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Arts
Dance
Dance Repertory Theatre Presents Equinox
UT’s Dance Repertory Theatre constantly explores the possibilities in movement and storytelling. Equinox keeps this up with an explosive celebration of spring’s imminent arrival. Both local choreographers and dance-denizens from farther sides of the globe have crafted works specifically to spark a sense of wonder and newness. It’s dance made, in DRT’s words, to “question our sense of self, identity and connection.” Emerge from that wintry cocoon and glory in life. – Cat McCarreyMarch 5-9 -
Arts
Books
Time Zero
Finding ways to come at political engagement in Trump 2.0 times is a heavy burden – so sometimes art can be a way in. This Friday, Alienated Majesty bookstore offers a meditation on complex topics – nuclear proliferation, uranium mining, nuclear waste disposal – through myriad multidisciplinary sonic interpretations. Local experimental composer/Hindustani classical singer Sowmya Somanath’s solo project Plume Girl illuminates an adapted preview of the Time Zero podcast, launching later this month, which deals with “nuclearism, its aesthetics, and its influence on the paranoiac cultural architecture of postwar America.” Time Zero interviews artists Trevor Paglen, Rose B Simpson, Richard Misrach, Joanna Keane Lopez, and more, and features an original drone soundtrack by Sean J Patrick Carney. Local interdisciplinary artist Hannah Spector and queer eco-poet C. Rees join the discussion as well. – Lina FisherFri., March 7
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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
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
“Lacquer Panique” Paintings by Denise Prince
Oil of Olay? No: Oil on canvas, painted by second-time solo Ivester Contemporary exhibitionist Denise Prince as part of her new show kicking off this Saturday, March 1. These works dig into our current relationship to beauty as seen through product advertisements – you know, the big glossy images scattered throughout fashion mags you read in a salon waiting room – and test those visual limits. How beautiful can a flower remain through the process of abstraction? Are the colors, the softness, the mere hint of shiny jewels enough to satisfy the human desire for aesthetics? You’ve got until the show closes on April 5 to make your call. – James ScottThrough April 5 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy, 1924-2024”
Across politics and pop culture, depictions of queer Black life most often emphasize pain, if not patronization. “Transcendence: A Century of Black Queer Ecstasy,” a multimedia exhibition presented by UT-Austin’s Art Galleries at Black Studies, flips the script, offering a century’s worth of works that focus instead on Black joy. Organized around seven themes – Portraiture, Beyond Figuration, Dance and Movement, Spirituality, Sex and Sensuality, Black Queer Futures, and Altered States – the works of over four dozen artists remind us that even in the face of adversity, we can achieve transcendence. – Carys AndersonThrough May 9Christian-Green Gallery, 201 E. 21st St. & Idea Lab, 210 W. 24th St. -
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
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
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
Contours of Connection: Mai Gutierrez and Amanda Linn McInerney
Southern Italy is so far away, but a fast – and free – way to channel its charms is this joint exhibition, mutually inspired by the region. Artist and architectural designer Mai Gutierrez draws inspiration from Puglia’s limestone trulli huts in her own sculptures, while visual artist Amanda Linn McInerney dials into the Salento Coast along the Ionian and Adriatic seas in her encaustic serigraphs. A collaborative video literalizes the connection in the two artists’ work. Can’t make Friday’s opening reception? The show runs through March 29. – Kimberley JonesThrough March 29 -
Arts
Theatre
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!
Beep beep! Make way for this vehicular bird, who springs from author Mo Willem’s Pigeon picture books onto the Zach stage for this family-friendly musical. Originally commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the production is suitable for kids 3 years old and up – so a perfect pick if you’ve got antsy toddlers yearning to dance and sing during stageplays. Plotwise, this isn’t a challenging piece: When a bus driver disembarks from their seat, a mischievous fowl takes the wheel to expectedly chaotic results. Feathers will fly, I’m told. – James ScottThrough May 18 -
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
Theatre
Fairview
What if you figured out you were being watched? And not just by the phone in your pocket, but by live people during everyday scenarios, like say, making a birthday dinner for your grandmother? And those people get to pick apart every moment, phrase, and choice? Fairview, the 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, uses that idea to riff on race and storytelling. Who should be in charge of some stories? What weight does experience have in art? Ground Floor Theatre tackles these questions from playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, twisting genre and expectation in this complicated, thought-provoking evening. – Cat McCarreyThrough March 8 -
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
Theatre
Fences
August Wilson made plays about Black lives with the deliberate purpose to show white America that the idea that their Black neighbors were impossibly different was an illusion. At the same time, his work was deeply rooted in exploring how that illusion damaged Black people, and nowhere is that more painfully clear than in Fences, the defining work of his 10-part Pittsburgh Cycle. In Troy Maxson, the big man of the neighborhood, white audiences could see the frustrations and pride of a man who made the best he could of being a garbageman, a job any of them could have. At the same time, Wilson embedded his story in the injustices of the Negro baseball leagues and racial profiling. This new production by Austin-based director Jeremy Rashad Brown promises to prove both the power of Wilson’s work and the tragedy that it’s still agonizingly relevant. – Richard WhittakerThrough March 16 -
Arts
Comedy
HELP! My Vagina Is Trying to Kill Me
Any vagina-having person has felt this title’s truth. (Or knows its cousin, “My uterus is trying to kill me.”) Finally, Yola Jean Lu is putting words to this universality, curing that vagina pain with healthy doses of laughter and sobs. This one-woman show broke barriers at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and just this past month won over audiences at Austin’s own FronteraFest. If you think you can’t giggle over genitals, buckle up. Lu faces off against STIs, HPV, miscarriages, and the overall dismal state of: women’s health in general. – Cat McCarreyThrough March 22 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Jane Reichle: “Mermaid Cowgirl”
There’s nothing quite like the myth of the Old West. Cowgirl lore is one of those halcyon stories that didn’t quite happen the way it plays out in modern archetypes, so why not combine it with another fantastical figure: mermaids! Artist Jane Reichle combines the two legends into delicious designs featuring women ringed by flowers and fiery hearts, flora and fauna of her Texas roots. Reichle adds even more depth to her work by presenting those figures in richly designed embroidery, a historical throwback layered upon deeper domestic lore. Her textiles tell tales of a West that could have been, with inspiration ranging from Nudie Cohn to the corner tattoo parlor. Talk about epic. – Cat McCarreyThrough March 29 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Jiab Prachakul: Sweet Solitude
Whoever says Austin isn’t a fine art town can get the hell out of here. We continually break artistic ground with innovative and international taste. The Contemporary once again adds to that rep by hosting artist Jiab Prachakul’s first solo museum show. Born in Thailand, living in France, and with a solid film background behind her, Prachakul’s work has a bold style and clear point of view. Heavy graphic lines and soul-stirring colors fill her art. Each moment could be a film still, each stroke staking her claim on a far-too-Western art world. Widely accessible but intensely intimate, Prachakul’s scenes beg for close inspection. Join the Contemporary, and the artist herself, in examining her offerings during Friday’s opening night festivities or in conversation on Saturday, Feb. 1. – Cat McCarreyThrough August 3 -
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
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
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
Old Bakery Gallery: Fantastical Flora
This multimedia exhibition is a comprehensive exploration of the beauty of botanical forms, expressed realistically and in the abstract, featuring the work of local artist Francine Funke.Opening reception: Sat., Jan. 20, 1-4pm. Free. -
Arts
Comedy
Snail Haven's Comedy Pregame
This is a weekly stand-up comedy showcase to help you pregame your Friday night on the town. (Snail Haven also features music shows, film screenings, and general hangs. Best bet: Follow @SnailHavenShows on Instagram and DM them for event details.)Fridays, 8pm. Free. -
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
Stephen L. Clark Gallery: Kate Breakey
This exhibition of new work by Kate Breakey showcases hand-colored photography of the natural world, particularly of Texan and Australian landscapes, animals, and insects. -
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
Comedy
Velveeta Room
The legend of Ronnie Velveeta lives on at this storied 'stablishment of a stand-up stage, where some of the country's hottest comics come to make the floorboards quake with laughter every weekend on Dirty Sixth. Brandie Posey: Sat., May 20, 8 & 10pm. Jake Flores: Sat., May 27, 8 & 10pm.$10. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Words and Wonder: Rediscovering Children’s Literature
One of the pleasures of having a first-rate research center and archive in town is how the Harry Ransom Center will regularly comb through its own vast holdings and hand-pick gems to present in a new context. Hence the HRC’s latest exhibit, “Words and Wonder: Rediscovering Children’s Literature,” which pulls from its manuscript, art, photography, film, and performing arts holdings to spotlight early 20th-century authors and illustrators catering to a young readership. The exhibit includes magic lantern slides from Aesop’s Fables, John Tenniel’s illustrations of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Ernest H. Shepard’s indelible images from the Hundred Acre Wood, among other treats. Runs through August 17. – Kimberley JonesThrough August 17 -
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: Paul Rodriguez
Yard Dog presents the vibrant works of Paul Rodriguez, a printmaker from San Miguel de Allende. "And some very cool new paintings by Harry Underwood."Opening reception: Fri., Jan. 19, 7-9pm