Discover Tons of Creative Local Crafters and Vendors at Austin Flea

May 9, 2013 by · 2 Comments
Austin Flea T-Shirt

Austinot Brittany checking out the event t-shirts at Austin Flea

Every 6-8 weeks, Austin Flea gathers dozens of Austin’s most creative individuals together to showcase and sell their unique products.

The Highball hosted the event for two years.

But due to current renovations there, The Rattle Inn has stepped up as host. The March 2013 event at 610 Nueces (off W. 6th St.) was jam-packed with vendors: downstairs in the bar and lounge area, upstairs on the patio, and lining the sidewalk along Nueces. [Read more...]

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Make Way for Austin Mini Maker Faire: Creativity Gone Wild

April 25, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
R2-D2 at Austin Mini Maker Faire

R2-D2 at the Austin Mini Maker Faire

This guest blog post is by Lizzy Newsome.

Do you like shiny things? Does the smell of hot glue make your pulse race? Do you truly believe that 3D printing is the wave of the future?

Then it’s time to have a little conversation about Austin Mini Maker Faire! This one-day gathering at the Palmer Events Center on Sunday, May 5th, brings together the city’s most dedicated crafters and tinkerers, with exhibits covering the complete spectrum of handmade, from Arduino to Zoo (Robot Petting Zoo, that is).

Also featured: Tinkering Workshop, 3D printers, an inflatable planetarium, and a special exhibit from the Austin Bike Zoo (two zoos!). [Read more...]

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East Austin Studio Tour Exposes Matchless Artistry on Eastside

November 19, 2012 by · 4 Comments
Revival Cycles during EAST

Revival Cycles on Bolm Rd.

I was at a house party in East Austin last week, and one of my friends told me, “I’ve never been this far east before!”

I’m not surprised. Years ago when I was at UT, the common recommendation was to stay away from the eastside. The area was old and “not safe.”

These descriptions still apply to parts of Austin’s eastside, but those who venture under I-35 to previously unexplored territory are surprised by what they find. Good food, unique local businesses, nightlife and a vibrant art community are right on our doorstep, with a flavor all their own.

One of the best representations of the underrated beauty of the eastside was displayed [Read more...]

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The People’s Gallery Promotes Local Artistry at Austin City Hall

September 6, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Trapped Breath Glasswork by Nicholas Dertien

Nicholas Dertien experiments with glass – “Trapped Breath”

If you’re an Austin artist, your work can be displayed at City Hall. All you need to do is apply…and be selected over nearly 400 of your peers.

Think you got the chops?

The People’s Gallery is in its 8th year at Austin City Hall and runs through January 10, 2013.

The exhibition exists to “showcase regional artistic endeavors and to encourage public dialogue, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts.”

It’s great to live in a city that values cultural depth and development, wouldn’t you agree? [Read more...]

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Austin Book Fair Brings Community Together This Weekend

June 28, 2012 by · 6 Comments

What will become of the bound book in the age of Kindles and Nooks? Will pages disappear alongside the scroll and clay tablets? If the citizens behind the Austin Book Arts Fair have anything to say about it, the answer is a defiant, printed and bound, “No!”

This weekend, the Austin Book Arts Fair will celebrate one of mankind’s greatest inventions: the humble book. Taking place on the beautiful grounds of the Villa at Laguna Gloria, owned and operated by the Austin Museum of Art, the Austin Book Workers promote books and book arts throughout Central Texas. This is the perfect event for children and adults who believe in the power of books to transform and enrich life. [Read more...]

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Austin Nonprofit Revitalizes City Using Unique Art

May 31, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Looking for a date spot in Austin this weekend? Well hold on and let me tell you about a unique place you can check out with your significant other. Austin is known for its off-the-wall approaches to art. This weekend, you have a chance to get an artistic take on something you may have seen a thousand times before, just never like this.

Local artist Heather Trolleston has been working with the “Urban Musuem,” named Art on the Way, to display her Spiral Plexus artwork.

Art On The Way (AOTW) is an Austin nonprofit organization/museum which purposefully utilizes public and private plots of land that would otherwise fall into disuse. AOTW reclaims this land and does something incredibly special and beautiful it. You may have seen a few of their older displays driving across the city. Basically, they transform forgotten pieces of land into venues where local artists can [Read more...]

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Austin Art Exhibit Displays Hope in Homelessness

May 23, 2012 by · 2 Comments

Visitors to Gallery at the J examine Daniel Read's exhibitThe invention of the camera gave us the ability to capture the world around us in fleeting moments of time. Then, few people could afford to own a camera and film was limited. What remains of that era are family portraits, and images of important events and political figures.

Today, cameras are widely accessible and digital features allow us to create and discard photographs with barely a thought. We take pictures of our cocktails at parties, our dogs when they fall asleep on our chest, a dandelion on the side of the road.

From one perspective, these types of photos are excessive or [Read more...]

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Is Angel Sword the Best Sword Maker in the World?

May 15, 2012 by · 26 Comments

Daniel Watson of Angel Sword in TexasA few months ago, if someone had asked me who makes the finest swords in the world I would have replied without hesitation, “the Japanese.” This shows my level of local ignorance.

What if I told you that one of the world’s most talented master sword makers lives and operates in Austin’s backyard?

Don’t believe me? It’s true. Not only that, but this American master sword maker has blown away every single world record in Japanese sword cutting and they aren’t getting the trophy back any time soon. He hasn’t beaten the Japanese by a small margin; he has decimated them. This master owns the charts.

All of them. [Read more...]

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Art on the Green at Laguna Gloria: Exceptional Date Spot

May 1, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Gentlemen, it’s time to suit up.

The Austinot is all about helping you out, so it’s our job to tell you about events like the one at Laguna Gloria. There is a lot to experience in this great city of Austin, and we love to sift through everything it offers and show you what’s worth paying attention to. Well, hold on a second and let me tell you about the perfect date location – guys, I’m talking to you.

The AMOA-Arthouse is one of my favorite places in Austin. If you haven’t checked out their location on Congress, definitely head that way to enjoy some amazing contemporary art. Right now, though, I want to tell you about their Laguna Gloria location. It is located at 35th Street and Lake Austin. Austinites throughout history have fallen in love with its beautiful landscapes and [Read more...]

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Pushing Boundaries at AMOA-Arthouse’s Austin Art Exhibit

April 18, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Austin art is the heart and soul of this city. Dallas has its shopping malls and sky scrapers. Fort Worth has railroads and industry. Lubbock has…sand.

Our art is what makes this city so characteristically weird and eclectic. From live music to oil painting – it doesn’t matter. There is nothing more Austin-esque than creating, appreciating and supporting local Austin art.

Luckily for us Austinites, the AMOA-Arthouse at the Jones Center is currently hosting its annual Five x Seven art exhibit and fundraiser. You can support one of most eclectic museums in town by purchasing inexpensive and handmade local art. Which is much better than sand.

The Five x Seven exhibit is based on a challenge. Years ago this Austin art museum challenged artists to submit works of art that were no bigger than five by [Read more...]

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Strolling the Sidewalk with Austin’s “Other” Artists

April 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment

Art @ The Domain in Spring 2012

This guest blog post is by Amy Lynch.

One of the most beautiful things about Austin is its ability to bring seemingly opposing forces together in perfect harmony.  We do, after all, call ourselves “the live music capital of the world,” so it stands to reason that we should be able to pull off such a thing.

But aside from music – the thing we’re globally known for, and the very thing that formed the foundation more than 20 years ago of what is now the juggernaut known as South by Southwest – we’re home to a burgeoning colony of another kind of artist.

Some may never have played an instrument in their lives; others may be completely and utterly tone deaf.  Luckily for their art, though, it doesn’t matter one bit.

Local artists recently converged by [Read more...]

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The Blanton – A Great Austin Museum For UTexas Students

April 3, 2012 by · 4 Comments

Visiting an Austin museum can be a rare experience for UTexas students who would rather spend their downtime on 6th Street. The Blanton Museum of Art, however, is something every Longhorn should take the time to see. I spent an afternoon walking around the museum to pin down exactly why I love it so much. If you haven’t been, I definitely encourage you to spend some time enjoying its many exhibits.

The museum is ever-changing and alive because Blanton’s collection grows and changes all the time. No two visits to the Blanton Museum are the same. I remember visiting their Turner to Monet exhibition once and, despite my deep respect for the 19th century masters, intended to skip the exhibit during my next visit. But alas, the museum had moved on to a new exhibit by the time I returned! The museum has exhibited everything from famous portraits to Central American folk art. [Read more...]

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