition," says the artist, "that I made in an attempt to be a better mother and to create a safer world for my son."Through Dec. 15 -
Arts
Visual Arts
ICOSA Gallery: Technorganic
The two-person creative team of Carlos Carrillo and Yevgenia Davidoff and multidisciplinary artist Rachelle Diaz present an homage to infrastructure that exposes the vulnerability of built and natural environments while documenting the sweeping social changes of late-stage capitalism on a human scale. It's a collaboration that features assemblage, photography, and painting, and it'll immerse you.Through Oct. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
JGallery: Celebration of Judaica
Here's an exhibition of original artwork based on Jewish themes and symbols, including mosaics, hamsa, and Zentangles, by Marvin Beleck, Marion Stoutner, Ginette Jordan, Martha Kull, and Susan Ribnick – also featuring reproductions of 18 mosaics honoring the victims of the shooting of the Pittsburgh Tree of Life or L'Simcha Congregation.Through Oct. 28 -
Arts
Visual Arts
La Pena Gallery: Dia De Los Muertos
Featuring a tribute to the casualties of gun violence, La Peña celebrates the annual Día de Los Muertos/Day of the Dead with a group exhibition of artwork and altares.Sat., Oct. 26, 6-8pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Link & Pin Gallery: FUN!
When Richard Littlefield was interviewed on Channel 4 in Guadalajara, Mexico, the interviewer noted that the Virgin de Guadalupe had apparently influenced his work. The artist’s response was to mention that her image was found on every other corner in East L.A. where he was born and raised. And how does he make art? "The media is very mixed," says Littlefield. "If I can glue it, screw it, or tie it to the plywood surface, I can use it."Through Nov. 10 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Lora Reynolds Gallery: Roy McMakin and Rosy Keyser
McMakin brings us recontextualized furniture and untold (actually, very carefully quantified) numbers of coats of paint, with his "Two Bowls, a Cabinet Door, Two Tables, and a Window (with a Blue Wall)," and Keyser's got a new showcase of her vivid "Works on Paper."Through Nov. 9 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Modern Rocks: But I Remember When We Were Young
Manchester-born Kevin Cummins has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading photographers and is famed for his portraits of musicians, including Joy Division, New Order, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Mick Jagger, Patti Smith, and Oasis. This weekend, Modern Rocks Gallery (now in its fifth year) launches the photographer’s first retrospective show in the United States, featuring his most iconic images.Through Nov. 2 -
Arts
Theatre
Much Ado About Nothing
This new version of Shakespeare’s beloved tale – directed by Katie Van Winkle for ACC Drama, is set in a Neo-Elizabethan dystopia and weaves together "an exploration of shame and honor with enchanting screwball comedy."Oct. 24-27 and Nov. 7-10. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $8. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Pump Project: The Sky Is Blue and We're Still Tender
This new exhibition at Cloud Tree Gallery is an arrangement of works by artists offering forms of connection between, through, and within each other. Featuring art by Sev Coursen, Sarah Kennedy, Ted Carey, Kirsten Lofgren, Betelhem Makonnen, and more.Through Oct. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Recspec Gallery: Demons & Devils
That's right, one of Austin's best little galleries is back – bigger and better than ever, now in a new space south of the river. And what a way to inaugurate this fresh venue – with a sort of sequel to last year's excellent "Witches" show, this one curated by Laurel Barickman and Katie Cowden and featuring a plethora of artists drawing their subjects from folklore and occultism's darker spaces and from deep inside the shadows of human nature. They're embracing – and displaying – all of it here, though: the light and the dark, the good and the bad, the holy and the evil in everyone. The devil, as we know, is in the details.Through Dec. 14 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Sage Studio: Road Trip Through Texas
This exhibition at Sage features new work of scenes from the road – cars, trucks, maps, and common sights along Texas highways – by 10 Texas-based contemporary artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Rick Fleming, Charlie French, Elijah Giorgi, David Sulak, Anna Burke, Sam Eiler, Larin Harp, Richmond F., Jackson Sutton, and Gav Sears. Bonus: roadtrip-inspired music, and a live painting demo.Through Oct. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
The Blanton Museum: She-Wolf + Lower Figs
This installation presents new work that expands Lily Cox-Richard’s research into the contextual history of materials, making visible unseen systems that dictate materials’ production, value, and use, and engages larger questions of natural resources, labor, the specifics of place, and the politics of viewership.Through Dec. 29 -
Arts
Visual Arts
The Cathedral Launch Party
The atxGALS’ newest venture celebrates its launch with this Dia De Los Muertos-themed party that features an open bar, local bites, music performances, and an art display by 10 of Austin’s top emerging female artists. How will this talented group of ladies transform a beautiful 1930s church with art? Find out tonight!Sat., Oct. 26, 6-11pm. $45. -
Arts
Visual Arts
The Contemporary Austin: The Sorcerer's Burden
The complex relationship between contemporary art and anthropology shapes the subject of "The Sorcerer’s Burden: Contemporary Art and the Anthropological Turn," an 11-artist exhibition representing a wide range of media – including painting, sculpture, photography, video, and performance. And here's our own Robert Faires with a full review of the show. -
Arts
Visual Arts
The Gallery: Cult of Oddities
You think this is, what, another seasonally appropriate exhibition? An art-filled, vendor-packed party that's bewitching, say? Or "spooktacular," even? Well, you're right, and it features a plethora of "strange, mysterious, and whimsical works in various media."Sat., Oct. 26, 7pm. Free, but RSVP.1209 E. Cesar Chavez -
Arts
Visual Arts
The Umlauf: Michael Ray Charles
Yeah, no, this is a monumental showing of work – including a series of paintings commissioned for the exhibition – by one of the best, most provocative artists working on this planet. The former Austinite (he taught at UT for 20 years) Michael Ray Charles "is known for art that investigates the legacy of historic racial stereotypes of African Americans. Since the 1990s, he's created complex, layered paintings that challenge stereotypes, power dynamics, and social and cultural hierarchies." Ah, words can't even – but our Arts Editor Robert Faires offers a fine preview right here.Through Jan. 3 -
Arts
Dance
Theorist Fest: Finding Fisterra
Theorist Fest, a four-day weekend of creative wonderment, features 85 multidisciplinary artists from across the United States – and Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, England, South Korea, and India – performing all over the heart of Downtown Austin (but mostly centered at the MACC). Listen: In collaboration with Jennifer Chenoweth's Fisterra project, XYZ Atlas interviewed more than 200,000 people about why they feel a sense of belonging to a place. Now witness the myriad answers, as vividly and kinetically evoked by the likes of Maleek Washington, Manuel Vignoulle, Compañia Sunny Savoy, Daniel Martinez, Vivian Olviedo, Alberto Hiromoto, Group Acorde, and so many others. Aye, there will be informative panels and installations, too – this is a many-splendored explosion of arts from your Theorist friends, and highly recommended.Oct. 24-27. Prices vary; $100 for full-festival pass. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Visual Arts Center: Fall 2019
The fall array of exhibitions at UT's Visual Arts Center features Nikita Gale's "EASY LISTENING," Kenneth Tam's "Details," Maria Antelman's "Mechanisms of Affection," Saakred's "Sin Nombre, Sin Cuerpo," and more. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Wally Workman Gallery: Box of Light
Will Klemm, a realist master of tone and texture in oils, was one of the first artists represented by Wally Workman back in the day. By this time he's revealed more than 50 solo exhibitions across the country. "My intention is to communicate something abstract and interior, while still referencing our everyday lives," says the artist. And now the Workman walls are filled, in image after image, with his sublime success in achieving that intention.Through Oct. 27 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Women & Their Work: Wild, Wild Country
Preetika Rajgariah’s new exhibition is where culture, capitalism, and classism collide on the yoga mat, with the artist exploring – through sculpture, video, and performance – how this spiritual practice with deep roots in Hinduism has proliferated into nearly every part of American society.Through Nov. 14 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Yard Dog: Backstage in Honky Tonk Hell + A Scrap of Paper
That Welsh rocker Jon Langford and the Belgian artist Jo Clauwaert share a double bill of visual exhibitions at this South Congress bastion of folk art, bringing a bifocal look at contemporary culture via painted portraits and more.Through Nov. 24