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Almost Real Things: HQ Open House
Visit ART HQ for the last chance to explore "Gotta Let It Show," a group exhibition showcasing a diverse selection of works from queer artists in Austin.Thu., Sept. 21, 6-9pm. Free. -
Arts
Dance
Blue Lapis Light: Belonging II Universe
Witness the high-flying dancers of Blue Lapis Light in an intimate, outdoor setting under the stars. This beautiful, breathtaking experience is a family-friendly show, and one that you'll never forget.Through Oct. 1. Thu.-Sun., 8:15pm. $25-65.5000 Plaza on the Lake -
Arts
Books
Lisa Olstein: Dream Apartment
Celebrate the launch of Lisa Olstein's new book at this excellent (and joyously welcomed!) bookstore that's taken over from what used to be Malvern Books. There'll be food and drinks to enjoy and prizes to win. Note: For every book purchased at this event, Olstein will donate $5 to the Lilith Fund.Thu., Sept. 21. Free. -
Arts
Theatre
No Exit
Jean-Paul Sartre’s famous play follows three strangers locked in a room, forced to be with one another - for all eternity. Directed by Jeff Hinkle for City Theatre, with performances by Dawn Erin, Darren Scharf, Alexandra Russo, and Sebastian Garcia.Through Oct. 1. Thu.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 3pm. $15-25. -
Arts
Theatre
Pipeline
The Alchemy Theatre presents Dominique Morisseau's urban drama about a teacher who finds herself caught between her devotion to her students and her desire to provide her only son with opportunities that seem out of reach. Directed by Simone Raquel Alexander.Through Sept. 30. Thu.-Sat., 8pm. $35-45.Alchemy Theatre, 130 N. Pedernales #318 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Re-Imagining the Ney: A Night in 19th Century Austin
Discover Austin's unique history by stepping back in time with Elisabet Ney to experience life in 19th century Texas with local historians and artisans – dress the part in 19th-century frontier garments, if you'd like! Bonus: Museum educators will also lead tours of the building's hidden basement And this is just the beginning of what's coming from Hyde Park's favorite museum!Thu., Sept. 21, 6:30-8:30pm. Free. -
Arts
Dance
Ventana Ballet: Komorebi
Komorebi is an intimate and immersive storytelling experience of perseverance, hope, and reverence buried deep in an ancient forest – with dancers performing the choreography of Navaji David Nava just inches away from the audience.Thu.-Sat., Sept. 21-23, 7:30pm. $35-45.
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Arts
Theatre
Antigonick
This is Anne Carson's modern retelling of Sophocles’ classic Greek tragedy, offering a fresh perspective on timeless themes. Featuring guest Equity artists Matt Hislope as Kreon and Kia Zhani as the Messenger. Directed by Alex Bassiakou Shaw, and – bonus! – original music by Peter Stopschinski.Through Oct. 1. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $22-28. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Ao5 Gallery: When the Sun Dips
Carrie Graber, the hyperrealism oil painter from Palm Springs, brings new originals and limited editions to Ao5, presenting her breathtaking renditions of architectural wonders, swimming pools, sunlight, stylish figures, and more.Through Oct. 6 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Art & Parks Tour
This sweet opportunity comes to us from the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Pease Park Conservancy, and Ride Bikes Austin – so we know it's a damned good thing indeed. Take the self-guided Art & Parks Tour to explore the best of what Downtown Austin art and parks have to offer through this selection of curated murals, artworks, and green spaces. You can sign up anytime, so click that URL and get ready to learn the most vibrantly visual parts of your city soon – live and in person. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Austin Central Library: Mother/Land
Yuliya Lanina’s exhibition delves into the Austin-based artist’s complex and personal relationship with the war in Ukraine. Through animation, sculpture, and installation, Lanina continues her introspective exploration of the emotional and physical impact of war and trauma. See our cover story on this powerful work right here.Through Nov. 5. Free. -
Arts
Dance
Ballet Austin: Classes
Learn your way to physical grace with a dance class at Ballet Austin. There are so many varieties to choose among – ballet, barre, contemporary dance, hip-hop, tap, cardio dance fitness, Pilates, and more – and all taught by professional instructors. See website for details.$3-7 per class. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Bolm Arts: Colorful Ventures
Artists Priscilla Lustig, Vincent Martinez, Stephanie Mervine, and Alex Saxon explore the many different ways color can communicate in their abstract works.Closing reception: Sat., Oct. 7, 5-9pm5305 Bolm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Butridge Gallery: Abstract To Alien
Here's a stunning array of images by Patrick O’Brien (AKA the 3-Eyed man), who captures stationary objects via a camera in motion, utilizing the lens as a brush and the subject as paint. Also on display: "Condo" by Ed Barr; "The Year of the Pandemic" by Mary Day Long.Through Sept. 23 -
Arts
Comedy
Cap City Comedy Club
That's right: Cap City Comedy Club, the longtime cornerstone of Austin's comedy scene for nearly four decades is at a new venue in the Domain. And here's Valerie Lopez with a closer look at what's in store for the scene via the venue. Click for details! -
Arts
Theatre
Caught
See the interior of Hyde Park Theatre transformed into an art gallery for a show by a dissident Chinese conceptual artist, a man who was imprisoned and tortured for an art piece in which he organized an imaginary protest. Or maybe that's what they're doing, as HPT presents this intricate, puzzling Christopher Chen drama – under the direction of Ken Webster, with performances by Norman Tran, Esther Park, Rebecca Robinson, and Robert Pierson. And, look: Here's Bob Abelman's review of the production.Through Sept. 23. Thu.-Sat., 8pm. $23-28 (pay what you can, Thursdays). -
Arts
Visual Arts
Central Machine Works: Faces of ACL
Local photographer Dave Creaney presents his latest show, featuring large-format prints of performing artists from Austin’s legendary Austin City Limits Music Festival, 2021-2022.Opening reception: Thu., Sept. 21, 8pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
De Colores: A Collection of Cut Paper Works
The Fine Arts gallery of St. Edward's University presents artist Guadalupe Hernandez's exhibition of papel picado, cut-paper designs of portraits and street scenes inspired by his childhood memories in Mexico.Through Sept. 28 -
Arts
Comedy
East Austin Comedy Club
Founded by comedians Raza Jafri and Andre Ricks, this club that operates out of Tiger Den on the Eastside is the city's only BIPOC-owned comedy venue. -
Arts
Comedy
Fallout Comedy
This hotbed of local performance is carrying on even more than usual, with an eclectic mix of live, mind-rocking comedy from some of Austin's best, all week long. Hey! The place is our cover story, as reported by Valerie Lopez! And, srsly, who would ever disagree with the sentiment of Monday night's Fuck This Week show? Check the website for details. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Flatbed Press: The Inky Photographers
This is a new exhibition of polymer photogravures curated by Matthew Magruder. (Polymer photogravure is a process that involves etching photo images into a printing plate which, after inking, can transfer images to paper using a traditional etching press.) Featuring works by Howard Hilliard, Elena Lipkowski, Christos Pathiakis, Bonnie Maxey, Peter Nickel, Michelle C. Halsall, Karolina Phillips, Kevin Black, Andrew Kennedy, Susan Cohn, William Tolan, and more.Through Oct. 14 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Forces of Nature: Ancient Maya Art
From ceramic vessels to greenstone jewelry, 200 works of classical Maya art (250-900BC) depict the relationship between the royal courts of ancient Maya and their supernatural entities.Through Jan. 7. $8-15. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Harry Ransom Center: Art In Words
Featuring collaborations between fine presses and artists, examples of typographic and concrete poetry, and experimentations in pop and surrealism, the exhibition puts prints by Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Ed Ruscha in conversation with works by Charles Henri Ford, Kristin Calhoun, David McGee, and others.Through Feb. 4. Free. -
Arts
Books
Harry Ransom Center: The Long Lives of Very Old Books
Explore the stories behind books published by Europeans between the mid-15th and late 17th centuries, tracing them from printing houses into the hands of generations of collectors and bookbinders and, ultimately, modern research libraries like the Ransom Center.Through Dec. 30. Free. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Ivester Contemporary: I Am a Clay Hill
This is a solo exhibition of new work by Kalee Appleton, featuring photographs captured during an artist residency in the Val d'Orcia region of Tuscany during the summer of 2023.Through Oct. 14 -
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
Last Day of the Eureka Room!
Austin's most absurd and fun attraction will have its last day on September 24th, so visit while you still can! It's the Eureka Room, a participatory experience where visitors engage with curious and playful programming within a unique 100-square-foot room filled with light and sound.See website for reservations. $25. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Link & Pin: The White Paintings
Begun in 2018, the White Paintings are artist Veronica Ceci's ironic response to the male-dominated history of abstract art. Textural elements – towels, sheets, and mops – have been sourced directly from the artist’s labor as a professional cleaner. Mixing new materials with old, the artist juxtaposes the dream potential of cleanliness with its unavoidable and imminent failure as the dirt of time accumulates.Through Sept. 30 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Lora Reynolds Gallery: FREE FOOD (for thought)
You recall that the Reynolds Gallery recently moved from Downtown to West Sixth, right? Yes – and now here's their fourth presentation of drawings and wall paintings (of single words or short phrases!) by Kay Rosen.Through Nov. 11 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Martha's Contemporary: Hokey Pokey + What You See Is What You Get
Here's a two-person exhibition that features painting, installation, videography, and sculpture by Moll Brau and Wes Thompson. It's a deep dive into a pool of loneliness, triumph, and rebirth. It's a forest of mazes where fireflies provide the light. It's a show of creations from a pair of terrific, hardworking local artists and you don't want to miss it. -
Arts
Visual Arts
McLennon Pen Co. Gallery: Lightning Is an Angry Rainbow
Patrick Quinn is the gallery’s first artist-in-residence; his residency culminates in this exhibition of airbrush paintings made exclusively during the duration of his stay.Through Oct. 14 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Museum of Illusions
Enter the fascinating world of illusions in this new venue that boasts a stunning array of intriguing visual, sensory, and educational experiences among new, unexplored optical wonderments.$20-24.11010 Domain #100 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Northern-Southern: The Source
Ceramic sculpture by Evan Horn; paintings by Lauren Moya Ford. Horn sculpts with clay dug from the Texas riverbeds, hand-shaped ceramic forms twisting like vessels imitating liquids. Ford guides watery ink fields into candid invocations of memory, spirit, womanhood, and the body. Together, this brilliant stream flows beauty into your eyes and heart.Through Oct. 15 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Old Bakery Gallery: Franklin Mendez
Retrospective of paintings by Franklin Mendez, an Austin-born Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran with a civilian career spanning 35 years in the corporate art world.Through Oct. 21 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Preacher Gallery: Ocular Nocturnes
Witness a panoply of explorations into the symbiosis of mysticism and metaphysics, from the minds of Alyssa Taylor Wendt, Bruce Lee Webb, and Jaime Zuverza. These Texas-based artists create paintings, sculpture, and ceramics in collaboration with a spiritual cosmology all their own.Through Oct. 19 -
Arts
Comedy
South Austin Comedy Club
South Austin’s first dedicated comedy venue is spearheaded by local comics Martin Henn, Andre Ricks, and Raza Jafri, and brings top-notch acts to South Austin every Wednesday through Saturday. Note: The upcoming comics – including nationally touring acts, local sweethearts, and everyone in between – will be listed on Instagram each night.Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Texas State History: The Life of Dr. John Biggers
Dr. Alvia Wardlaw talks on the life and legacy of Dr. John Biggers, an African-American muralist, educator, and longtime Houston resident who was also the founding chairman of the art department at what is now known as Texas Southern University.Thu., Sept. 21, 5-7pm -
Arts
Comedy
The Creek and the Cave
This snazzy spot for local and national stand-up acts has shows almost every night of the week. -
Arts
Comedy
The Hideout
The diverse lineup of hilarious, always surprising improv shows continues, with Pgraph and Maestro and the Big Bash and more, for the most unexpected delights of in-person entertainment.$10 and up. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Transient: Capturing Life In Motion
This is a solo exhibition featuring the work of William Vázquez, who immerses himself in the act of photography, vividly portraying candid yet spontaneous and fleeting moments of life.Through Oct. 15 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Umlauf Sculpture Garden: Apropos
The Umlauf's famed Garden features expertly wrought sculptures, the bronze or stone cynosures from Charles Umlauf and others anchoring sight among the bright foliage and tree-towered paths. Bonus: "Apropos" is a juried group exhibition of contemporary art exploring an aspect or aspects of Umlauf’s work – featuring new pieces by Darcie Book, Janet Brooks, Nathan Burgess, Bella Cheng, Avery Connett, Matt Donner, Sarah Fagan, Leslie Kell, Ellen LeBlanc, Gary McElhaney, Jennifer Pate, and more.Through Nov. 26 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Unchained.Art: Tactile Intimacy
This is an exclusive showcase of oil paintings by M. J. Hale, an English-born painter whose use of impasto textures, thoughtful color choices, and occasional collage elements endow his work with a tactile quality.Through Oct. 15 -
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: Birdland
Citizen, do your eyes a favor and head over to Yard Dog in Canopy this weekend to see this fantastic exhibition of carved and painted woodblock portraits of birds by Canadian artist Lisa Brawn.Through Sept. 30