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for Sat., Dec. 19
  • Romeo y Juliet

    A bilingual adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s most cherished works, Romeo y Juliet recounts the tale of two star-crossed lovers, daughters from the feuding houses of Capulet and Montague, reimagined in Alta, California in the 1840’s prior to the annexation of California to the United States.
    Apr. 10-21  
    UT Theatre and Dance
  • Gabriele Galimberti - The Ameriguns & Toy Stories: Artist Talk & Reception

    Internationally acclaimed Gabriele Galimberti’s first US exhibition of “Ameriguns” & “Toy Stories” comes to Austin! The people in these images are from all walks of life, with no particular political party, race, culture, or gender in favor. Ameriguns and Toy Stories deliver striking images exploring the timely issues of gun culture and the impact of modern inequalities on children.
    Fri. Apr. 12, 6pm-9pm  
    Lydia Street Gallery
Recommended
  • Arts

    Theatre

    Xmas Unwrapped: A Holiday Cabaret

    Shrewd Productions, one of Austin's most vibrant, independent theatre companies, brings back the classic holiday cabaret with a cast of performers engaging in song, dance, burlesque, aerials, and storytelling, all for your virtual viewing pleasure – and hosted by none other than Jesus Valles.
    Streaming through Dec. 26. $15-25.  
    • Arts

      Theatre

      Abuelita's Christmas Carol

      Here's a holiday treat for audiences of all ages: Alex Garza's one-man show, a loving tribute to his maternal grandmother, in which the actor portrays a cast of dear and wacky characters including Lucas, Pedro, Feliza, and a pet pig ghost named Agapito.
      Sat., Dec. 19, 7:30pm  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Almost Real Things: Virtual Vacation

      Join the moving-and-shaking scene-raisers of Almost Real Things magazine for this at-home art and music experience: a live, interactive variety show featuring 45-plus talented musicians, artists, and performers who've banded together to give you a break from reality. Note: It's free to watch and participate – but to ensure your trip will be extraordinary, you could purchase a Companion Box, full of art souvenirs, excursions, and snacks.
      Sat., Dec. 19, 6-9pm. Free.  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Bale Creek Allen Gallery: Promised Land

      Musician John Doe and visual artist Michael Mogavero have been friends for almost 50 years, witnessing and enjoying each other’s work as it progressed and evolved. Recently, Mogavero sent Doe a group of new images, some of which Doe paired with poems. During the process, titles were changed and unexpected stories were added within the images. This collaboration at Bale Creek Allen Gallery is a celebration of melding poetry with visual images and a testament to the artists' friendship, and our Robert Faires tells you more about it right here.
      Through Jan. 4
    • Arts

      Dance

      Ballet Austin: The Nutcracker

      Local luminaries enliven the stage with holiday splendor and wintery exuberance in this Nutcracker digital film, featuring Ballet Austin’s 2019 stage production by Stephen Mills, now streaming on-demand and including a plethora of bonus material, cast and crew interviews, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Note: You can get access with a tax-deductible donation to Ballet Austin and view the kinetic wonderment until the new year dawns.
      Through Jan. 1  
    • Arts

      Dance

      Chamacos Dance Company: Asteroide B-612

      Here's a movement interpretation of Le Petit Prince, the beloved fable by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, in which eight dancers will explore the world of adults through the eyes of that little prince and ask: What makes us lose our imagination and thirst for knowledge?
      Streaming online: Fri.-Sun., Dec. 18-20, 8pm. Free.  
    • Arts

      Classical Music

      Chorus Austin: On a Winter's Eve

      This virtual concert, from Austin's oldest community choir, features the singers giving glorious voice to classic holiday tunes – including Handel’s Messiah, which, we reckon, is about as classic as it gets, n'est-ce pas? Note: After this night's debut, access to the video will continue for free online until January 1.
      Sat., Dec. 19, 6pm. Free.  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Collection Rert: Super Saturday Surprise

      Ah, these guys. Once again (and just before Christmas) they're presenting a sort of self-service buffet of crafty oddities, with tables spaced out and full of spaced-out stuff. Why, it's a perfect opportunity to rummage for weird treasure – and your stockings will never be stuffed the same way again.
      Sat., Dec. 19, 9am-5pm  
      2608-B Rogers
    • Arts

      Classical Music

      Inversion Da Capo: This Snow Globe World

      The Inversion Ensemble's treble choir celebrates the music of wintertide, performing online and exploring the many expressions of the season, from darkness and solitude to elation and rebirth. Featuring music by Tim Takach, Moira Smiley, Austin composers Susan Meitz and Carol Brown, and Inversion's in-house composers Adrienne Inglis and Robbie LaBanca.
      Sat., Dec. 19, 7pm. Free.  
    • Arts

      Dance

      Metamorphosis Dance: The Nutcracker

      The Metamorphosis Dance company presents this annual and unique telling of the beloved holiday classic – coming to you virtually this year, via video of the ballet's performance at the Carver Museum.
      Through Dec. 24. $10-50.  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Northern-Southern: Baton

      This is a group show by relay, begun in July of 2020 as a method of socially distancing a community in the height of the pandemic: Artists took turns alone in the space, each adding to the exhibition. Now, as it nears its close, the exhibition resembles a community in which work converses and overlaps. With Adreon Henry, Vy Ngo, Dawn Okoro, Leon Alesi, Matt Steinke, Sev Coursen, Stella Alesi, and more.
      Closing reception: Sat., July 24, 3-9pm
    • Arts

      Theatre

      Teatro Vivo: Cuento Navideño

      It's "Bah, Humbug!" in the barrio, as Teatro Vivo presents this festive family comedy that infuses Latino culture, Spanish language, and holiday traditions into one theatrical celebration. Written and directed by Rupert Reyes, streaming online as 2020 draws to a close.
      Through 20. Thu.-Sat., 7pm; Sun., 2pm. Donations accepted.  
    • Arts

      Dance

      The Watchmaker's Song: A Drive-In Nutcracker Experience.

      This year, the audience will follow the Watchmaker and his loved ones through an entirely new narrative, as conceived by Ventana Ballet's new co-artistic director, Jerreme Rodriguez, in an effort to make the most of this nontraditional venue. "The new adaptation honors the elements of The Watchmaker’s Song that set it apart from traditional stagings of The Nutcracker Ballet," they tell us, and it's enlivened by Duke Ellington’s jazzy rendition of the original Tchaikovsky music.
      Through Dec. 19. Fri.-Sat., 6:30 & 8pm. $25 per person.  
      2400 E. Cesar Chavez
    • Arts

      Theatre

      ZACH's Rockin' Holiday Concert: CANCELED

      Thanks, 'ronas, you stupid, confounding pathogens.: We're at Stage 5, people. Stay safe, stay home, and stream something.
      Through Jan. 3. Thu.-Fri., 7:30pm; Sat.-Sun., 2:30 & 7:30pm
    All Events
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      AO5 Gallery: Disruption

      Hey, you! Globally aware art connoisseur! Don't miss this show of bold visuals from some of the most famous European street artists – like Banksy, Striker, Zero, and Cee Pil – now sharing wall space with works by Austin's own Jason Eatherly, Dave Lowell, and that Impossible Winterbourne.
      Through Dec. 31
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Art for the People: Where the Bots Begin

      Lauren Briére’s art escorts the viewer on a visual journey into outer space, the fun of sports, walks in nature, and various adventures and shenanigans, as Art for the People showcases 200-plus sketches that are the artist's penciled beginnings to creating her whimsical "Robots in Rowboats."
      Through Jan. 3
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Atelier Dojo: Remote Studios

      The local powerhouse of figurative painting, the art school that's the smart school for artists of all kinds, they've got a painting-along-at-home series going to help you keep your skills honed in these socially restrictive times, featuring live costumed models posing on camera and a thriving community of creatives rendering that lovely human biotecture from their separate studios. "Join us for a three-hour costumed-model drawing session. Use any supplies you wish, listen to music, share your work, chat with others. It’s a great way to stay connected with your art community!"
      Tuesdays, 1:30-4:30pm; Fridays, 6:30-9:30pm; Saturdays, 9:30-12:30pm. $5.  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Camiba Art: Perspectives on 2020

      If anyone can make sense out of this dumpster fire of a year, it's probably the artists of Camiba. Valerie Fowler, Edward Lane McCartney, Kate Bradshaw, Lee Albert Hill, Orna Feinstein, Adreon Henry, Zoe Schulman, and more – these bright talents will provide much food for thought and images to conjure with as we slide into what we can only hope isn't the out-of-the-frying-pan-and-into-the-fire situation of 2021.
      Through Dec. 26  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      ChingonX Fire: Group Exhibit

      Inspired by the Mexican American Cultural Center's annual La Mujer celebration – and by the first feminist of the New World, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz – this online group exhibit is curated by April Garcia and features womxn-identifying and nongender-specific artists whose artwork is tied to activism, feminism, cultural. and gender identity storytelling, environmental protection, and socioeconomic parity.
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Cloud Tree Studio: Cusp

      This is a new solo show by Court Lurie, weaving together the artist's large contemporary abstract paintings, poetry, photography, drawings, and installation. New works are curated with older pieces, and poetry written decades ago intermingles with an interactive installation in a robust yet tender homage to the experience of liminality. (And as 2020 begins its palsied lurch into 2021, yeah, this is one hell of an experience of liminality.)
      Through Dec. 20  
    • Arts

      Comedy

      ColdTowne Theater

      ColdTowne's new brick-and-mortar place is totally open, and who knows what they'll shake this city with next? But one truth remains: ColdTowne is a designated den of gold, baby, sweet comedy gold.
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Davis Gallery: Together Apart

      This is an extensive group exhibit focused on the experience of sharing holidays apart from loved ones, with artists addressing the importance of family, life and death, our connection to nature, and spirituality. Each of the artists has created new work (or chosen work from the past) that uniquely recognizes these concepts. And this is the Davis Gallery, so those artists include Chun Hui Pak, David Everett, Faustinus Deraet, David Leonard, Dana Younger, Fallon Bartos, and others, and we're giving it our highest recommendation.
      Through Jan. 16
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Flatbed Press: 2020 Hindsight

      Here's a fine way to sum a year in the printerly life: Flatbed presents a new exhibition of works from each of the 14 artists who worked at the press this year – along with the “Every Head Is a World, Every World Is a Head” portfolio of prints by Michael Ray Charles that was published shortly before Flatbed relocated in 2019. Featuring art by Melissa Miller, Adrian Armstrong, Suzi Davidoff, Lance Letscher, David Everett, Darden Smith, and more.
      Through Jan. 9. Wed.-Fri., 10am-5pm, and by appointment
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Forklift Danceworks: Portraits at Downs Field

      It's the culminating piece of Forklift's year-long residency at Downs Field in East Austin: Portraits of the Downs Field community by photographer Cindy Elizabeth, installed at the field for everyone to see. The project explores the importance of Downs Field to the continual flourishing of baseball in Texas, through the past, present, and future.
      Through Jan. 4
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Georgetown Art Center: Book Passage

      Yeah, sometimes we just can't help but pimp – er, we mean promote – this arty bastion that's so up north it makes us think twice as we glance at our long-suffering Isuzu. But, listen, this is a show of reclaimed books that have been altered in extraordinary ways by Janice Anderson and John Sager – via collage, via paint, via outright sculpting of the materials. Anderson is new to us, but we saw a few of Sager's bibliophilic alterations over a decade ago and we're still talking about their beauty even now. Recommended, and definitely worth the trip. (Bonus: Check out the excellent Lark & Owl bookstore while you're there, too.)
      Through Jan. 3
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      House of Mesmerize: Enter the Multiverse

      This interactive, gallery-style experience inside Austin's Native Hostel "follows the journey of Mesmer, an artist and amateur tinkerer who discovers a secret: we and our universe are not alone. Mesmer opens up a portal and is swallowed into the Multiverse and its infinite cosmic curiosities." The created environment features 15 unique art installations, with multiple paths and possibilities, and you know there'll be safety protocols to follow, too, to thwart those pesky 'ronas. ⁠Note: We'll be looking into this and getting back to you with a full report.
      Through Dec. 20. Thu.-Sun., 11am-11pm. $25.  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      ICOSA: Transmissions

      Here's a new exhibition at that Canopy-situated space we love to visit. For "Transmissions," Terra Goolsby and Tammie Rubin have curated a pandemic-inspired show that answers, via a diversity of methods, questions like, "What's performance without the expectations of the traditional shared experiences? How to create intimacy and connection mediated through limited audiences, through projected and virtual transmissions?" And the respondents? Urethra Burns, Veronica Ceci, Antonio Cueto, Chloe Curiel, Michael Anthony García, Jay Roff-Garcia, Ryan Hollaway, Delilah Rose Knuckley, Yuliya Lanina, Brendan Lay, Andrea Muñoz Martinez, Pamela Martinez, Gesel Mason Performance Projects, Teresa Moralez, Jessamyn Leigh Plotts, Alexandra Robinson, LaRissa Rogers, Ivy Roots, and St Celfer. And, listen: The performances are a mix of ICOSA by-appointment time at the venue, Zoom livestreaming and pre-recorded works, ICOSA window performances, and limited-contact open exhibition hours; see the website for times, links, reservations, and more. Recommended: Catch all of the action, or just catch some of it, but don't miss this vivid exploration of WTF-does-performance-mean-in-these-constrained-times?
      Through Jan. 3. Gallery hours: Fri.-Sat., noon-6pm
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Ivester Contemporary: Absolute Relativism

      This is a solo exhibition by Austin-based artist Dave McClinton, representing a continuation of his Black Life series, an ongoing project that aims to illustrate the inner life-cycle of Black people in America. "McClinton’s single edition digital collages focus on the bodies and portraits of Black people embellished with textures of foundational elements, symbols related to trade and status, as well as text from historical documents derived directly from America’s long and lingering history of slavery and white supremacism." Also, this work? Bold, illuminating, confrontational, and aesthetically superlative. Bonus: Ivester's Project Space presents "Olas de Perturbación," new works by Michael Anthony Garcia.
      Through Jan. 9
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Joe/Kamala Yard Art on Bellvue

      There, across 14 front yards on Bellvue Avenue: A sign of hope! Signs of hope, actually – the pro-Biden/Harris (or, as the artist puts it, Joe/Kamala) artworks of Austin's David Hefner. It's an excellent opportunity for a lift-up-your-spirits drive-by or walking tour: good stuff, visually, even beyond its message. Also a good excuse – go ahead, do it – to check out that Hefner's website, peruse some of the other works he's done.
      Mayyyybe through Inauguration Day?
      Bellvue Avenue, between 42nd & 45th, two blocks west of Lamar
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Laguna Gloria

      This local treasure of a venue, run by those Contemporary Austin folks who also bring us the Jones Center shows Downtown, is all about the outdoors – which is perfect for these trickily navigated times of ours, n'est-ce pas? Recommended: Stop by and breathe in the air, enjoy the lawns and gardens and the many examples of world-class sculpture arrayed across the property, and (as Frankie used to say) r-e-l-a-x.
      Thu.-Fri., 9am-noon; Sat.-Sun., 9am-3pm
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Landmarks: Self-Guided Walking Tour

      Use your smartphone to access self-guided tours of the outdoor public art sited by UT's award-winning Landmarks program any time you feel like it. BONUS: There's also a free, docent-led tour starting at Marc Quinn's "Spiral of the Galaxy" (1501 Red River) on Sun., Jan. 8, 11am.
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Lora Reynolds Gallery: Upwelling

      Meghann Riepenhoff makes her images with an antiquated photographic printing process – no camera, no lens – and thinks of her work as a collaboration with the ocean, the landscape, and precipitation, her dynamic cyanotypes taking on varying shades of blue to give the impression of water in motion, and much of her work is large enough to feel immersive, almost overwhelming.
      Through Jan. 16
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Martha's Contemporary: Feral

      Payton McGowen's first solo exhibition with the gallery features nine new acrylic on canvas paintings that explore the idea of returning to nature.
      Through Dec. 20
      4115 Guadalupe
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Mexic-Arte Museum: Mexico, the Border, and Beyond

      Mexic-Arte Museum presents an exhibition of selections from the Juan Antonio Sandoval Jr. collection, an array of work that is considered one of the most important Latinx art collections in the United States.
      Through May 30
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Prizer Arts & Letters: People the We

      This is a collaborative exhibition by Adrian Aguilera and Betelhem Makonnen, conceived in the wake and continuing aftermath of the Black Lives Matter uprisings that were reignited in May 2020. "Over a series of masked and socially distanced exchanges, mostly in the natural spaces outside both their studios, Aguilera and Makonnen tried to give form to the overwhelming personal and collective emotions of rage, disappointment, exhaustion, and bruised hope that they experienced in the last six months. Cultivating their continuous curiosity about the relationship between symbols and collective identity, transnationality and diaspora perspectives, as well as history's inextricable hold on the present, Aguilera and Makonnen introduce new multimedia work in conversation with existing work to reflect on this (re)current moment in our country." Recommended: Make an appointment for viewing; check out the gallery's front window for a preview.
      Through Jan. 3
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Stephen L. Clark Gallery: Lance Letscher

      An exhibition of new collage works by Austin's own Lance Letscher might be just the thing we need to ground us in these tumultuous times. Or, contrarily, to lift us above the unnerving political fray. That whole thing about art "comforting the afflicted," right? Many of us are trending rather afflicted of late, and the artist's painstaking paper creations will, we insist, mitigate that visually, through graphic reinvention of previous forms, offering a reassuring sense of patterns and meaning to our eyes.
      Through Dec. 26. Tue.-Sat., 11am-4pm
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      SUFFRAGE NOW: A 19th Amendment Centennial Exhibition

      On August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. On August 6, 2020, the Elisabet Ney Museum debuted this new show for which women photographers nationwide were invited to share photos that comment on the Centennial of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment. The most eloquent images were chosen and are included in this online exhibition.
      Through Jan. 31. Free.
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      The Blanton Museum of Art: Expanding Abstraction

      In the early 20th century, Western artists began exploring abstract, nonrepresentational forms for the first time. Several decades later, abstraction's practitioners experimented with new materials and techniques: Dripping, pouring, staining, and even slinging paint became common, as did the use of non-traditional media such as acrylic and industrial paints. Artists also ditched the flat, rectangular format to create sculptural texture and dimensionality. Now, can you guess whose corporate collection is particularly strong in such paintings of the 1960s and '70s? If you guessed "The Blanton Museum of Art," then you'll especially want to get an eyeful of this major new show, subtitled "Pushing the Boundaries of Painting in the Americas," organized by the venue's own Carter E. Foster.
      Through Jan. 10  
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Wally Workman Gallery: As Above, So Below

      Here's a two-person show, with California-based Julia Lucey and Colorado's Julie Maren. Both artists take inspiration from nature, Maren working directly with natural materials like burr acorn shells and mica to create organically shaped wall installations, Lucey creating meticulous etching collages that depict local flora and fauna.
      Through Dec. 30
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Wyld Gallery

      This is Ray Donley's gallery of art by Native Americans, located in that company of artistic glory called Canopy and resplendent with creations from the original people of our struggling country.
      Call for appointment
    • Arts

      Visual Arts

      Yard Dog: Commit to Something Drastic

      That Welsh rabble-rouser, painter extraordinaire, and punk rock pioneer Jon Langford sinks his teeth into the world with new paintings and prints. See what grisly graphic brilliance he's bitten off – via the Yard Dog website or by making an appointment for an in-person visit.
      Through Dec. 30. Free.  

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