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KillerCon Austin
Writer’s block can strike anyone, anywhere. Even those writing about actual strikes – and by strikes I mean intensely graphic murders and mayhem. Listen, sometimes disemboweling is easier said than written. It’s hard to capture viscera with the appropriate splashes of terror. With Killer Con, you can meet the royal court of splatterpunk and extreme horror writing in the non-maimed flesh. Learn at the feet of honored guests like Daniel J. Volpe, C.V. Hunt, and Kristopher Triana. It’s the sharpest ins and outs of horror writing and publishing, with healthy doses of panels and vendors galore. Hone your craft and your spooky collections this weekend. – Cat McCarreyAug. 9-11 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Second Saturday
South Congress’ Culture Complex boasts a wide range of open galleries and studios every second Saturday of each month, featuring Big Medium, Coronado printstudio, Capitol View Arts, the Projecto, Essentials Creative, and more. Whether printmaking, experimental installation, or traditional media is your bag, there will definitely be something for everyone to look at. Highlights include Essentials Creative, a multimedia collective that recently produced an installation for the Chicago Botanical Garden, and Capitol View Arts, the collective behind Congress’s “Black Austin Matters” mural. – Lina FisherSat., Aug. 10Culture Complex, 4201 S. Congress Ave.
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Arts
Visual Arts
"Native America: In Translation"
One thing I’ve loved about newer theatre or museums is the space given for land acknowledgement – statements about the ancestral roots of the space being used. Space that was not always ours, but taken. The Blanton’s latest exhibit tackles that question, but pushes the boundaries. It’s not just about what Native America was, but what it can be. Curator and lauded artist Wendy Red Star has assembled nine other Native artists to create a rich exploration of what life in America is today. Shown through a variety of mediums, something is guaranteed to resonate with the audience. Whether it’s the photos, paintings, videos, or multimedia works is up to you. – Cat McCarreyAug. 4-Jan.5 -
Arts
Comedy
2024 Funniest Person in Austin: Preliminary Round
Hundreds of comics enter, only one comedian leaves … with the crown that means they can call themselves the Funniest Person in Austin. Who will ascend to the throne currently being kept warm by last year’s winner Dylan Carlino? We won’t find out until the finals later this year, but there are still plenty of chances to discover your favorite new funny-hilarious local talent in these opening rounds. With as many as 16 of Austin’s best funsters on any night, it’s all jokes, no waiting. – Richard WhittakerThrough Aug. 13 -
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
“Carros y Cultura: Lowriding Legacies in Texas”
Thanks to Seventies funk band War, the word “lowrider” often calls to mind the unforgettable sax riff of the band’s 1975 No. 1 single. But lowrider can mean a snazzy customized car with hydraulics or a person who works on such a vehicle, and the culture around these cars has strengthened Mexican American communities in the Southwest since the Forties. Learn more about them at this exhibit featuring an interactive touchscreen mural, cars and bikes on display, and stories about the people who make lowriding a community. A member reception takes place May 18. – Kat McNevinsThrough Sept. 2 -
Arts
Visual Arts
“Hearts: How Deep Is Your Love”
Running till August 16, Xavier Alvarado’s solo exhibition at 2324 Gallery features one of the most enduring themes in art: love. Raised in Texas “with deep Trinidadian roots,” as he notes on his website, Alvarado has collaborated with big names like Austin FC and Louis Vuitton, and his work spans multiple different media from painting to installation. With both new and old pieces in the show, Alvarado emphasizes “the transformative power of sharing in relationships and communities,” the exhibition text reads. Alvarado says this body of work “represents the heart’s capacity to connect, give, and enrich others” and “invites reflection on how sharing shapes our experiences of love and deepens our understanding of the heart.”– Lina FisherThrough August 132324 Gallery, 2324 E. Cesar Chavez 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
Theatre
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Carole King is one of those once-in-a-generation songwriters, the kind who absolutely deserves not just a jukebox musical, but this type of theatrical biography on stage. A lot of folks know her seminal album Tapestry and her collaboration with longtime platonic soulmate James Taylor. But she had a thriving songwriting career beforehand. Beautiful tracks her stunning girl group anthems (“One Fine Day” or “Loco-Motion,” anyone?) and her fraught relationships with male collaborators. Can they keep this “natural woman” down? Of course not, but watch her rise while grooving to King’s victorious anthems.July 31-Sept. 8 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Bending Light
Taylor Davis might have the coolest job description I’ve ever heard. She’s an independent curator (dream) and a landscape designer. So basically, she finds beauty in everything she touches. For “Bending Light,” Davis has accumulated work by four BIPOC artists, multidisciplinary masters “illuminating the nuanced experiences and collective memories of queerness and femininity in Black cultural production,” to quote the exhibit description. A weighty task, but one the artists – Kaima Marie Akarue, Ciara Elle Bryant, Catherine Martinez, and Chandrika Metivier – pull off with fascinating aplomb. Through mediums including but not limited to sculpture, video, collage, and photos, the viewer glimpses unique experiences. It’s a fresh reflection of this world. – Cat McCarreyThursdays-Saturdays. Through Aug. 22 -
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
CATS
Look, grown-ass adults wearing whiskers and singing about a Jellicle Ball is always going to be a little goofy, but that willingness to play make-believe is why we go to the theatre. Nobody expects strict realism, which is why the 2019 film was such an unmitigated disaster, and why Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sung musical, based on T.S. Eliot’s 1939 poetry collection Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, is far better suited for the stage at Georgetown’s historic Palace Theatre. Grizabella’s ballad “Memories” may be the song that puts people in seats, but don’t sleep on the magical “Mr. Mistoffelees.” – Kimberley JonesThrough Sept. 8 -
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
Creating Encuentros: Changarrito 2012–2024
Traveling in Mexico, you frequently encounter changarritos – portable food carts or tienditas run by hardworking entrepreneurs. The carts usually operate outside of any formal regulation and, in that way, mirror the resilience and creativity of Mexican culture. In 2005, artist Máximo González appropriated the concept of the changarrito as a way for artists to take their work directly to the people. The idea came to Austin’s venerable Mexic-Arte Museum in 2012, with dozens of artists displaying art and interacting with the public outside the Downtown gallery. The concept is back and will run through August. – Brant BingamonThrough August 25 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Creekside Studio
Creekside Studio is a women-owned printmaking studio and gallery, located in Canopy on the Eastside, specializing in fine art prints pulled by hand using archival materials and matrices: engravings, photogravure etchings, monotypes, woodcuts, copperplate etchings, and linocut.Saturdays, noon-1pm916 Springdale, Bldg 2 #103B -
Arts
Visual Arts
Deanna Miesch: “Flatland Revisited”
Art and … math? Not as improbable as it may seem, especially when seen through the veil of fantasy. And that’s exactly what artist/gallerist/therapist Deanna Miesch does. Compiling works inspired by 1800s mathematician Edwin A. Abbott’s imaginary world of Flatland (with touches of fellow mathematician Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland, of course), Miesch presents reality with a fanciful twist. Her visuals show our world, blurred or tilted a little askew. It’s easy to see portals to another world in every line and angle. What dimensions will you discover? – Cat McCarreyMay 31-Aug. 11 -
Arts
Theatre
Disney’s The Little Mermaid
The first of two Summer Stock Austin productions this summer (stay tuned for Guys & Dolls on August 2), Disney’s The Little Mermaid revives Hans Christian Anderson’s enduring tale of a sea-maiden who dreams of life on land and enlivens it with standout music and lyrics by Disney Renaissance dream team Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. High school and college students make up the cast, but don’t confuse their youth with amateurishness: With 20 years under its belt, Summer Stock Austin knows how to put on a helluva show. – Kimberley JonesJuly 27-Aug. 11 -
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
Theatre
Footloose: The Musical
The tale of a conservative town that overreacts to a tragedy by banning dancing might seem a little, um, familiar in theme right now. Authority taking drastic measures and fostering extreme fear is as relevant as ever. Resist and bask in a bit of hope with an upbeat musical full of rocking Eighties tunes (thanks, Kenny Loggins). We are holding out for a hero, and Footloose: The Musical might be the one we need. Besides, a free show under the starry Texas sky? Almost paradise indeed. – Cat McCarreyMondays-Sundays. Through Aug. 10 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Good Dad Studios’ Second Saturdays
Ho-hum, I hear you say. What on Earth am I to do on a second Saturday that both supports my local community and fulfills my desperate need for artistic consumption? Well, well, well: I might have a place south of Oltorf that’s got over 140 artists, small businesses, and nonprofits right in one building. This place is also open to the public every second Saturday – how convenient! – with rotating activities like live music or artmaking and a ding-dang food truck court. Oh, and this place, yes, this place called Good Dad Studios is also painted the most eye-blinding shade of magenta you can imagine so there’s literally no way you can miss it while cruising on the frontage road. Do you think, maybe, this place might solve your little second Saturday plans problem? Yeah. I thought so. – James ScottSecond Saturday of every monthGood Dad Studios, 2801 S. I-35 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Infinite Scroll: A Summer Group Exhibition
Hot off the heels of the delightful “Encounters in the Garden” by Josias Figueirido, Kevin Ivester has curated another summer banger of a show at Ivester Contemporary. This time, the gallery features a whole slew of Texas artists, co-curated by Tiffany K. Smith, united under the theme “Infinite Scroll.” That refers to the ubiquitous web design technique that automatically generates more content that continuously loads as the user scrolls down a page. “This feature, while facilitating easy access to endless information, has also led to significant consequences such as doom scrolling, information overload, and a shift in our attention from our surroundings to our screens,” the exhibition text reads. “The participating artists have responded to this call with thought-provoking work that reflects on topics ranging from our online personas and the way we treat one another to endless calls to action and the consistent flood of information, and comments on the new developments of AI-generated artwork.” The show, which opens Sat., July 20, and runs till the end of August, promises to be a uniquely local answer to a global problem. – Lina FisherThrough Aug. 31 -
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 -
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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
Theatre
Legally Blonde: The Musical
Zilker’s summer musical series celebrates its 65th production with the song-and-dance stylings of sorority girl-turned-Harvard Law dynamo Elle Woods.July 12-Aug. 17 -
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. -
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Visual Arts
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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
Theatre
Pass Over
Two young men, trapped in the treadmill of life, waiting for something destined to come. Such is the seemingly uneventful plot of Pass Over. But unlike frequent comparison point Waiting for Godot, the companion Pass Over’s men are waiting for is Death itself. Main characters Moses and Kitch spend the play on a street corner. The days are long, slow, and full of yearning. Surreal while all too real. Set in the current day, but mixed with ancient yet ever-present histories of slavery and violence, Pass Over reminds the viewer that for some, a peaceful day can be a gift. First show’s on Aug. 15. – Cat McCarreyThrough Aug. 31 -
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Visual Arts
Rachel Paxton and Will Beger
Yard Dog Gallery has long been a champion of outsider/folk art – and fine art with similar sensibilities – ever since its days on South Congress. Now at the Canopy Complex, it neighbors newer Austin galleries that are shaping our art scene just as Yard Dog has done for decades, like Ivester Contemporary, ICOSA Gallery, and SAGE Studios. Going for a visit is never a bad idea, especially to catch Yard Dog’s August show, featuring painters Rachel Paxton and Will Beger. Massachusetts-based Paxton creates “western-themed mid-century modern-inspired neon sign paintings… [that] are part documentary, part fiction.” Arizona-based Beger “paints modern Southwest artworks that feature a mix of mid-century and landscape elements with an emphasis on desert minimal design,” writes the gallery. Open hours are Thursday and Friday 12-3pm and Saturday 12-4pm, or by appointment. – Lina FisherThrough August 31 -
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Visual Arts
Second Saturdays
Enjoy music, DJs, and more at this late night hang at Austin's Blanton museum, open until 8pm for you to dive deep into their many art offerings.Second Saturday of every month -
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
Stephanie Strange + Joseph Janson
You imagine a line and it’s probably straight the way a manufactured ruler is. Yet nature shows lines curved in all manner of ways. Born in 1980 within a 120-year-old house, the Wally Workman Gallery presents two artists whose work engages the myriad manner of lines. In his sculptural work, Joseph Janson utilizes bailing wire to make pieces that “ebb and flow like marks on a page to create recognizable forms: people, animals, and objects such as tables and lamps,” according to the gallery’s description. Stephanie Strange’s graphite drawings are more concerned with making seeable the invisible: communication. “In her work,” the gallery says, “she seeks to express the beauty of how energy is a communication running through all existence.” Both artists use curving lines, but attend this show’s opening reception on Saturday, Aug. 3, to see how they do so in their own materials. – James ScottFridays-Sundays. Through Oct. 1 -
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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
Books
Story Circle Network
Nonprofit organization for women, offering monthly reading and writing circles and more, in North, Central, and South Austin. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Summer Salon Series II
Forty-four artists present their work on Cloud Tree’s walls in this series: an exciting array of mediums and subject matter to delight the senses. This marks the gallery’s second summer cycle of emerging artists, whose exhibits Cloud Tree says “emphasize the diversity of expression and medium.” Check the names included and you may see a familiar one: our very own Lina Fisher, who takes a break from breaking news to showcase her amazing paintings. Share a complimentary mixed drink or soda with these talented creators this Saturday, Aug. 10, at the opening reception. – James ScottOpening reception: Sat., Aug. 10; runs through Aug. 31 -
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
The West That Never Was
I first saw Dana Younger’s art at the Blue Genie Bazaar, and even those smaller pieces were enough to make me a forever fan. His sculptures were realistic with slight exaggerations to capture interest, bits and pieces of humans and nature etched in wood and bronze. When placed alongside the popping portrait paintings of partner Felice House, their work becomes even more powerful. House plays with feminist rewritings of history, showing glowing cowgirls and vibrant desert settings, settings where Younger’s comedic cowboys and stately cacti comfortably dwell. A West that never was, but is intensely alluring. – Cat McCarreyFridays-Sundays. Through Sept. 7 -
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. -
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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