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Austin Studio Tour
Yes, the annual event returns in full force from our friends at Big Medium! The Austin Studio Tour is a free, self-guided celebration of visual art, offering deep looks inside the working areas and showrooms of Austin-based artists and creative collaboratives, three weekends of special exhibitions and installations and craft demonstrations and, well, you know there's likely to be all manner of afterparties rocking the town north, south, east, and west, besides.: Painting. Sculpture. Woodworking. Murals. Glasswork. Metalcraft. Collage. New-media manifestations in all manner of innovative flex. So much art in so many forms, brought into being by a diversity of creative, mark-making, culture-sparking humans. Here, in your city, just waiting to fill your senses with wonder.Through Nov. 19. Sat.-Sun., noon-6pm. Free.All over the city -
Arts
Books
Texas Book Festival
Held each fall in and around the majestic State Capitol in Downtown Austin, this annual fest features a rich variety of author presentations and panels, book signings, cooking demonstrations, programs and activities for kids of all ages, food trucks, and exhibiting vendors from across the state and country.Sat.-Sun., Nov. 11-12 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Asmbly: Maker Market
At this creative showcase, vendors will be set up all across Asmbly to sell items they created – among the very machinery they used to make them. Bonus: live music, food, free beer and wine, and "Make Your Own" activities.Nov. 11-12. Sat., noon-6pm; Sun., 11am-4pm. Free.9701 Dessau #304 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Creek Show
Since 2014, Waterloo Greenway has commissioned site-specific work by Austin-based artists, architects, designers, and landscapers to (literally) illuminate the night and explore different themes related to Waller Creek. Creek Show 2023 will feature free activities each evening, including live music, food and beverages, and family-friendly fun among the six new light-based, eye-dazzling installations.Nov. 11-18. Nightly, 6-10pm. Free. -
Arts
Dance
Fall for Dance
Dance Repertory Theatre offers a celebration of movement and innovative choreography, featuring works by UT faculty, guest artists, and undergraduate choreographers.Nov. 10-12. Fri.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. Wed., Nov. 15, 7:30pm; Fri., Nov. 17, 7:30pm. $15-26. -
Arts
Dance
Of Thee I Swing
The Early Era Collective reprises its beloved production, a live, mixed-media dance show that combines filmed interviews and live dance - including swing, contemporary, tap, hip-hop fusion and theater dance - mixed with song, animation, and 1940s garb to explore the stories of five people who served in or survived World War II.Nov. 10-12. Fri.-Sat., 8pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $20-35. -
Arts
Visual Arts
PollinatorPalooza
Join the ardent arborealists of TreeGarden for their Austin Studio Tour spectacular, featuring art and live demos by 42 local makers, the Pollinator Creation Station, a Save Our Species ArtVenture trail, a community rhythm circle, live music, food, drinks, and more.Sat-Sun., Nov. 18-19, noon-6pm. Free.
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Arts
Theatre
Art
This is, of course, Yasmina Reza's arch comedy that asks poignant questions about the meaning of art and friendship. Directed by Steven Pounders for Penfold Theatre, and featuring performances by Ryan Crowder, Nathan Jerkins, and Kareem Badr.Through Nov. 18. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 5pm. $17-37. -
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
Art for the People Gallery: Falling into Winter
Ahhh, don't just fall, though – dive gloriously into the diverse paintings, mixed media, digital, and fiber artworks in this group exhibition of Austin artists, featuring creations by Bern Abplanalp, Hallie Rae Ward, Phillip Seymour (his Great Horned Owl is pictured right here), and more.Through Jan. 5 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Austin Studio Tour: ACC Arts and Digital Media
Austin Community College opens their vast Eastside complex to allow exploration of their impressive resources for the Austin Studio Tour, highlighting all the arts and digital media programs – with an emphasis on the art department, jewelry department, and ACC art galleries. This everbusy place is a vibrant epicenter of learning as well as display, and highly recommended.Sat.-Sun., Nov. 4-5 & 11-12 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Austin Studio Tour: AtxGALS + the Cathedral
View and shop art displays from more than 20 local women and nonbinary artists and enjoy an open bar in this beautiful art gallery on the Eastside.Nov. 11-19. Sat.-Sun., noon-6pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Austin Studio Tour: Dear Diary
More than 22 artists and performers are exhibiting at this artist-owned, highly caffeinated, vegan gem of a neighborhood java joint, featuring an indoor market at their cafe and an outdoor market at the large courtyard just one block south.Sat.-Sun., Nov. 11-19, noon-6pm -
Arts
Visual Arts
Austin Studio Tour: Julie Ahmad Contemporary Art Gallery
Here's a fine collection of original art and canvas gallery prints at all price points, from artists Julie Ahmad, Donna Schwandt, Lisa Zinna, Savannalore, Charlotte Schembri, and Anna Kamburis – featuring mixed media, photography, resin art, charcoal drawings, and plenty of handmade gifts.Sat.-Sun., Nov. 4-12, noon-6pm2311 Thornton -
Arts
Visual Arts
Big Medium: Fuertes y Firmes
The multidisciplinary artist José Villalobos grew up on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, and was raised in a traditional and religiously (Evangelical) conservative family. His work reconciles the identity challenges in his life, caught between traditional Mexican customs and American mores, as well as growing up with religious ideals that conflict with and condemn being gay.: Villalobos manipulates material through the context of self-identity as he examines gender roles within family culture, demonstrating that dismantling traditional modes of masculine identity centers an interstitial space where materiality softens virility.Recommendation: See this vivid show of highly resonant work, the inaugural exhibition in the new Big Medium space – from the folks who bring our lucky city the annual Austin Studio Tour.Through Dec. 24201 S. Congress #323 -
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
Deathtrap
Jarrott Productions brings Broadway’s longest-running, Tony-award winning comedy thriller (penned by the remarkable Ira Levin) to Austin – just in time for spooky season – and featuring the talents of Kyle Irion, Devin Finn, Natalie D. Garcia, Janelle Buchanan, and David Kroll, under the direction of David R. Jarrott.Through Nov. 12. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $15-35. -
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
Golden Mean: Candy Land
This is a whimsical collection of ceramic pieces by Tanya Zal, featuring works that have been baked, dressed up, decorated, frosted, and swirled into "an indulgent playful daydream."Through Jan. 7. Free. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Goodluckhavefun: Devotions
This is a solo exhibition by Joy Scanlon, a site-specific display of paper pulp paintings and hand-dyed textiles, in which the artist reinterprets “inherited forms,” referencing quilts, altarpieces, and mosaics.Through Nov. 12Goodluckhavefun Gallery, 1207 Enfield -
Arts
Visual Arts
grayDUCK Gallery: Seagulls Don’t Sound Like Pigeons
Cande Aguilar’s art is inextricably linked with the culture, people, and imagery of his hometown of Brownsville, TX. A self-taught artist, Aguilar forged his unique style called “Barrio Pop” from the landscape of La Frontera.Through Nov. 19 -
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
ICOSA: Figure/Ground
This new group show, curated by the Contemporary Austin's Alex Klein, features works by Sarah Benson, Sonya Berg, Bryan Florentin, Stephanie Germosen, Grayson Hunt, Mirabella Jamie, Brooke Johannesen, David Morrison, Phillip Robinson, Emma Rossoff, Mai Snow, Simone Thornton, William Warden, and Sophie White.Through Nov. 19 -
Arts
Visual Arts
If The Sky Were Orange: Art In the Time of Climate Change
This two-part exhibition explores the history and contemporary urgency of climate-related issues. Curated by journalist Jeff Goodell, who has written extensively on the topic, it's the first exhibition at the Blanton to explore one topic across several of the museum’s temporary gallery spaces. See our review of the show right here.Through Feb. 11. $8-15. -
Arts
Theatre
Kindertransport
"Between 1938 and the outbreak of the Second World War, almost 10,000 children, most of them Jewish, were sent by their parents from Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria to safety in Britain." Diane Samuels' seminal play, presented by the Concordia Players, imagines the fate of one such child." Directed by Dr. Kelly Carolyn Gordon.Nov. 9-12. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $10. -
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
Lydia Street Gallery: Elemental Topography & The Color Of Words
Erin Cunningham's works examine and portray intricacies within the female figure, delving into the subtleties of the body's external structure. Elsa Gebreyesus explores visual representation of poems and themes by poets or wordsmiths she's been inspired by.Through Dec. 17 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Mexic-Arte Museum: 40 years of Dia de los Muertos
This exhibit presents an impressive collection of relevant artworks created by artists with an intimate connection to the Mexic-Arte Museum and the Austin community.Through Jan. 7 -
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: Others
Laura Lit’s sculptures are like utterances of deep quiet made solid and real. These newest ones have been built over two years, with skeletons of wood, muscles of foam, tissues of paper clay. The forms are painted with acrylic and oil, adorned with feather-feelers of plastic or scales of dyed resin. Some of these sculptures are the size of rabbits; others loom like growing trees. Gentle suggestion: FFS, don't miss this magnificent show.Through Dec. 17 -
Arts
Visual Arts
Pepe Cornado: Traces
Austin-based artist Pepe Coronado brings together two bodies of print, both of which explore the ever-evolving nature of journeys and exchanges. The “Apertura” series comprises large black-and-white monotypes that explore spaces both transitory and evolving; the "Mapping" series points to the history of relations between the United States and the Dominican Republic as long, complicated, and in constant flux.Through Jan. 28 -
Arts
Theatre
Pierre Corneille’s El Cid
This legendary work recounts the struggles of Spain's national hero, Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, the famed el Cid, as he attempts to preserve his honor after being exiled by King Alfonso VI. Directed by Ann Ciccolella for Austin Shakespeare.Through Nov. 26. Wed.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 3pm. $20-45. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Planet EAST: Art and Music Showcase
Get down along the Colorado River for PietschHouse's four-day art and music showcase during the Austin Studio Tour. This gig's stacked with 45 artists, 16 bands, and many bevvies – and it costs a competitive zero dollars to attend.Sat.-Sun., Nov. 11-19, noon-5pm. Free. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Prizer Arts & Letters: Sacred Trash
Here's a show of collage work by the acclaimed author Nick Flynn. “Throughout my life I’ve gathered ephemera (from sidewalks, brochures, magazines, children’s drawings)," says Flynn. "I cannot say why I do this, but I’ve always had a hard time ignoring an interesting scrap of paper, especially one with some scrawl on it. From this gathering I developed a collage practice, which continues to this day.”Through Nov. 12 -
Arts
Theatre
Staged Reading: Hungry Teenage Track Stars
This staged reading, produced by Broad Theatre Company, is part of the play's developmental process in anticipation for a 2024 world premier. It's a play that centers around five young teenage girls on the night of, and day after, the biggest high school race of their lives.Sun., Nov. 12, 5:30pm. Donations encouraged. -
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 Museum of Fine Arts, Austin
Art by Charles Walter, Benjamin Bayne, and other international, national, and local artists.Sundays, 3-5pm. Donations accepted.1638 E. Second #326 -
Arts
Theatre
The Thin Place
In The Thin Place, the fragile boundary between our world and the other one is breached. With acuity and relentless curiosity, Lucas Hnath’s play transforms the theater into an intimate séance, crafting an unnerving testament to the power of the mind, which has a mind of its own. And here's our full review of the show.Through Nov. 26. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2:30pm. $28 and up. -
Arts
Theatre
The Wolves
This is Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer-nominated portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals. The cast features guest Equity artist Amy Downing as Soccer Mom alongside students from the St. Ed’s Department of Performing Arts, directed by Anna Skidis Vargas.Through Nov. 19. Thu.-Sat., 7:30pm; Sun., 2pm. $15-28. -
Arts
Visual Arts
Time Bubbles: Crossing of Realities
Here's a solo art exhibition by Fort Worth's Ivette Levy, showcasing mixed-media paintings that delve into her personal journey, merging past experiences with present realities.Through Jan. 14 -
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
Wally Workman Gallery: The Other Thing Is
Malcolm Bucknall’s absurdist surrealism brilliantly muddles Old Masters with tidbits of cartoons, films, home photography, and many other fascinations to create his anthropomorphic creatures.Through Nov. 26 -
Arts
Theatre
Words Into Worlds: Creating Place in the Theatre
See displays from landmark American and British theatre productions from the past century, bringing together the iconic work of writers Adrienne Kennedy, Arthur Miller, Robert Schenkkan, Tennessee Williams, and others – with award-winning designs from artists Boris Aronson, Beowulf Boritt, Jo Mielziner, and Norman Bel Geddes.Free.